Song Analysis 1 Gotye: Somebody That I Used To Know

Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ hinges on the fallout from a failed relationship. There’s a shifting between different emotions creating a tension which conveys intense personal emotions in a broad language that resonates with the masses.

The song shifts between (a certain kind of) sadness and (a certain kind of) anger. This sadness and anger comes from frustration and regret; hinging on a sense that we cannot change things.

The characters in this story are mourning and ruminating on what could have been, what wasn’t, and an angry reaction to the situation. Tension lies in not knowing whether the characters, and the audience in response, feels sad or angry; and what—if anything—can be done about it.

Gotye’s vocals convey this upheaval and confusion. His voice in the verses is quiet and alone. In the chorus his voice is more forceful and raspy, booming and echoing, like he is singing in a concert hall, spilling his emotions. The chorus hits harder, angrier, bigger than the meek, muted tones of the verses as Gotye sings of an ex who cuts him off.

The song expresses personal regret, two sides of the story, accusation, reaction, defense.

To sing the part of Gotye’s ex girlfriend is Kimbra. Until her character enters in the third voice, Gotye’s male character reads as self-centered and searching; lost in introspection and his own suffering/cathartic release. He begins with how he “felt so lonely in her company”, and is glad the relationship is over, before unleashing in the chorus his anger at their split and her treatment of him after the break. The male character suggests it’s her fault, paying little consideration of her side of the story, or of why they failed to connect. Kimbra responds, playing the part of ex returning to have her say.

The female character enters with the line, “Now and then I think about all the times you screwed me over / but made me think that it was something I had done,” quickly changing the tone of the song. Up until this point, Gotye had us believing the male character was the victim. But now, with this new female voice, this new information, it is difficult to blame Kimbra’s character for cutting off this emotionally manipulative lover.

Both are unreliable narrators; both characters sing from hurt and raw emotions.

Kimbra’s verse is short; her voice begins in dulcet, breathy—but still strong tones, but towards the end her voice changes, becoming harsher and angrier, building into the chorus where Gotya re-enters the narrative, and the two in a dueling narrative replay the conflicts that split them apart in the first place.

This time around the male character’s lines sound like excuses, and complaints. Instead of empathy, like the first time he sung the chorus, there is pity. 

Lyrics