My June 2012 Song of the Month

Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye

I was on the road for half of June, so I didn’t purchase much new music, which could have been a problem for my project to select a favorite song, entirely new to me, which I discover each month. But the other day I stumbled onto a find, once again through a parody video, as occurred in April. Since I don’t watch TV nor listen to the radio, I have to stumble onto new music.

One of my former students, who is a Facebook friend, had posted a link to a Star Wars parody. I was intrigued by the music as well as the video concept. It turned out that it was based on Somebody That I Used to Know by the Belgian/Australian singer/songwriter Gotye. The song was released as a single in this country at the start of 2012 and has hit #1 in many countries, including the U.S. at the end of April.

Once again, the song is even better when accompanied by its intriguing video.

Here is an interview with Gotye where he discussing recording the album in a barn and the challenges of shooting the video. In another interview he discusses how he came to write a duet, strengthening the song greatly by illustrating the other person’s viewpoint and, of course, the welcome contrast of his singing with that of Kimbra. She is a great presence, both vocally and in the video.

Some of my favorite songs are story songs, with another favored category being duets. What jumps to mind in the pop category is Don’t You Want Me by The Human League, while in country there is You’re The Reason God Made Oklahoma by David Frizzell and Shelly West, although I actually prefer the remake with Coni Le singing. And combining a story song with a duet is the incredibly long and quite funny piece Paradise By the Dashboard Light, composed by Jim Steinman and sung by Meat Loaf and Ellen Foley.

Somebody That I Used to Know

Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it’s an ache I still remember

You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end, always the end
So when we found that we could not make sense
Well you said that we would still be friends
But I’ll admit that I was glad it was over

But you didn’t have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don’t even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No 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

Now you’re just somebody that I used to know
Now you’re just somebody that I used to know

Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believing it was always something that I’d done
But I don’t wanna live that way
Reading into every word you say
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn’t catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know

But you didn’t have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don’t even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No 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

Somebody
(I used to know)
Somebody
(Now you’re just somebody that I used to know)

Somebody
(I used to know)
Somebody
(Now you’re just somebody that I used to know)
(I used to know)
(That I used to know)
(I used to know)
Somebody

July 2012 Song of the Month >

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