Frictional Blog 18 [The Musical Monday (!?) Edition]

BAAAMM!!!


Hey, what's up you guys? Remember when I started doing this blog, I had a Musical Monday post on every, well, Monday? Haha. Unfortunately, it's not returning. This is kinda like a one-shot only. Cue the tears. :_(

Nahh, actually I'm joining an article writing competition, and this is basically a draft of what I am submitting to them. Read it up! Hope you guys like it. 


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In conjunction with its music video that has recently reached the 200-million-view mark, this article is written for the sole purpose of dissecting the lyrics of Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye, featuring Kimbra. Okay, that sounds weird. But nonetheless, here we go. Before we begin, let us get ourselves to know a bit or less about Gotye and Kimbra.

Wouter De Backer, better known by his stage name Gotye (pronounced as go-tee-air) was born on May 21, 1980 at Belgium. He then moved with his family to Australia when he was two. Having his voice compared to the likes of Sting, Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel, as a youth, he began learning to play instruments like piano and drums, but not until February 2003 did he release his first album, Boardface. Three years later, he released his second album entitled Like Drawing Blood. On August 19, 2011, his latest album, Making Mirrors was released. The first single off the album, Eyes Wide Open did pretty well as it went #55 in Australia and #96 in the United States. Somebody That I Used To Know, however, was his true breakthrough single as it peaked at #1 on song charts in over 18 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

Kimbra Johnson was born on March 27, 1990 at Hamilton, New Zealand. Not much to be said of her, besides the fact that at the age of 14, she was the runner-up of the 2004 Rockquest competition. So far, she has only released an album titled Vows.

If you haven't heard the song yet, you must be living under a 42-inch rock or a very huge coconut shell or something. But no worries. Here is the song. Give it a listen.



Now, let's go behind the words of the song.


Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
I 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


In the first part of the first verse, Gotye recalls his relationship with his ex-girlfriend. He kept thinking to himself that he was happy, albeit feeling like she was never there for him when he needed her. Damn, he must be really unhappy with this girl. Basically, what he felt is so totally different from what he wanted himself to feel. That feeling sucks so badly, but unfortunately the memory would not leave him in peace. 


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 that is was over


Well, in the second part of the verse, Gotye tells us about how he just would not let go of this "love" that is slowly killing him, and who can blame him? It was love, and love makes you blind. That is, until a point where you just feel like you have had enough and decide to throw it all away. Okay, I went too far there. He was too into his relationship with this girl, despite his pain and suffering, until it came to the point that both of them decided to end it because, well, they just could not make sense. And he was relieved! Shocking! For him, of course.


But you didn't have to cut me off
Make it like it never happened and that we were nothing
I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough

And here's the first part of the chorus. Well, previously she told him that they would still be friends. Well, screw that! She totally neglects him, acts like they never even knew each other while he has been there for her for so long. Wow girl, you are so cold-hearted. He doesn't really care for their love past though. All he is asking for is a "hello" every once in a while, and she won't even give him that. I already hate this girl by this point of the song. But it's about Gotye though. Please don't let me stray you away from this song.



No, you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
Guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know


Second part of chorus, and boy, did Gotye lose all the respect that he has ever had on this girl or what? He just wants to be friends with this girl, and what does this girl do in respond? Trying her best to make sure he won't be able to contact her, ever again. Never in his life would he ever thought that she would cower herself away from all this. He used to know her, but not anymore. In other words, he's giving her a taste of her own medicine by playing her own games against her. Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh, excuse my irrelevant over-emotional opinion right here. 


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 want to 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


The second verse, also known as the Kimbra part. Here, Kimbra is being Gotye's new girlfriend or so. Judging on the lyrics though, it seems like she almost breaks up with him. Kimbra is trying to say that although Gotye's ex is the one ruining their relationship, his obsession with this girl that he supposedly just used to know that is screwing him. And who can deny that? I mean, when you are having a relationship with someone, and this particular someone keeps on talking about his ex all the time, it's not cool. Just, not cool. Yes, he is over that girl, but not over what she's done to him. 


And after that, Gotye sings the chorus again, while Kimbra screams "Oh!" throughtout the end, almost as if she's fighting Gotye's anger towards his ex with an anger of her own. Gotye is, like, "That girl screws us! I can't believe she did this to me!" while Kimbra is "Shut up and get over it, you ignoramus!". Yeah, a catastrophic ending to a catastrophic situation. And how can you not feel this song? This song is just awesome, in every way! The melody is different from all the other tunes that are blasted on our stereos today, and the lyrics is just, well, rock-solid! Such a meaningful, lyrical song.

Before I end this post, I would like to share my Top Three favorite covers of this wonderful song. Check them out.

#3 - Myles Erlick and Mylie Taylor - Pure emotion, and it comes from two kids!


#2 - Noah Guthrie and Christina Grimmie - Two power vocals doing what they do best.


#1 - Walk Off The Earth - Four men, a woman and a guitar. And one of them has an epic beard.


And on that note, it's the end of the article. Thank you for reading!

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And that's it. Hope you guys like it! Check out my other posts, add me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and subscribe to me on Youtube. Until next time. Make sure you'll be there.

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Frictional Blog.