The Killers Feat. Lou Reed

The collaboration appeared in 2007 and opened Sawdust, the band’s collection of B-sides, covers, remixes and other recordings from around its early albums. That context matters: Tranquilize was part of a release that widened the picture beyond the main studio-album sequence.

Reed’s presence does not make the song sound like a simple imitation of his own records. His voice introduces another degree of restraint, while Flowers can let a phrase rise into a more openly dramatic register. Their contrast gives the lyric an unsettled quality, as if the same scene is being described from different distances.

Sawdust also included the band’s interpretation of Joy Division’s Shadowplay, placing the new duet within a set of recordings that made musical reference and reinterpretation particularly visible. Tranquilize stands at the beginning as a newly defined meeting rather than a leftover version of an earlier hit.

The song remains in the band’s official video archive, with the featured credit preserving Reed’s specific contribution. The most striking detail is the fit between the voices: the guest can make a line feel almost spoken, and the lead singer can give the next phrase a larger emotional silhouette. The record gains its tension from allowing those differences to remain unresolved.