Miss Atomic Bomb Lyrics

All that I wanted was a little touch
A little tenderness and truth, I didn't ask for much, no
Talk about being at the wrong place at the wrong time

[Pre-Chorus]
Miss Atomic Bomb
Making out we've got the radio on
You're going to miss me when I'm gone
You're going to miss me when I'm gone

[Chorus]
Racing shadows through the moonlight
Taking chances on a hot night
For a second there we won
We were innocent and young

[Verse 3]
The dust cloud has settled, and my eyes are clear
But sometimes in dreams of impact I still hear
Miss Atomic Bomb, I'm standing here
Sweat on my skin
And this love that I've cradled
Is wearing thin (Miss Atomic Bomb)
But I'm standing here and you are too late
Your shock-wave whisper has sealed your fate
It feels just like a dagger buried deep in your back
(It's a proving ground)
You run for cover but you can't escape the second attack
(and you turn to chance)
Your soul was innocent
She kissed him and she painted it black (on a loser's game)
You should have seen your little face
Burning for love
(Miss Atomic Bomb)

[Outro]
Holding on for your life
But you can't survive (All that I wanted was a little touch)
When you want it all (A little tenderness and truth, I didn't ask for much)
There's another side (Talk about being at the wrong place at the wrong time)

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About

Genius Annotation

Brandon Flowers told the backstory of the song to NME: “It’s a beautiful picture of this woman in the desert. I think she’s still alive. I met Bernie Taupin for the first time and I felt like he was giving me a little bit of advice. 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 Lisa and Mat Hatters,’ or ‘Candle in the Wind,’ it’s already epic.”

The lyrics and music video imply that there is a connection to their 2004 single, “Mr. Brightside,” and that “Miss Atomic Bomb” serves as a follow-up or a sequel to the story.

In the first verse, there is a line that reads:

I was new in town, the boy with the eager eyes

This directly mirrors the line in the chorus of “Mr. Brightside”:

Open up my eager eyes,
Cause I’m Mr. Brightside

At time mark of 3:36 in album version of the song, The Killers play the main riff from Mr. Brightside as a leitmotif to connect the two songs.

The music video also features actress Izabella Miko and actor Eric Roberts reprising their roles from the “Mr. Brightside” video.

Some scenes are re-created shot for shot from “Mr. Brightside” in the music video for “Miss Atomic Bomb.”

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did The Killers say about "Miss Atomic Bomb"?
Genius Answer

“We worked with so many producers on ‘Battle Born’, and a couple of them didn’t like this song. It was sort of put on the shelf until I heard it again when I was going through demos at the end of the record. I loved it and I wanted to pursue it… so we pursued the hell out of it! It’s a companion to ‘Mr. Brightside’.” – Brandon Flowers writing for NME, November 8, 2013.

Credits
Additional Programming
Additional Keyboards
Mixed By
Recorded By
Recorded At
Battle Born Studios (Winchester, Nevada) Blackbird Studio (Nashville, Tennessee)
Release Date
October 23, 2012
Miss Atomic Bomb Interpolations
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