"Can't Deny My Love" is the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

by American singer-songwriter

Brandon Flowers Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and philanthropist, best known as the lead singer, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers. In addition to his w ...

from his second studio album, ''

The Desired Effect ''The Desired Effect'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter and The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers. It was released on May 15, 2015, by Island Records. It was produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and Flowers and mixed by Alan Moulder ...

''.

Composition

Flowers asked drummer Darren Beckett for a beat, Beckett obliged and Flowers then wrote the song using one of the recorded beats Beckett sent him.

Promotion

The single debuted on

Annie Mac Annie Mac (born 18 July 1978), is an Irish DJ, broadcaster and writer. She hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1, including BBC Switch and ''Future Sounds''. She also DJed in various locations, including hosting her AMP (Annie Mac Presents) ...

's show on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

on March 23, 2015. Flowers performed "Can't Deny My Love" for the first time on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

'' the same evening.

Music video

In promotion of the video, Flowers's YouTube channel released a series of clips featuring a walking traveler carrying a flame. The music video was inspired by the 1835 Puritan short story "

Young Goodman Brown "Young Goodman Brown" is a short story published in 1835 by American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story takes place in 17th-century Puritan New England, a common setting for Hawthorne's works, and addresses the Calvinist/Puritan belief that all ...

" by

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

. Flowers plays the protagonist who leaves his wife played by actress

Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress and activist. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations for her work in ...

for an unknown errand in the desert despite her pleas that he stay. On his journey he meets a man with a black staff played by Richard Butler (of

the Psychedelic Furs The Psychedelic Furs are a post-punk band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene ...

). Soon he discovers a group of townspeople assembled in robes carrying out witchcraft like ceremonies and discovers his wife among them. The townspeople notice him but as they approach the scene instantly vanishes and he awakes uncertain whether the previous night's events were real or a dream. He passes by several of the townspeople and returns to his wife. Originally, M. Night Shyamalan was expected to direct the video in the Northeast but at the last second Robert Schober was asked to film the video in

Calico, San Bernardino County, California Calico is a ghost town and former mining town in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Calico Mountains of the Mojave Desert region of Southern California, it was founded in 1881 as a silver mining town, and was later ...

Reception

Critical

"Can't Deny My Love" was met with very positive reception upon its release. ''

PopJustice Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 by UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for ''NME'', ''The Guardian'', ''Attitude'' and many others. It is composed of the work of editor Robinson, features editor Michael Cra ...

'' gave the song a positive review describing it as "Haim meets Pet Shop Boys meets The Killers" and added "it's really amazing so tune in". ''

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

'' gave it five stars out of five calling it, "big, bold, and quite possibly one of the best songs Flowers has sung on this decade." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' described the song and track "Dreams Come True" as "triumphant new songs" and reported that, "Whatever it is, it's working." ''Music Times'' also gave the song a positive review calling it "a glowing effort of what a new solo single could be – it's fitting in the 2015 pop landscape all while maintaining the very thing that makes Flowers a unique presence in music over a decade into his career." ''

Gigwise ''Gigwise'' is a British online music news site that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets and video content. Founded in June 2001, the site is based in London, England. History Gigwise was launched in 2001 ...

'' reported that "it confirms why The Desired Effect is one of our most anticipated records of the year". ''

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

'' calls it "an instant pop fix, one of the most upfront, immediate tricks Flowers has pulled in his career to date." ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' also gave it very positive reviews, calling it "excellent". Following its release, "Can't Deny My Love" became Spotify's No. 1 Most Viral Track in the United Kingdom and Canada as well as the No. 2 Most Viral Track globally.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Accolades

References

{{authority control 2014 songs 2015 singles Brandon Flowers songs Songs written by Brandon Flowers Island Records singles Song recordings produced by Ariel Rechtshaid Adaptations of works by Nathaniel Hawthorne