“Dustland Fairytale” was always a Springsteen song in spirit. It had the cinematic scale, the desperate romanticism, and that specific brand of “get-out-while-we’re-young” energy. But it was wrapped in the velvet and glitter of 21st-century indie rock. It was a tribute from a distance.
Until it wasn’t.
In the earliest days of the pandemic–literally as the world was in the process of shutting down–Brandon Flowers received an unsolicited text from an unknown contact, suggesting they re-record The Killers’ 2008 hit together.
The message was signed “Bruce.”
Bruce Springsteen? Bruce Hornsby? A forgotten acquaintance?
Flowers figured it was probably a practical joke, but he soon learned it wasn’t. Bruce Springsteen had caught The Killers’ set at Glastonbury the previous year and he was impressed by their performance of “Dustland Fairytale” in particular.
In an Instagram post announcing their collaboration, Flowers revealed that he’d written the song “in the middle of [my mother’s] battle with cancer. It was an attempt to better understand my dad, who is sometimes a mystery to me. To grieve for my mother. To acknowledge their sacrifices and maybe even catch a glimpse of just how strong love needs to be to make it in this world. It was my therapy. It was cathartic.”
“Bruce has written a lot about people like my parents and found a whole lot of beauty in otherwise invisible people’s hopes and dreams… their struggles, and their losses. I’m grateful to him for opening this door for me. I’m grateful to my parents for their example to me. Now go find something new out about your dad, give your mom a big hug, and for God’s sake listen to Bruce Springsteen.”
Let’s listen to Bruce Springsteen.
When Bruce’s gravelly baritone kicks in, he jolts the song from fairy tale to history, giving voice to Flowers’ father and lacing his performance with aching empathy. It’s fitting, therefore, that Flowers dropped the “Fairytale” from the retitled “Dustland” when he released it to the world.
Springsteen had spent his entire career writing about characters like Flowers’ parents and had become indelibly associated with them. He must have instinctively known how his presence would affect the song when he suggested the collaboration.
He didn’t just lend his voice; he lent his mythology. And in doing so, he turned a great song into a timeless performance–a performance he reprised on stage in 2022 in a surprise appearance at The Killers’ set in New York City.
Dustland
Recorded: Late 2020
Released: “Dustland” (single, 2021)
First performed: October 1, 2022 (New York City, NY)
Last performed: October 1, 2022 (New York City, NY)
© February 23, 2026
