Gotye – “Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)”
If 31-year-old Australian singer-songwriter Gotye wasn’t already somebody you used to know, he is now.
Last year, the Belgium-born artist teamed up with delightfully quirky New Zealand songstress Kimbra (who I first Introduuced back in July of 2010) for “Somebody That I Used To Know,” the second single off of his third studio album, Making Mirrors.
Set atop electronic stings, a lone xylophone and a swinging sample of Brazilian guitarist Luiz Bonfá‘s “Seville,” the heartbreaking, peculiarly sparse track sees the duo going back and forth reflecting on what went wrong: “I don’t need your love/But you treat me like a stranger, and it feels so rough,” Gotye croons. Although the song is said to be a culmination of reflections on past relationships, Gotye later admitted that the chorus is about one ex-girlfriend in particular. Wonder who?
To say the song has made an impact down under is an understatement: Originally released back in July of 2011, the song soon climbed to the #1 spot on the Australia ARIA 100 in August, staying atop the chart for a record 8 weeks and tying the record previously set by Savage Garden with their 1997 classic, “Truly, Madly, Deeply.”
Now, having already gone Top 10 in multiple other countries (including #1 in Belgium, Germany, Poland, and New Zealand), the song is now rapidly fighting its way up the charts in America.
As of last week, the song is now resting at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100, up from last week’s #58. And judging by its digital sales (currently at #14 on the iTunes Top 100 Singles in the US)–there’s nowhere to go but further up for Gotye and Kimbra.
To help celebrate and promote the song (let’s get it even higher!), here’s some goodies: First, this very, very good cover by Ingrid Michaelson. Then, have a listen to this newly released remix by pop productions newcomers 4FRNT (official website), which gives the song a searing, explosive punch of Frankmusik-esque electro-jitters and dubstep flourishes.
It’s rock solid!
Making Mirrors was released in the U.S. on December 6. (iTunes)