THE meta-analysis of the media can make certain works of art seem plain silly. Case in point: The pivotal line from the Killers’ single “Human,” from the band’s most recent album, “Day & Age.” It asks the widely reviled (at least in the blogosphere) question, “Are we human, or are we dancer?”

The Boston Globe ran a headline for a story on the song that just quoted that lyric, followed by the word, “Huh?” And one Internet commenter asked, “What is that illiterate pile of rubbish supposed to mean?”

Killers vocalist Brandon Flowers (pictured center right) says that line – a quote from Hunter S. Thompson – actually means a lot. “[It] struck a chord,” says Flowers, whose band headlines Madison Square Garden tonight, “in what I felt about what was going on around me.”

Thompson meant it to be a metaphor for Americans losing their humanity. “The values that I believe America was founded on are slipping away slowly,” Flowers says. “I guess I’m a little bit old-fashioned.”

Flowers is annoyed with the over-

analysis of the line, because focusing so heavily on it obscures the song’s real message. But he’s happy for people to enjoy the song on whatever terms work for them – especially since it’s a Top 40 hit around the world.

“Music can be good for different things,” he says. “You can mindlessly listen and enjoy the melody, the atmosphere the song gives, or you can do the exact same thing by listening to lyrics and dissecting them. Whatever your fancy. Whatever stirs your mush.”