Somebody Else (The 1975 song)

"Somebody Else" was the last song written for I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It. Written in the back of a cab while Healy was in Los Angeles, the singer focused on the after-effects of a breakup, alongside the accompanying feelings of jealousy. Explaining the concept further, Healy described the feeling as "guilty jealousy" to Steve Holden of BBC, which the singer said stems from no longer wanting a partner while also not wanting somebody else to be with them. == Music and lyrics ==

Musically, "Somebody Else" is a melancholic power ballad, composed as an electronic, R&B and synth-pop slow jam. The song has a length of five minutes and forty-seven seconds (5:47) and was written by the 1975 members George Daniel, Matty Healy, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald, while the former two handled the production alongside Mike Crossey. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Hal Leonard Music Publishing, "Somebody Else" is set in the time signature of common time with a downbeat tempo of 100 beats per minute. The track is composed in the key of C major, with Healy's vocals ranging between the notes of G3 and G4. It follows a chord progression of F–G–Am7–E7–Am9–Am–C. whirling synthesiser washes, a disco-influenced bass, a kick drum, 808 percussion and techno beats. The song also contains elements of house, chillwave, electro, funk, neo-soul, electronica, dance, electropop, alternative pop, new wave, yacht rock and "digitized" soul. Throughout the track, Healy's vocals are pitch-altered, doubled, chopped and Auto-Tuned. while Nylons Hayden Manders described the vocals as "lackadaisical, disinterested and wobbly". The track is centred around the theme of loss, with Healy refusing to let go of the relationship for fear of loneliness. Tom Connick of DIY characterised the production of "Somebody Else" as gentle and "soft-of-touch" while writing that the lyrics see Healy "finally [laying] himself bare in the emotional sense, rather than just whipping off his top and skipping about". Writing for PopMatters, Pryor Stroud described "Somebody Else" as a merger of the "anthemic, multiplex synth-pop of Tears for Fears" with the "pretty-boy R&B" of Justin Bieber. Dee Lockett of Vulture said the song's sexual tension, "slow-burning" sensuality and suspense is reminiscent of Tangerine Dream's "Love on a Real Train", while also writing that it shares the same "control" as a Tears for Fears song. AllMusic writer Matt Collar compared the track to Tango in the Night (1987)-era Fleetwood Mac. Nelson observed a "swerve" to the opening synths that sonically embodies post-breakup ambivalence, noting "a damp echo to the atmosphere that makes every instrument sound slightly hazy and drunk". slower synths and distorted vocals, the song's bridge sees the singer's heartbreak shifting to bitterness around intimacy, as he exclaims: "Get someone you love? / Get someone you need? / Fuck that, get money / I can't give you my soul 'cause we're never alone." Stroud opined that Healy's constant assertions of indifference in the couplet "I don't want your body, I don't want your body" demonstrate an attempt by the singer to repress his desires. The writer noted that "the body" mentioned in the line serves as the song's motif, comparing its constant repetition to an addiction. Rather than viewing "the body" as an abstraction, Stroud interpreted it as representing "a specific flesh-on-flesh interaction" first detailed in the 1975's "Sex" (2012). Regarding the song's bridge, Jennifer Irving of Consequence interpreted the lyrics as a commentary on love in the 21st century, representing society's inability to make time for intimacy. She wrote that instead of attempting to reconcile this dilemma, the bridge serves as Healy's acceptance of this notion, summarising: "Let's just distract ourselves and make money." == Release and critical reception ==

"Somebody Else" was officially released by Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the fourth single from I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It on 15 February 2016. 11 days later, the album was released, including the song as the 10th track. Dorks Stephen Ackroyd said the track "remains one of British pop music's greatest recent triumphs", while Starr Bowenbank of Cosmopolitan said: "If you had to listen to one single piece of music for the rest of your life by [t]he 1975, it better be 'Somebody Else'." Spin writer Brian Josephs also named "Somebody Else" the record's best song, while The Sydney Morning Heralds Tim Bryon declared the song "perhaps the most impressive thing on the album". Both Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club and Gill deemed "Somebody Else" an album highlight, Stereogum writer Chris DeVille praised the band's use of chillwave in the track, saying they "do pretty well with it too". Lorenzo Cabello of Euphoria Magazine assured that despite previously not enjoying the 1975's music, he "found [himself] helpless to their newfound sound", praising "Somebody Else" for its "encapsulating" production, "musical and lyrical muscles", and Healy's "sympathetic" and "longing" vocals. Mitch Mosk of Atwood Magazine praised "Somebody Else" for "maintain[ing] an upbeat but hollow melody while being danceable all the while". Emille Marvel of idobi wrote that "Somebody Else" is "a worthy contender for the best [t]he 1975 song of all time" while praising its "depressingly" dark lyrics and "cloudy pop vibes". Stroud declared it the best song on I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It; he commended the track's lyrics for representing an "obsession" that sees Healy "teetering toward a full-on psychosexual breakdown". Slant Magazines Jonathan Wroble praised the song's "pulsating midnight balladry", calling it one of the album's moments of quiet and introspection that serves as a "rewarding [moment] of restraint". Describing the track as a "synth-laden masterpiece", Callie Alghrim of Insider commended its lyrical elegance, relatability and portrayal of nostalgia, misery, guilt, self-importance and betrayal, saying: "There is no other song in existence that evokes the same ultra-specific, exquisite emotion as 'Somebody Else. Writing for The Observer, Kitty Empire said "Somebody Else" is a "gem", while Renowned for Sound writer Jessica Thomas opined the song radiates "soulful passion, with deep, personal significance". Accolades "Somebody Else" has appeared on numerous publications' year-end and decade-end lists, including ones published by NME, Pitchfork and The Times. In DIYs annual Readers Poll, the track was deemed 2016's eighth-best song, and it was later nominated for Best Track at both the 2016 Q Awards and the 2017 NME Awards. == Commercial performance ==

In the United Kingdom, "Somebody Else" peaked at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for 11 weeks, standing as the 1975's second most commercially successful release up to May 2020. "Somebody Else" was later certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting over 35,000 certified units in Australia. The song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Rock Airplay chart and was later ranked at number 32 on the chart's 2017 year-end edition. Additionally, the track reached number 20 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and number 28 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart. "Somebody Else" was later certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting over 500,000 certified units in the US. As of 2024 the song has accumulated more than 760 million streams on Spotify, making it the band’s most successful song on the platform. == Music video ==

Development and release . To create the music video for "Somebody Else", the 1975 worked alongside director Tim Mattia. Having developed the visual's concept and storyline, the singer collaborated with Mattia for the video's direction, a process he praised as "surreal". Speaking to Holden, Healy described the development of the music video as an "intense creative process". Due to the visual's narrative structure, the 1975 shot "almost two or three videos". Healy was required to wear a wig and a dress for a sex scene with himself, which he described as "quite interesting". To achieve the desired shot, the singer filmed the scene with a man dressed as himself, saying, "It's 2016, there are no fears about that". Describing the video in a press release, the 1975 said it focuses on Healy's struggle with "self obsession in the face of heart-break" while exploring a "Lynchian night-time London". Synopsis The music video begins with a three-minute vignette that plays before the primary video. The setup and development of the vignette is heavily inspired by the work of David Lynch, in particular, his short horror webseries Rabbits. The black and white vignette opens with Healy entering a grim hotel room, reminiscent of a retro TV show set, where a woman who never moves is sitting on the couch. The singer performs several menial tasks in a lethargic manner; he washes away clown makeup from his face, takes off his suit jacket and shirt, ties his shoes and studies himself in a mirror. Foreboding music and an inappropriate laugh track play in the background, featuring cheers, sitcom-esque applause and the occasional boo from an unseen studio audience. Althea Legaspi of Rolling Stone felt the vignette's bleak setting serves as a thematic continuation from the visual for fellow album track "A Change of Heart", , the stripper Healy engages in sexual intercourse with is revealed to actually be himself. As "Somebody Else" begins to play, signifying the beginning of the primary video, the visual changes from black and white to colour. Healy spends time trying to get over his lover in solitude and finds himself in different situations, each of which contains elements of self-obsession and feelings of isolation. The singer then traverses alleyways, cabs and deserted city streets and later falls off of his skateboard, while clips of him singing in the back of a car are interspersed. Writing for MTV News, Madeline Roth called the visual colourful and "ominous", noting that the twist ending is "totally unexpected" and viewers "have to see [it] to believe [it]". Gigwise writer Alexandra Pollard called the visual strange and wrote that it "take[s] a turn for the weird" during the "bizarre" twist ending. Gil Kaufman of Billboard commended the "epic [and] lonely" music video and deemed it a mini-movie, saying the visual emulates the "absurdly" long and narrative-driven videos characteristic of Michael Jackson. Jisselle Fernandez of B-Sides said the accompanying music video does "Somebody Else" "justice", Deeming the music visual odd and strange, The Fader writer Ben Danridge-Lemco said it is both an examination of narcissism and a representation of Healy's journey to find himself, writing the track itself functions as his soundtrack. Peter Helman of Stereogum commented that the visual is similar to Father John Misty's "The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apartment" (2015) and Young Thug's "Best Friend" (2015), deeming it "another solid entry into the pantheon of 'musician fucks himself' music videos". == Live performances and other usage ==

Prior to its release, the 1975 performed "Somebody Else" at a December 2015 show in Philadelphia and incorporated pink lighting. In September 2016, they performed the song at the Leeds Festival, with Gigwise deeming it the highlight of their set. The 1975 performed the track on the 8 November 2016 episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers alongside "A Change of Heart". The following year, "Somebody Else" was included as part of the band's headlining setlist for the Reading Festival. "Somebody Else" was used in 13 Reasons Why, The Edge of Seventeen and Love Island. Cover versions released a cover version of "Somebody Else" to SoundCloud in September 2016. American singer Charlie Puth performed a cover of "Somebody Else" for his BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge set in September 2016. American musician Vérité released a cover of the song on 9 September 2016 to her SoundCloud. While praising the track's simplicity, relatability and songwriting, the musician asserted she "really wanted to take it into [her] world and reinterpret it a bit". Vérité's rendition features a faster rhythm and incorporates a "club-ready" beat, deep, oscillating bass and propulsive synths. The musician uses subdued, minimalist instrumentation in the verses, while the chorus is rooted in pop music and features an EDM-like drop. In February 2017, English indie rock group Circa Waves performed a rock and roll rendition of "Somebody Else" for MistaJam on BBC Radio 1. In June 2017, Holden accidentally played his vinyl copy of I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It at double speed, discovering the song sounds similar to the work of Scottish synth-pop group Chvrches. After tweeting about the discovery, Chvrches member Martin Doherty humorously replied, asking if the opposite was also true. The group later performed their own rendition of the track in BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 15 March 2018. At the le Zénith show in Paris on 5 October 2017, New Zealand musician Lorde performed "Somebody Else" as part of the setlist for her Melodrama World Tour. For her rendition, the musician used a near-identical arrangement rather than paring the song down. Roth praised Lorde's "fittingly dreamy" cover and complimented the track's sonic connection to Lorde's Melodrama (2017). Junkee declared it the musician's fifth-best cover; Jules Lefevre echoed Roth's comments regarding the similarities between "Somebody Else" and the music on Melodrama. Gray's performance featured oversaturated pink and purple lights reminiscent of the artwork for I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It, and he incorporated layered vocals in the chorus. The singer-songwriter called the song a personal favourite from the band and described his version as "a little more sombre and not as well played on guitar", saying it "is one of those songs that no matter who you are and where you are in life, you can’t help but think of someone in your past when it plays". In the publication's list of Gray's Top Five Favourite Covers, Soundigest ranked his performance of the track at number one; Courtney Gould commended the video's lighting and his vocals for "highlight[ing] the dynamic details that make this song so special". In March 2020, American Idol season 18 contestant Adam Curry performed "Somebody Else" for Hollywood Week. Curry's rendition of the song received praise for its "artistry" and "legitimacy", with Robbie Daw of Billboard writing the singer "knock[ed] everyone out with a solid rendition" of the track. On 7 May 2020, The Face hosted a tribute concert via Instagram for the 1975 to recognise their influence on contemporary artists. Several artists performed covers of the band's songs; Gracie Abrams was chosen to perform "Somebody Else". Korean-New Zealand singer Rosé, a member of K-pop girl group Blackpink, performed the track as part of an Instagram Live mini-concert on 17 May 2020, closing out the show. == Legacy ==

"Somebody Else" is considered one of the band's greatest songs and has been labelled a "breakup anthem". Johnson II ranked the track at number 17 on Pastes list of the 1975's essential songs and said its lyrics "highlight the splintered emotions that make breakups a process". In a ranking of the band's ten best songs, NME listed the track at number five. Cosmopolitan, Seventeen and ''Women's Health. Don't Bore Us'' declared "Somebody Else" one of the seven-best breakup songs of the decade, has cited "Somebody Else" as a major influence on her second album Melodrama (2017). Puth spoke about "Somebody Else" in a 2016 interview with Michael Baggs of BBC, revealing it was the one song he wished to have penned himself. The singer praised the track's simplicity, chord structure and Healy's vocals, telling Baggs: "I love the way [the 1975] paint a picture lyrically. They're not so concerned with using huge words, it's more like getting into people's hearts with nostalgia." The musician was surprised by the track's "emotional potency", saying she related to it despite the songwriters being a group of men. Lorde further praised the production intricacies, groove and "celestial" emotional connection between the lyrics and composition, telling the magazine: "The power ['Somebody Else'] has over me is quite remarkable." In an E! Online interview with Billy Nilles, Canadian singer Tate McRae was asked to choose only one song to listen to for the rest of her life and picked "Somebody Else". Speaking on the track, the singer said: "It's my go-to driving song whenever I kinda feel like my world is falling apart." Roisin Lanigan of i-D identified the song as part of an emerging ASMR trend on YouTube and TikTok known as "from another room edits". The edits, described as part of a new "uber-specific" genre, are played through a muffled and distant filter. For "Somebody Else", the edit is designed to simulate hearing the track as if "[the listener is] making out in the bathroom of a party". In an essay analysing the sudden viral success of Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" (2021), Paper writer Larisha Paul identified "Somebody Else" as one of three contributing factors, saying: "It's also clear that [Rodrigo] comes from the generation of young adults who swayed beneath pink LED lights to [t]he 1975's 'Somebody Else. == Credits and personnel ==

Credits adapted from I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It album liner notes. • Matthew Healy composer, producer, electric guitar, keyboards, vocals, background vocals • George Daniel composer, producer, programming, drums, keyboards, synthesiser • Adam Hann composer, electric guitar • Ross MacDonald composer • Mike Crossey producer, mixer • Jonathan Gilmore recording engineer • Chris Gehringer mastering engineer == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts == Certifications ==