// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did tranquilize say to the dart? You're a shot above the rest.

"Tranquilize"
"Tranquilize"
Single by the Killers featuring Lou Reed
from the album Sawdust
Released	October 8, 2007
Studio	Sear Sound (New York City)
Length	3:45
Label	Island; Vertigo;
Songwriter	Brandon Flowers
Producers	Flood; Alan Moulder; the Killers;
The Killers singles chronology
Lou Reed singles chronology
Music video
	"Tranquilize" on YouTube

"Tranquilize" is a song by Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers, featuring Lou Reed. Written by Brandon Flowers, it is featured on the compilation album Sawdust. The song was made available for download on iTunes from October 12, 2007. A limited edition etched 7-inch vinyl of "Tranquilize" was available from November 5, featuring a lyric from the song hand-picked by Brandon Flowers etched on one side.

The song reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and also charted in Australia, Austria, and Canada. It won Best International Alternative/Indie Track at NME's first ever USA awards. It was featured in a trailer for the fifth and final season of HBO's original series Boardwalk Empire.^[2]

Background

"It took a day to break the ice with him," Flowers said of Reed. "The second day of recording was a lot nicer than the first. On the first day we were all really stiff. It's funny, because you refer to him as 'Lou Reed', not 'Lou'. I remember somebody came into the studio. They could only stay in the room with him for two minutes. They left, saying, 'Lou Reed's really freaking me out.'"^[3]

Music video

The music video features Lou Reed and was released on the 29 October 2007 in the UK.

The video features Flowers wandering around an empty house. Somewhere in the house is Lou Reed, sitting at a piano. Flowers sings the song, including Reed's parts, making it look like he has been possessed. Intercut with this are shots of the rest of the band in a darkly lit, red room, around a table, apparently performing a seance. The video ends with Flowers finding and pointing at Reed, singing his outro.

Live performances

In concert, Flowers changes the lyrics at the end from "the Bushes and the bombs are tranquilized" to "the vampires and the bombs are tranquilized".^{[citation needed]}

Awards and nominations


Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2008	NME Awards	Best Indie/Alternative Track	Won
2008	NME Awards	Best Video	Nominated

Personnel

Personnel are taken from the Sawdust CD booklet.^[1]

The Killers

Additional performers

Lou Reed – additional guitar and vocals
Mpho Manye – background vocals
Tamara Robinson – background vocals
Journi Gallwey – background vocals

Production

Flood – production
Alan Moulder – production, mixing
The Killers – production
TJ Doherty – recording

Charts

Chart (2007)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[4]	84
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[5]	57
Canada Hot 100 (Billboard)^[6]	59
Scotland Singles (Official Charts)^[7]	26
UK Singles (Official Charts)^[8]	13

References

1 2 Sawdust (CD booklet). 2007.
↑ "'Boardwalk Empire' season 5 – watch first trailer". NME. August 12, 2014.
↑ Allen, Matt (January 2008). "Cash for Questions: The Killers". Q. No. 258. p. 20.
↑ "The ARIA Report, Issue 923". ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
↑ "The Killers feat. Lou Reed – Tranquilize" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
↑ "The Killers Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 17/11/2007 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
↑ "Official Singles Chart on 27/10/2007 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 12, 2018.

New song featuring Lou Reed

External links

Watch "Tranquilize" on YouTube

[albumnotes-1] 1 2 Sawdust (CD booklet). 2007.

[2] "'Boardwalk Empire' season 5 – watch first trailer". NME. August 12, 2014.

[3] Allen, Matt (January 2008). "Cash for Questions: The Killers". Q. No. 258. p. 20.

[sc_Australiapandora_-4] "The ARIA Report, Issue 923". ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved December 16, 2020.

[sc_Austria_The_Killers_feat._Lou_Reed-5] "The Killers feat. Lou Reed – Tranquilize" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 12, 2018.

[sc_Canada_The_Killers-6] "The Killers Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2018.

[sc_Scotland_-7] "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 17/11/2007 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 10, 2025.

[sc_UK_-8] "Official Singles Chart on 27/10/2007 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 12, 2018.

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v t e Lou Reed
Discography
Studio albums	Lou Reed Transformer Berlin Sally Can't Dance Metal Machine Music Coney Island Baby Rock and Roll Heart Street Hassle The Bells Growing Up in Public The Blue Mask Legendary Hearts New Sensations Mistrial New York Magic and Loss Set the Twilight Reeling Ecstasy The Raven Hudson River Wind Meditations
Collaborations	Le Bataclan '72 (with John Cale and Nico) Songs for Drella (with John Cale) The Stone: Issue Three (with John Zorn and Laurie Anderson) Lulu (with Metallica)
Live albums	Rock 'n' Roll Animal Lou Reed Live Live: Take No Prisoners Live in Italy Perfect Night: Live in London American Poet Animal Serenade Berlin: Live At St. Ann's Warehouse The Creation of the Universe
Compilations	Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed Rock and Roll Diary: 1967–1980 City Lights Walk on the Wild Side & Other Hits Different Times: Lou Reed in the '70s The Best of Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground A Retrospective Retro The Definitive Collection The Very Best of Lou Reed Legendary Lou Reed NYC Man (The Ultimate Collection 1967–2003) The Essential Lou Reed
Singles	"Walk on the Wild Side"/"Perfect Day" "Satellite of Love" "Vicious" "Sweet Jane" "Street Hassle" "I Love You, Suzanne" "My Red Joystick" "High in the City" "September Song" "The Original Wrapper" "No Money Down" "Dirty Blvd." "The View"
Featured singles	"Tranquilize"
Box sets	Between Thought and Expression: The Lou Reed Anthology
Films	Le Bataclan '72 Sally Can’t Dance Tour A Night with Lou Reed The New York Album Songs for Drella Magic and Loss Live in Concert Live at Montreux 2000 Metal Machine Music Lou Reed: Berlin
Related articles	The Velvet Underground John Cale Nico Ostrich guitar Metal Machine Trio Loureedia Rock & Rule Rachel Humphreys Laurie Anderson The Power of the Heart: A Tribute to Lou Reed

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