Somebody That I Used To Know

I think that you have made a great point...he is caught up on his illusion of the perfect person. He wanted so badly for this girl to be his everything, although she wasn't and the relationship wasn't meant to be. Who gets caught up with someone whom he feels "so lonely" in her company and is glad when it is over? He starts to paint himself and her in the same colors, trying so desperately for this to work and for her to be what he wants her to be.<br /> <br /> It seems like during the relationship, she was tired of being put on that pedestal and tired of being expected to be his perfect someone. She "found that we could not make sense" and didn't want to deal with the pain and sadness of trying to be perfect for him any longer. I think the colors coming off of her at the end of the song is here breaking out of his perfect girl mold...becoming herself once again.

I personally think you nailed it.

I really don't know how you managed to get that impression. There was nothing in the song that mentioned anyone being on a pedestal or would imply that they were idealized into some perfect form. Nor, was there any mention about any kind of clash between illusion and reality.

Actually there is an illusion with the music video. They are being painted to give the illusion they blend in to an abstract background. So I agree with missxt. I think you completely nailed the story behind the song.

agree on the mix up between illusion and reality. oh my.

you couldnt have explained it any better!! since hearing it the first time that's what it meant to me

I really can't argue with your interpretation so I'll just add to it. The first verse is just his 20/20 hindsight on the relationship well before the breakup and how he deluded himself. The line "told myself you were right for me" is the prime example of his delusion along with his association of love as an aching feeling instead of that feeling just being a bad vibe for him. <br /> <br /> The second verse sounds like his feelings towards the end of the relationship just before the breakup occurred. The addiction to sadness shows how negative feelings have become so common place in this relationship that it is hard to separate it from the two people involved. The last three lines of this verse is just his break from delusion and him finally finding some relief in the end of the relationship til . . .<br /> <br /> The chorus of course is his post breakup feelings and how things were handled. This is where the song can go for a great twist by having the person singing this part doing it as a solemn sort of begging or as a quiet pain in that they are hurt by the fact that they are hardly even a foot note in the other person's life.<br /> <br /> The third verse is great in showing how the pain and sacrifice in the relationship didn't just belong to the first person (assuming that this is being done as a duet). It demonstrates the same signs of delusion, compromise, and sacrifice that the first two verses illustrate and the eventual realization how it isn't meant to work out. <br /> <br /> This third verse can also explain the current coupling as a result from a previous one. How he made her believe that she had done something wrong and how he was still clinging to the idea of another person from his past that he sees her as. <br /> <br /> The chorus of course is the same but it can be done in a slightly different way. Instead of singing it in a quiet and saddened way, the person can sing it as a mad, painful rant as if he's trying to defend himself in an intense argument.

Are you guys seriously this in love with this comment? This song isn't about the 'perfect person.'<br /> <br /> "Told myself that you were right for me<br /> But felt so lonely in your company"<br /> <br /> He knew all along she wasn't the perfect person. He's bemoaning the fact that even though they both spoke about how they would remain friends after the break up she's an entirely different person, somebody that he used to know...

I agree with the replies who disagree with you. There is no lyrical evidence whatsoever that the girl was put on a pedestal. <br /> <br /> The only part that you quote to defend your interpretation is 'person that you used to know' -- this saying does not have to imply that one thought that their loved one was 'more perfect before than now.'<br /> <br /> 'Somebody that I used to know' is a common idiom, saying or phrase with a specific meaning. It is clear that it is merely referring to the fact that one person really meant a lot to the other person, but after breaking up they aren't nearly as significant, they are just 'somebody that __ used to know.' <br /> <br /> In regard to the rest of your interpretation:<br />

• 'It is about that tiny little fibre...hung up on them.' I agree that the song is trying to show how it is difficult to forget a loved one.<br />
• 'I think that might be why there is such a huge play on body parts...contradicting each other.' I disagree here with you here. First, they didn't really color the heart and the 'voice' (which body part does this refer to??) specifically. They just colored it randomly to fit in with the mosaic.<br /> <br /> I'm pretty sure this 'mosaic' was meant to symbolize something much more deep than mere contradictions that one has in their mind. Why do the actors in the video have to blend into the background? Couldn't they just have had a blank background then? Your interpretation would still work if they merely had a blank background, but the video creators decided to blend the actors in the background, for metaphorical reason I'm sure.<br /> <br /> This comment should not have received the amount of +1's that it has, sorry.

Wow you got right on it, that's exceptionally perception, from one whom has been through that and was able to concur that somebody. I Love this song, it speaks of my current relationship. to the letter. i love your comments on that. thanks for sharing.

@missxt This interpretation is far fetched.

I totally agree, that was the turning point in the song. I love it, it is such a great song.

Agreed. The song is clever in the way that it sets the audience up to feel sympathetic towards Gotye, but then this realisation that he screwed up shifts out empathy onto Kimbra. I love that Kimbra's response to Gotye's defense is just as powerful without words.

Remember that her reply isn't necessarily the truth, it's just her side of the story. Maybe they are equally blameless, or equally to blame, but it's not clear that she in fact is right. It sounds like they both did things wrong, and out of that we get a really good song out of it. Although I do agree it's clever that her perspective differs from that of the other verses and the chorus, very nice.

I agree with you, he is more defensive and it seems to me like he was crying inside, he wants her back, but he don't want to change his mind and admit he has his fault too. He always repeat again his "song" when she is trying to tell him something or explain and he uses it everytime he fells danger.. (As when he is singing the chorus for the second time, she is singing only the voice without text, like it is all he hears, when she is talking, because he wants to prove he is the only right one.) The second thing I would like to add is, that he is like bound to his background - wall - and he is maybe to proud to make a responsive step. But inside he would like to (we can call it heart), but the bound to his statements won't let him (let's call it brain). For all the time song lasts, he doesn't move even a little.

I agree with what you pointed out FoodandLiquor. Kimbra's words back to Gotye have everyone suddenly feeling empathy towards Kimbra but I do feel there may be more to the story too. For example the idea "he felt lonely in her company" leads me to think she would neglect him or that she wouldn't talk to him. But then you hear her saying "I don't want to live that way, reading into every word that you say" and you start to wonder if she's shutting down (not talking) because she's sick of Gotye accusing her or his blaming her for he did whatever he did to her. It would be interesting to know if Kimbra wasn't communicating enough before the arguments started or if she started to shut down "after" Gotye started arguing/blaming her. Anyhow it does sound as if both people were to blame with Gotye being more guilty (at fault) than Kimbra was. What a song :) You make some good points too Kalimka ;)

Wow, very insightful!

Elcheeserpuff was right on, I believe with the meaning. He was hurt so much before, that when he was in the relationship with Kimbra that he wasn't even right, and then she told him what he told her "you said that you could let it go, and I wouldn't catch you hanging on to somebody that you use to know" and then he gets more aggressive with her. He was directing the last part to her, "You didn't have to cut me off" You didn't have to do what the other girl did to me too. <br /> <br /> You can see his facial expression when she started singing, it was more of your point is not making sense, you didn't have to leave me like that. Then when he started to sing the chorus towards her, his face goes into more of a 'that's not a good enough reason'or 'you didn't have to do it in that way' face. Its wrong how she changed her number, and had her friends pick up her stuff, she just left him, and wanted nothing to do with him, she just made it see, like she forgot him like it was easy. <br /> <br /> And its not the fact that he still loves her, that's bothering him, its the fact that she moved on like he didn't mean anything to her and then Kimbra did the same thing.

@elcheeserpuff i actually felt more bad for him after her part. all he wanted to know was why she was lying and pretended to want to be friends. that it hurts him that she doesnt acknoeledge him. he doesnt seem to be shying away from responsibility and keeps saying how he convinced himself to be happy, and was trying to ignore the problems. she shows up and immediately blames him and doesnt bother taking responsibility. it takes two to tango, and she seemed to want to be the victim.

@elcheeserpuff i actually felt more bad for him after her part. all he wanted to know was why she was lying and pretended to want to be friends. that it hurts him that she doesn't acknowledge him. he doesn't seem to be shying away from responsibility and keeps saying how he convinced himself to be happy, and was trying to ignore the problems. she shows up and immediately blames him and doesn't bother taking responsibility. it takes two to tango, and she seemed to want to be the victim.

Exactly what I was thinking - a sick cycle. <br /> <br /> Absolutely awesome, though. The lyrics, music and voices... so beautiful.

Great interpretation! The cycle hits us in reality more often than we'd like, but such is life, unfortunately...or people i should say. :)<br /> <br /> Cheers.

''As she tells us, now and then she thinks off all the time he screwed her over. Times he went to see the ex-girlfriend. The one he still thought of, even though it was doomed, and did end. This woman realizes that, while she wants him, he was still hung up on another girl. Still thought of her. Missed her. Maybe even compared the two. Her and the last girl. She and somebody that he used to know. So she has this sadness with her. And he sees that this relationship is doomed. But he still can't stop dwelling on the ex-girlfriend. So what does she do? She dumps him. She doesn't want to see him at all. Doesn't want to hear from him. Has friends pick up her stuff. Just like the last girl did.''<br /> <br /> i don't get why people keep referring to the singers fixation with another ex girlfriend,the 'somebody i used to know' is the ex girlfriend who ignores him,theres no 3rd party,its all based on two people and no other relationship.

everyone can look at this song in their own way. But i agree with billythepub, this song is btwn 2 people, no 3rd party at all in the song. Atleast thats how i see it. it's good there are more ways to see the song though. that way more can relate.

Of course there is/are another/others. She was screwed over by the boy. That involved a past gal. She gave him multiple chances. He failed because she was not the one. He's hung up on somebody he used to know, and that ain't her.

There is no ex-girlfriend, it's so much clearer than taking third party into the song. It's just how the girl used to be or how he used to think of her. Now she wants to forget about him. Come on, NO EX in this song!

@rscofield Had trouble piecing together all of the lyrics into words, so I came here, but I think you nailed it. <br /> <br /> Also, if you watch the video, it matches this. The man starts out being unpainted - he is free and happy. As he starts talking about the relationship, he becomes enmeshed in the background (the relationship and/or his emotions). The colors are red (anger) and grey (sadness). The girl starts out painted as well, but she is also green (jealousy). She leaves the trap of the relationship, becomes free and unpainted, but he is still trapped in the background of his emotions.<br /> <br /> I've been here. Pining over a lost relationship that I remembered as being perfect and never moving on. Eventually life goes on and you discover something great, but this song perfectly captures that time.

@rscofield I see this song as working on multiple levels. At first I thought it was Kimbra he was alluding to and she was answering him. Then I realized Kimbra was telling him how he did the same thing to her. I see him in his own pain have a momentary glimmer of understanding then again is engulfed in his pain. Irony and the faults we see in others reflected in ourselves without our own knowledge or understanding. His voice, the imagery, the lyrics, Kimbra, a truly beautiful and strangely haunting song.

Also if you liked my interpretation give it a thumbs up! (Or a thumbs down of course if you didn't like it).

EDIT: Gotye's face in fact is painted (white!) on the right side. My mistake! This still doesn't affect my argument. What this shows is that Gotye is even more of a stranger to Kimbra than I had previously thought! Haha! <br /> <br /> Still, when he turns his head left it sticks out of the mosaic just like Kimbra's does. So I don't think my #5 is completely wrong.

Interesting interpretation! I like how you likened a mosaic to being mostly straight lines and how when she says "reading in to every word you say" is like she has to read between the lines? Maybe that is why his cheek is painted white and her's is bare because she always remains honest, maybe? But, a mosaic can also be created by breaking something into fragments and then reassembling the pieces to create something different. I have no idea.<br /> <br /> Anywho, nice interpretation and while this song is popular, hopefully it will open the airwaves to other Gotye songs because they are pretty good!

I really liked your interpretation of the video side of this song. However, I think the song itself is important to discerning the subtler meanings. I'll admit that I didn't scour all of the replies, but I did not see thus far anybody mentioning a few points.<br /> <br />

1. Gotye, in his first and second verse, speaks of the relationship in his own words. Not once does he blame her during that time for the bad parts, though he does mention that she claimed to be happy. He told himself that she was the one meant for him, despite that he always felt lonely when he was with her. He compares the love he felt to an ache but still doesn't blame her. The second verse continues this theme, and ends with him being relieved that she finally ended it when he wasn't willing or mentally capable of it, and believes her when she says they can still be friends.<br /> <br /> He doesn't start blaming her for his pain until AFTER the breakup, as heard in the refraint. He feels lied to, but most of all, he feels that he hasn't been acknowledged in all of this. He feels like he's been treated as a spectator, or worse, a piece of furniture. In his hurt, he stops referring to her as a friend, but as somebody (or some 'body') that he used to know.<br /> <br />
2. Gotye's complaints are specific. "You didn't have to cut off, make out like it never happened ..." She doesn't even acknowledge what they went through, and she doesn't acknowledge him. The second verse, he feels betrayed because she was pointlessly sneaky, which only serves as a slight. And then she changed her number after claiming they could still be friends, which leaves him in limbo, still unacknowledged and without any real resolution to the relationship. Categorizing her as merely "somebody that I used to know," is his only recourse, casually dismissing her the way that he himself feels dismissed.<br /> <br /> Cue Kimbra's verse.<br />
3. The first thing she does is blame him. She doesn't take any responsibility. To her, everything bad in the relationship was his fault, even though she told him she was happy. She doesn't want to have to figure him out anymore, but then she's offended that he's tried to write her off the way she's already written him off.<br /> <br /> When he then tries to restate his pain, all she can do is childishly shout him down. She's never pointed out anything solid or particular, she just vaguely cast blame. He acknowledged what she told him, agreed when she wanted to end it, even crediting her for it. But after all of that and claims of still being friends, she snubs him and refuses to acknowledge him as more than something to blame.<br /> <br /> I do agree that it results in a tragedy, but in a slightly different way than you do. She still stands out, a figure distinct against the image of his turmoil (the red and green paints). He's blamed and dismissed, but she's a source of continuing emotional suffering for him, an already dysfunctional individual (who was addicted to a sad relationship that left him feeling lonely and pained). He doesn't need her anymore, but he's stuck unacknowledged and suffering from the memory of her, perhaps even addicted to that very pain she left him with by casting him off in place of the pain her love gave him.

@mercownzya "Kimbra sees Gotye as just 'somebody that -she- used to know,' a mere face in the crowd (i.e. mosaic). "<br /> i dont understand how the mosaic represents kimbra no longer seeing Gotye. he has the mosaic on most of the video, and yet she still sees him, and is still affected by their relationship. so much that she is trying to argue with him until the end and keeps looking his way. if what you are saying is true, he would have been painted at the end when she doesnt see him anymore.

@mercownzya Love your interpretation, only thing I can add is the depth of how it seems throughout the relationship he didn't listen to hear so she said very little and even when she has her say he doesn't listen and talks over her

Agreed. I too am in love with this song. On it's own it is an amazing song, and with the video clip it is incredibly moving. This is art.

perhaps, someone whom you were once very close to and then you grew apart.

He's a narcissist, and the pattern represents his "reality". She loses the pattern after she asserts her own moral fiber. It's interesting how at first you sympathize with him, but as the song progresses you realize he's not the victim.

It's about narcissism.

I dont think so. <br /> <br />

I totally agree with the regretting a break-up portion. I think a lot of times people have an issue letting go of their ex's after a break-up. The whole idea of "we'll still be friends" is common, but destructive. You can be on friendly terms without being close and staying in touch. It's a very rare situation that the break-up can be truly amicable and end with friendship. Most of the time, it's lop-sided, with one partner wanting the relationship to stay together. If a "friendship" is kept, that partner is constantly torturing themselves with hope of what could have been.<br /> <br /> To me, in these lyrics, he's acting childishly and she's handling it like an adult. She won't spit in his face if they run into each other, but she's not going to continue to torture herself with contact. A clean break it best, even if it's the most painful, and he's too obsessed to see that.

Totally agree with altari. Seems like he's self-importantly clinging on to his ideals whilst trying to drag down this girl who's just trying to move on after he screwed her over. He's trying to victimise himself but she won't take it, and her response is what makes this song so brilliant xD

Totally agree. This song is not hard to interpret.

Thank you...

You captured exactly what I was thinking!

It is the best analysis of a song I have ever heard. Brilliant. Just absolutely brilliant. Thank you.

I think that your interpretation hits the nail on the head. It is the closest to what I tried to express, but I think that your words put it across a lot better.

@lftmnsch I just finally paid attention to the lyrics of this song recently and found them intriguing and came here to see what others thought. <br /> <br /> Just wanted to say that I found this to be by far the best interpretation of this song out of every one here on this site. I agree that the singer is expressing the point of view of someone who held the girl at bay during their entire relationship and it sounds like he thought he was holding much more power in the relationship. I was particularly struck by the line "Like when you said you were so happy you could die." To me, that quote sounds so disdainful on his part, like whether or not she actually said something like that, that's how he chooses to remember her feelings for him and her experience of their relationship. It's such a teenaged cliche - like he thinks she was shallow and cliched and maybe even not nearly as smart as him. <br /> <br /> Most importantly, he thought she was way more in love with him than he was with her. All he remembers about their relationship is love being an ache and a sadness, nothing good, while he thinks she thought of their relationship both very deeply and importantly, yet also with the depth and intelligence of a Hallmark card. It's really a briliant little line that sounds throwaway, but I think it isn't. <br /> <br /> And I find it interesting that despite his supposedly feeling the relationship was unsatisfying and doomed, he never broke up with her; she's the one who broke up with him. And despite his supposedly being relieved it was over, I agree with you: he's clearly not over her, and in fact her decision to break up seems to have fueled his interest in her to greater heights, in a totally dysfunctional way. <br /> <br /> He sounds less upset that they are not together anymore and more upset that she challenged his sense of the relationship - i.e. that he meant everything to her and she meant little to him. The way she "[made] like it never happened and we were nothing" challenges his sense that he had all the power between them. He doesn't feel betrayed by her leaving him per se, but instead by her actions in the breakup, which he interprets as a challenge to his belief that he was all-important to her.<br /> <br /> Anyway, this is long after the fact, but this was such a breath of fresh air in amongst what seemed to me many wild misinterpretations of this song. Just thought I'd validate you, since you only got two replies, while others that I felt were blatantly wrong got many more.

"Told myself that you were right for me,<br /> But felt so lonely in your company"<br /> <br /> shows how the lover intellectualizes his experience with his beloved; he can't "feel" it until it's over and she's gone. It's a sort of paralysis of emotion that happens for a wounded person in intimate relationships.<br /> <br /> "You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness,<br /> Like resignation to the end, Always the end."<br /> <br /> shows fear of abandonment.

It's such a simple song in lyrics and melody. And yet there is a whole other level to it. Your both right.

perfect response, i completely agree.

@lolhahaha The male is a malignant Narcissist. He blames her for everything that is wrong in the relationship rather than be an adult and accepting his responsibility in the toxic relationship. She, the victim, feels screwed over and the only way that she can find peace is to "cut him off", in other words, going "no contact". He\'s angry because he\'s lost his ability to control her in any way. He\'s so bad that she has to send people to retrieve her belongings because she knows he\'ll try to lure her back in and nothing is ever going to change. She\'s accepted that he will never change, he wasn\'t the person that he portrayed himself to be and she has no choice but to move on.

@lolhahaha Omg!!!! you totally nailed it. Definitely a narcissist. <br />