Brandon Flowers Says the Killers’ New Music Was Inspired by Elton John

In the past, the Killers have been accused of cribbing heavily from ’80s synth pop and U2, but on their new album, frontman Brandon Flowers says they found inspiration in a new source: rock legend Elton John.

Speaking to NME, Flowers discussed meeting John’s longtime co-writer Bernie Taupin. “I met Bernie Taupin for the first time and I felt like he was giving me a little bit of advice,” Flowers recalled. “He didn’t say much to me, just asked, ‘Do you like titles?’ And I started thinking about Elton John songs, and found out Bernie wrote the titles first. Like ‘Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters’ or ‘Candle in the Wind,’ it’s already epic.”

That conversation came back to Flowers when it came time to start writing songs for the new album ‘Battle Born,’ due Sept. 18. One song in particular, ‘Miss Atomic Bomb,’ started with the title, as Flowers explained: “There’s a very iconic picture of the first Miss Atomic Bomb. A mushroom cloud-shaped bathing suit is covering her breasts. It’s a beautiful picture of this woman in the desert. I think she’s still alive. … When that was rattling in the brain, it’s so strong.”

While waiting to hear ‘Miss Atomic Bomb’ (not to mention the rest of ‘Battle Born’), fans can content themselves with the album’s leadoff single, ‘Runaways‘; the band just released a video for the track earlier this week.