Somebody That I Used to Know

Gotye discussed writing "Somebody That I Used to Know" in an interview with Sound on Sound: "Somebody That I Used to Know" is a mid-tempo art pop and alternative rock song and has a length of four minutes and five seconds. with additional instrumentations of beats and a xylophone playing a melody based on "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep", from the 1961 LP ''A Child's Introduction to the Instruments of the Orchestra'' by Joseph Cooper and Sinfonia of London. It was written and produced by Gotye himself, while in his parents' barn on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. Gotye commented that he wrote the song "in quite a linear way", explaining that "I wrote the first verse, the second verse, and I'd got to the end of the first chorus and for the first time ever I thought, 'There's no interesting way to add to this guy's story'. It felt weak." The track was recorded between January and May 2011 with Gotye struggling to find a suitable female vocalist, as a "'high profile' female vocalist" cancelled the collaboration at the last minute, and Kimbra "lucked out as the replacement". He tested his girlfriend, Tash Parker, but "somehow their happiness meant that it didn't work out" so he followed the recommendation of the song's mixer and used Kimbra's vocals. Martin Davies from Click Music considered the song "instantly captivating", and named Kimbra's voice "clean and sugar-soaked", further commenting that it bears an "uncanny resemblance" to singer Katy Perry. Gotye stated that the song was "definitely drawn from various experiences I've had in relationships breaking up, and in the parts of the more reflective parts of the song, in the aftermath and the memory of those different relationships and what they were and how they broke up and what's going on in everyone's minds. Yeah, so it's an amalgam of different feelings but not completely made up as such." In an interview with Rolling Stone (Australia), he described the song as "a curated reflection of multiple past relationships". == Music video ==

The music video for "Somebody That I Used to Know" was produced, directed and edited by Australian artist Natasha Pincus and filmed by Australian cinematographer Warwick Field. It shows Gotye and Kimbra naked throughout the clip, and as they sing, his skin is gradually painted into the backdrop via stop motion animation. The video's background is based on a 1980s artwork created by Gotye's father, Frank de Backer, who also designed the cover art for the related album, Making Mirrors. Emma Hack, an Australian artist and skin illustrator based in Adelaide, was hired by Pincus to work on the body paintings for Gotye and Kimbra. Melbourne Scenic Artist Howard Clark painted the backdrop. Their painting symbolises their combined relationship. On 1 November 2022, the video hit 2 billion views and 13 million likes on YouTube. The video for "Somebody That I Used to Know" was voted number 1 in the annual Rage Fifty countdown. Andy Samberg and Taran Killam parodied the video in a Saturday Night Live "digital short" that coincided with Gotye's 14 April 2012 performance on the show. The video was nominated for Video of the Year and Best Editing in a Video at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. As of January 2015, Billboard named the video as one of the 20 best of the 2010s (up to that point in time). == Critical reception ==

The song received universal acclaim, winning the Grammy for Record of the Year. Take 40 Australia elaborated on the audience's reception at the July 2011 Splendour in the Grass festival, "Gotye's latest song featuring Kimbra 'Somebody That I Used to Know' had become somewhat of an unofficial anthem for the festival ... every car was cranking it over their speakers all day, every day ... and the question on everyone's lips was whether or not Kimbra would join him on the track. Fortunately, dreams came true ... he smashed out an incredible set climaxing with a version of the song with Kimbra on co-lead vocals that people couldn't stop talking about all weekend long". AllMusic's Jon O'Brien felt the track was an "unexpected chart-topper ... [it] is an oddball break-up song whose stuttering rhythms, reggae hooks, and hushed vocals sound like the Police as remixed by the xx". Writing for Digital Spy, Lewis Corner rated the song four stars out of five and described it as "a Bon Iver-styled ballad for the music-buying masses". Entertainment Weekly ranked the song at number 2 on their "Best singles of 2012" list: "When a funny-named Aussie and his New Zealand sidekick first emerged with a quirky, minimalist breakup ballad, it seemed like the least likely candidate for a Hot 100 No. 1 since 'Macarena'." MTV ranked the song at number 3 on their "Best Songs of 2012" list. PopMatters ranked the song at number 14 on their "The 75 best songs of 2012" list: "Gotye manages to balance real nuanced emotions of a tortured heart bested only when the woman he is pouring his heart out to takes the stage revealing his inability to see past his own nose." Metro placed "Somebody That I Used to Know" on their "Top 10 annoying songs of 2012" list: "According to the internet there is going to be an apocalypse on Friday, but you can be sure that once the dust has settled the plinky plonky xylophone intro of this inexorable viral hit will drift into earshot, as if emanating from the scorched earth itself." John Watson, who co-manages Gotye with Danny Rogers, said of the single's success: "We've never seen any song make a deeper or more immediate connection with so many people. It's a really special recording and video". Talking about the overwhelming reception and the amount of coverage received, Gotye commented that "I don't really feel like it [the song] belongs to me anymore". He further explained that "sometimes I feel like I'm a bit sick of it. My inbox, on any given day, has at least five covers or parodies or remixes of it and there's only so many times you can listen to the one song." Earlier that year, Gotye had first noticed Kimbra when both were short-listed as finalists for the competition. At the APRA Music Awards of 2012, "Somebody That I Used to Know" won Most Played Australian Work and Song of the Year and Gotye won Songwriter of the Year. The song also won Single of the Year and Best Video Clip at the Belgian Music Industry Awards (MIA's). It was also nominated at the 2012 Teen Choice Awards for "Choice Rock Song" and "Choice Break-Up Song". The song was nominated at the 55th Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, winning both awards. The Village Voices Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll ranked "Somebody That I Used to Know" at number eight of the best music of 2012. In 2019, Stereogum ranked the song as the 161st best song of the 2010s. In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", "Somebody That I Used to Know" was ranked number 98. In 2021, its first year of eligibility, "Somebody That I Used to Know" was inducted into the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia as an Australian sound recording with "cultural, historical and aesthetic significance." == Commercial performance ==

In the week commencing 18 July 2011, "Somebody That I Used to Know" debuted at number 27 on the ARIA Singles Chart. It was released on 5 July 2011 in Australia and New Zealand by Eleven Music as the second single from his third studio album, Making Mirrors (2011). Despite an initial lack of airplay on major radio stations, the song reached number 1 in the week ending 15 August, becoming the first single by either artist to do so and their most successful single. Until 2014, the song was one of the two-second-longest-running Australian number-one songs, with eight weeks at the top, In August 2011, the song was released in Belgium and the Netherlands. After a few weeks in the charts, it reached number 1 in both countries, topping the Belgian Singles Chart for 12 weeks. Also in August, "Somebody That I Used to Know" debuted at number 4 in New Zealand on the RIANZ Singles Chart, reaching number 1 three weeks later, thus making Gotye the first Australian artist to reach number 1 since Guy Sebastian did so in February 2011 with "Who's That Girl". The song debuted on the Irish Singles Chart on 13 January 2012 at number 47, later reaching number 1 position. In the United Kingdom, "Somebody That I Used to Know" spent five non-consecutive weeks at number 1. In the United States, it debuted at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 21 January 2012. In its fifteenth week on the chart – after it was performed by Matt Bomer and Darren Criss on Glee on 10 April; by Phillip Phillips and Elise Testone on the eleventh season of American Idol before more than 16 million viewers on 11 April; where it stayed for eight consecutive weeks. thus becoming the longest-running number 1 by a solo male artist since Flo Rida's "Low" led for ten weeks in 2008. The song had the fourth highest-selling single week ever with 542,000 digital downloads sold, and was the first Australian single to top the Hot 100 since Savage Garden's "I Knew I Loved You" in 2000. Pop Songs, Adult Pop Songs, Adult Contemporary, and Hot Dance Club Songs charts in that country. On 2 May 2012 the song became the first to reach digital sales of at least 400,000 for three consecutive weeks, and the following week it became the first to simultaneously top the Alternative Songs, Hot Dance Club Songs, and Dance Mix Show Airplay charts. It also became the number 1 song of 2012 on the Alternative Songs, Adult Pop Songs, and Billboard Hot 100 charts. By 22 February 2013, the song became the tenth longest-charting song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, at 59 weeks on the chart. As of October 2015, the song has sold 7.9 million copies in the US, making it the country's fourth all-time best-selling digital single. "Somebody That I Used to Know" reached number one in more than 23 national charts and charted inside the top ten in more than 30 countries around the world. ranking among the best-selling digital singles ever. As of April 2012, it is the most downloaded song ever in Belgium, as well as being the third best-selling digital single in Germany with sales between 500,000 and 600,000 copies, and the most successful song in the history of the Dutch charts. As of January 2013, it has received eleven platinum certifications in Australia, accounting for shipments exceeding 770,000 units. In New Zealand, it was certified four times platinum. The song was the best-selling single of 2012 in the UK with 1,318,000 copies sold. Gotye has not monetised the song or any of his others through advertisements on YouTube, as he believes that there is too much advertising in the world. He has licensed its use to student films free of charge, but has turned down approaches from some commercial films: "If someone wants to use it commercially I look at what the budget is and the creativity of the project". == Track listings ==

;Digital download • "Somebody That I Used to Know" (Tiësto remix) – 4:33 ;7-inch vinyl single • "Somebody That I Used to Know" – 4:04 • "Bronte" – 3:13 ;CD single • "Somebody That I Used to Know" – 4:04 • "Easy Way Out" – 1:57 ;Japanese promotional CD single • "Somebody That I Used to Know" – 4:04 • "Somebody That I Used to Know" (Tiësto remix) – 4:33 == Credits and personnel ==

• Gotye – songwriter, producer, assistant mixer, recording, lead and backing vocals, guitar, synthesizer, xylophone, flutes, percussion, samples • François Tétaz – mixer, engineer • Lucas Taranto – bass guitar • Kimbra – lead and backing vocals • William Bowden – mastering • Ralph Thane – remixer (radio mix) • Frank De Backer – artwork (back and inside cover painting, handwriting) • Kat Kallady – artwork (front cover painting) Credits adapted from "Somebody That I Used to Know" CD single liner notes. == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts All-time charts == Certifications and sales ==

Electronic music producers, Fisher, Chris Lake and Sante Sansone reworked the song and released it as "Somebody (2024)" in February 2024. At the 2025 ARIA Music Awards, the song was nominated for ARIA Award for Song of the Year. Reception Hugh McIntyre from Forbes said "It sounds almost exactly the same until about a minute in, when a big beat kicks in, and it becomes clear that something new has been added." Track listing • "Somebody (2024)" - 2:33 Charts Certification == Covers and media appearances ==

In February 2012, Gotye made his American television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! where he performed the song. Dutch DJ Tiësto remixed the song for his album Club Life: Volume Two Miami. The a cappella group Pentatonix covered the song on YouTube video in February 2012, later releasing the track on their EP PTX, Volume 1, on 26 June 2012. "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded a cover as part of his polka medley "NOW That's What I Call Polka!" for his 2014 album Mandatory Fun. The song has been covered twice on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge: by Rita Ora in February 2012, then by fun. and Hayley Williams in May 2012. In May 2012, American duo Karmin made a cover of the song on Sirius XM Hitsas did Ray William Johnson through his project, Your Favorite Martian, published on Youtube May 23. "Somebody That I Used to Know" has been covered by many other artists, including Ingrid Michaelson, The Fergies, Benee, Sam Tsui, Right the Stars featuring Karmina, Coheed and Cambria, and Your Favorite Martian. Phillip Phillips and Elise Testone covered the song while competing on the eleventh season of American Idol on 11 April 2012. and The Voice of Ireland by Andy Mac Unfraidh. English fingerstyle guitarist Mike Dawes released an arrangement of the song on his debut album What Just Happened? in 2013, garnering praise from Gotye. Jazz pianist Jacky Terrasson included the song in his 2015 album Take This. Gotye paid tribute to the large number of cover versions of the song by creating a video remix, released in August 2012, using segments from hundreds of online covers to create a new, unique version of the track, titled "Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra". Gotye states the concept "was directly inspired here by Kutiman's Thru-You project", released in March 2009, which edited numerous YouTube videos to create a new cohesive song. The song, which prominently samples "Somebody That I Used to Know", was originally recorded for her 2019 self-released mixtape, Coven Music Session, Vol. 1. "Anxiety" was sampled by Sleepy Hallow for his 2023 song of the same name, Gossip Girl, and Carpool Karaoke: The Series. The song was also featured in the film Boyhood. Walk Off the Earth version In January 2012, Canadian indie rock group Walk Off the Earth uploaded a cover of "Somebody That I Used to Know" to YouTube. Their version uses a single guitar played simultaneously by all five band members. Also in January 2012, Walk off the Earth had their U.S. television debut on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, recreating the single-guitar performance live. Saying that she wanted to "help," Ellen humorously gifted the group with a matched set of 5 electric guitars. As of April 2012, the song had sold 187,000 units in the United States. As of February 2023, the 3 identical YouTube postings of the video have received a total of over 214 million views. Track listing • CD single • "Somebody That I Used to Know" – 4:08 • "Somebody That I Used to Know" (music video) – 4:25 • CD maxi-single Charts Mayday Parade version Alternative rock band Mayday Parade released a cover of this song featuring Pierce the Veil's lead vocalist Vic Fuentes for the fifth edition of the compilation album Punk Goes Pop, which features bands of the punk, alternative, and hardcore genres covering hit pop songs. Their cover reached number 18 on the Billboard US Rock Songs chart. Alternative Press named their version as the fourth best "Top 50 Punk Goes Pop covers of all time" and ranked it at number six on their "10 Best Mayday Parade Songs" list. Charts Three Days Grace version On 22 July 2020, Canadian rock band Three Days Grace covered the song and released it as a non-album single. The song was later included as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the group's seventh album Explosions. A music video (directed by Mike Filsinger) was also released for this version, which features the band performing in a Sketch-like background. Their cover charted in the rock song charts of Canada and the United States. The song reached number seven on the Billboard Canada Rock chart and number 19 on the US Rock Airplay chart. Bassist Brad Walst told Brave Words that Matt Walst sent him a voicemail of him singing the song with an acoustic guitar and Brad thought it would be a good idea to release a cover of it. The group recorded the track separately. A music video was released on 22 July 2020, and was directed by Mike Filsinger. It was recorded on an iPhone with the band members performing in front of a white tarp and a filter was added on top of it after it was finished. Track listing Weekly charts Year-end charts == See also ==