“Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye – The Song of the Week for 5/7/2012

The critically acclaimed and world-wide hit “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye is the lead single from Making Mirrors

Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie Pop, Worldbeat

Songs chosen for Song of the Week are usually brand new songs. Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” is not new per se but it is incredibly relevant right now and I just now got on the Gotye popularity train.

The single was released on July 5, 2011 (almost a year ago now) and is currently #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Alternative, and Rock Charts. Pretty amazing actually. And that is just here in the U.S. The single is hugely popular around the world, reaching #1 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, and the UK. Truly amazing! The song currently has 188 million views on Youtube. I’ve never seen anything like it.

So who is this guy and where did he come from? Well, consult the Wikipedia article for more in-depth info on Gotye but he is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumental musician and singer-songwriter. Say that 10 times fast. His popularity begs the question: “Is he a one hit wonder?” Time will tell but with a voice similar to Sting, Phil Collins, and Peter Gabriel we might see some good music out of Gotye (real name Wally De Backer). For now, let’s enjoy “Somebody That I Used To Know” for the amazing song it is. A simple yet complex song that is instantly catchy but continues to grow on you. How many songs can you say that about?

“You didn’t have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records
And then change your number
I guess that I don’t need that though
Now you’re just somebody that I used to know”