Meaning of “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra

“Somebody That I Used to Know” is a song performed by Belgian-born Australian singer-songwriter Gotye. The song, which features singer Kimbra from New Zealand, has lyrics that are inspired by a number of past romantic relationships in Gotye’s life. So the lyrics of the song are basically autobiographical!

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know at Lyrics.org.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Gotye not only confirmed that the lyrics of the song are about some past relationships he had but went further to stress on a particular one out of the lot which he said ended in a very messy manner. According to him, the song’s chorus is closer to that “nasty breakup” than it is to the other relationships and breakups that inspired the lyrics.

Lyrics of Somebody That I Used to Know

Facts about “Somebody That I Used to Know”

  • “Somebody That I Used to Know” was written and produced by Gotye.
  • The song samples a portion of the 1960s song “Seville” by the legendary Brazilian guitarist and composer Luiz Bonfá.
  • According to Gotye, he wrote and recorded the entire song at his parents’ house in Victoria, Australia.
  • The song was released on July 5, 2011 as the second single from Gotye’s third studio album “Making Mirrors”, which won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards.
  • The song topped the charts all over the world. To be precise, it peaked at number 1 in approximately 27 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
  • Having sold over 13 million copies all over the world and earned numerous accolades, “Somebody That I Used to Know” is not only one of the most successful singles of all time but also till date the most successful work of Gotye.
  • When the song was initially released, many mistook it to be the work of Sting because of how similar Gotye’s singing on the track sounds to Sting’s singing.
  • The song’s music video, which was directed by Natasha Pincus and released in July 2011, has so far garnered over a billion views on YouTube, thereby making it one of the most viewed YouTube videos of all time.

Did “Somebody That I Used to Know” win a Grammy Award?

The song actually won a total of two Grammy Awards at the 2013 Grammy Awards. It won the Grammy for Record of the Year as well as that for the Best Pop/Duo Group Performance.

Which films and TV series has “Somebody That I Used to Know” featured in?

Some of the most notable film and television appearances of “Somebody That I Used to Know” include the following:

  • Teen drama television series Gossip Girl
  • Teen drama series 90210
  • “Big Brother”, which was the fifteenth episode of the third season of the famous musical TV series Glee.
  • The 2014 drama film Boyhood.

Which singers have covered this song?

One of the most notable covers of “Somebody That I Used to Know” took place on May 16, 2012 when Hayley Williams of Paramore fame and the band Fun performed the song at the Live Lounge on BBC Radio 1.

1 Response

  1. Lorz says:

    I can’t believe this song was written thousands of years ago. We all (most of us) have somebody that we used to know. LOL

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