I agree that Gotye blending into the mosiac is about his feeling of loss of significance, and Kimbra's emergence from the paint is her standing out for Gotye. I also agree that the song depicts the personal reflections of Gotye and Kimbra -- they are not literally arguing face to face, but rather monologing.
However, I would argue that Gotye is /not/ over the relationship and is only now coming to terms with the blow of the break-up. The subtext is brilliant.
He expresses no understanding that Kimbra had been feeling hurt in their relationship for a long time. In fact, all he talks about are his own feelings -- alienation, unhappiness, resignation -- oblivious to the indubtible impact of his animosity on Kimbra. When Kimbra proposed their break-up after enduring his unhappiness it was very serious for her -- for Gotye, it was just a nebulous sigh of relief. ("Well you said that we would still be friends, But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over") Even when Kimbra expresses that she wants out of the relationship, he still fails to fully emotionally engage in Kimbra or their relationship. Demoting their relationship to a friendship works perfectly for him.
The break-up was much harder on Kimbra. She'd been battling alone for their relationship for a while and then when she became exaspirated, he didn't even seem to mind their conclusion. Angry and hurt, she distanced herself. Gotye is stunned by the severity of her reaction. Only when Kimbra stops letting Gotye walk all over her does she emerge from environmental noise/mosiac to become a whole entity for Gotye.
We hear Gotye use the phrase "somebody that I used to know" in his own monologue, but it's clear from Kimbra's use that he doesn't always employ his sentimental, introspective tone with that phrase. After breaking final ties (having friends retrieve her things, changing her number) he inflicted that term on her as retaliation for her 'cutting him out.' Kimbra throws his words back in his face: "You said that you could let it go, and I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know." When Gotye was finally confronted with the wound of her absence he reacted with anger instead of compassion. With a boy's wounded pride, Gotye chastizes Kimbra's emotionality, cruelly implying that she's beneath him because she just can't get over their break-up, and that the intensity of her reaction is innappropriate. Meanwhile he's tormented by her distance.
The title phrase's meaning performs a spectacularly poetic piroutte from dismissive apathy into an explosive, aching wist.
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.
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.
@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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I agree that Gotye blending into the mosiac is about his feeling of loss of significance, and Kimbra's emergence from the paint is her standing out for Gotye. I also agree that the song depicts the personal reflections of Gotye and Kimbra -- they are not literally arguing face to face, but rather monologing.
However, I would argue that Gotye is /not/ over the relationship and is only now coming to terms with the blow of the break-up. The subtext is brilliant.
He expresses no understanding that Kimbra had been feeling hurt in their relationship for a long time. In fact, all he talks about are his own feelings -- alienation, unhappiness, resignation -- oblivious to the indubtible impact of his animosity on Kimbra. When Kimbra proposed their break-up after enduring his unhappiness it was very serious for her -- for Gotye, it was just a nebulous sigh of relief. ("Well you said that we would still be friends, But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over") Even when Kimbra expresses that she wants out of the relationship, he still fails to fully emotionally engage in Kimbra or their relationship. Demoting their relationship to a friendship works perfectly for him.
The break-up was much harder on Kimbra. She'd been battling alone for their relationship for a while and then when she became exaspirated, he didn't even seem to mind their conclusion. Angry and hurt, she distanced herself. Gotye is stunned by the severity of her reaction. Only when Kimbra stops letting Gotye walk all over her does she emerge from environmental noise/mosiac to become a whole entity for Gotye.
We hear Gotye use the phrase "somebody that I used to know" in his own monologue, but it's clear from Kimbra's use that he doesn't always employ his sentimental, introspective tone with that phrase. After breaking final ties (having friends retrieve her things, changing her number) he inflicted that term on her as retaliation for her 'cutting him out.' Kimbra throws his words back in his face: "You said that you could let it go, and I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know." When Gotye was finally confronted with the wound of her absence he reacted with anger instead of compassion. With a boy's wounded pride, Gotye chastizes Kimbra's emotionality, cruelly implying that she's beneath him because she just can't get over their break-up, and that the intensity of her reaction is innappropriate. Meanwhile he's tormented by her distance.
The title phrase's meaning performs a spectacularly poetic piroutte from dismissive apathy into an explosive, aching wist.
It is the best analysis of a song I have ever heard. Brilliant. Just absolutely brilliant. Thank you.
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.
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.
@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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.