Despite not being a single, "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" is one of The Killers' most popular and critically acclaimed songs. It is particularly praised for Stoermer's powerful and melodic bassline.
The song, which is written in the key of E-flat minor, is told from the point of view of a boy who has been taken in for questioning about a girl's (Jenny) murder. After explaining the incident from his perspective, the boy (voiced by Flowers), claims that he is innocent by saying that "there ain't no motive for this crime, Jenny was a friend of mine." The song has no resolution of the crime and it is never clarified if the boy was guilty. The song was inspired by Robert Chambers' defense of the Jennifer Levin murder charges, in which Chambers claimed he had no motive for the murder, and that he and the victim were "friends".
It is a part of The Killers' alleged "Murder Trilogy", three songs detailing the murder of a girl named Jenny, the other two being "Midnight Show", and "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf". In an interview with The Guardian, Flowers revealed that it was Morrissey's song "Sister I'm a Poet" that inspired him to write songs about murder.
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
The Killers Lyrics
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We had a fight on the promenade out in the rain
She said she loved me, but she had somewhere to go
She couldn't scream while I held her close
I swore I'd never let her go
Tell me what you wanna know
Oh, come on, oh, come on, oh, come on
Jenny was a friend of mine
So come on, oh, come on, oh, come on
Oh, oh, oh
I know my rights, I've been here all day and it's time
For me to go, so let me know if it's alright
I just can't take this, I swear I told you the truth
She couldn't scream while I held her close
I swore I'd never let her go
Tell me what you wanna know
Oh, come on, oh, come on, oh, come on
And then you whisper in my ear
"I know what you're doing here"
So come on, oh, come on, oh, come on
There ain't no motive for this crime
Jenny was a friend of mine
Oh, come on, oh, come on, oh, come on
Oh, oh, oh
The lyrics to The Killers' song "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" are chilling and mysterious, but also hauntingly beautiful. The song is about a man who is being questioned by the police in relation to the murder of his friend, Jenny. The chorus repeats, "There ain't no motive for this crime, Jenny was a friend of mine." The verses are like pieces of a puzzle that the listener must put together to understand what really happened.
The first verse sets the scene of a walk on the promenade in the rain that ends in a fight. Jenny tells the singer that she loves him, but then reveals that she has somewhere to go. When he tries to hold her close, she can't scream. The second verse begins with the singer saying he knows his rights and suggesting he's been questioned by the police all day. He tells the police he can't take the pressure, but he won't lie, saying he swore he'd never let Jenny go. But then in the next line, the lyrics shift to the police whispering something in his ear, hinting that the singer might not be telling the whole truth.
The overall ambiguity of the lyrics leaves much up to interpretation. Is the singer truly innocent, or did he have a motive to kill Jenny that he's not revealing to the police? Or is the singer himself unsure of what happened, and the experience of being questioned by the police is causing him to doubt himself and his recollection of events?
Line by Line Meaning
We took a walk that night, but it wasn't the same
We went for a walk that night, but it just wasn't the same as before.
We had a fight on the promenade out in the rain
We had an argument on the promenade in the rain.
She said she loved me, but she had somewhere to go
She claimed to love me, but said she had to leave.
She couldn't scream while I held her close
She was unable to scream while I held her tightly.
I swore I'd never let her go
I made a promise to never let her go.
Tell me what you want to know
Please tell me what you want to know.
Oh come on, oh come on, oh come on
Please come on, come on, come on.
There ain't no motive for this crime
There is no clear reason for this wrongdoing.
Jenny was a friend of mine
Jenny and I were friends.
I know my rights, I've been here all day and it's time
I am aware of my rights, and I've been here all day, it's time for me to go.
For me to go, so let me know if it's alright
I need to leave, please tell me if it's okay for me to leave.
I just can't take this, I swear I told you the truth
I can't handle this, I promise I told you the truth.
And then you whisper in my ear
And then you whispered into my ear.
I know what you're doing here
I am aware of what you're doing here.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brandon Flowers, Dave Brent Keuning, Mark August Stoermer, Ronnie Jr. Vannucci
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Patty Theiss
on Mr. Brightside
Ed sharron