In case you couldn't tell from the title, this review is of the "Somebody That I Used To Know" song. But don't go looking at me weird, this is about the music video. Every once and again I might do this, depending on much I like or dislike a video or song.


Let me just say here and now that I'm so in love with this song, my speakers are probably hating me right now because I play it so much. It's just such a good song, sung so well, the lyrics just amazing, and it just gets me all giddy inside. Songs can do that. They can just make you want to sing along and whatever, put you in a highly better mood than the one you were in before.

However, with that in mind, I was a little iffy about the music video. I know I posted the video on one of my eariler posts, but I'm going to do it again here so that you all know what I'm talking about.

The video begins with an all pink...something. At first glance, you don't know what it is until the camera starts moving and you just see feet. Now, watching this, I was like what the hell am I watching? What kind of perv would put this to one of thee most amazing songs ever? But as the camera is traveling up this naked? man's body, we see that this is actually the music video. So once I figured that out I was like oh! Okay, I get it. And it keeps traveling up until we finally get to his face and now we can see the artist behind the song. I didn't know what Gotye looked like, (I didn't even know how to pronounce Gotye until Pandora spelled it out for me. LOL) and I have to admit, he's not actually that bad looking.


So he starts singing and for some reason I still can't imagine this beautiful voice coming out of him. I don't know why but the singing voice is so soft yet he looks like he would have a deeper voice. I don't know, but it's weird. So he's singing and I'm looking at his eyes which are a cute soft green and his brown curly locks are perfectly placed. Seriously, I'm not sure if his curls ever move in this video! I'll tell you now, I have a thing about teeth. I'm constantly looking at a guys' teeth. I just feel like if someone's teeth are on point, then I can get along with them. I have met some guys I've been turned off of because of their teeth, trust me! So when Gotye sings, you only see part of his teeth, but they're cute to me. They're not perfect and to me that's what makes them perfect. I'm a weirdo, don't judge. LOL.

The video goes on to cut away from him and focus on the pink wall behind him which now has a line being drawn on it, soon joined by other lines, and they start to take on the shape of diamonds. Then they start getting colored in and the whole time, I'm just sitting there like what the heck is going on right now? What does this have to do with not knowing the person next to you anymore?

Finally, it gets into the chorus and all of a sudden, Gotye opens his mouth. He has a huge mouth! I know this has nothing to do with the video or song, but jeez! It just took me by surprise how big his mouth is. Anyway, so Gotye does something a little smart here. Not only are these lines are drawing behind him, they start drawing on him but with paint obviously. Now I get why he's naked! But all this paint is getting on him while he sings about some pretty heavy stuff like:

"But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know"

His lyrics are just really powerful. My best friend in the whole world is a huge butthole. But that's sort of what made him charming, because honestly, I could be a butthole too. We were just kind of like kindred spirits in that respect. Yet, now that this fool has gone off to college, we barely speak anymore. It's like he literally cut me off and make it seem like our friendship never meant that much to him. It really is like he treats me like a stranger and it's one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through. I was mad for a long time because he really was one of the few people in my life who actually understood me and what I was about rather than just know me and I liked that. But now I'm in this F*** It place where I don't care what he does. I don't need his love and now he's someone I used to know. So Gotye's lyrics really speak to a deep part of you whether you went through something similar or know someone who has.

Then we get a glimpse of Kimbra trussed up in the same way with paint all over her and she's singing to him that he always made her feel like crap over something he did. And she's saying how she wants out. So the whole song is about these two people who didn't see a gap forming between them over their differences they thought they could ignore. But now the gap is so wide from not expressing their feelings, the only thing they can say is that I don't know that person anymore and I'm getting the hell out of dodge. She's singing and he's reacting and when she reaches the end, he goes back into the chorus.



Now, feel free to disagree with me, but it kind of seems like the background is a sort of glass house. Which would make sense because the album is called Making Mirrors, but bear with me. It's like Gotye is seeing his relationship through a glass house. Like look at all the things I've been missing out on because you've been treating me like crap this entire time. And now that he's understanding this, he's become one with the glass house. He is his own mirror and he's seeing his actions and the actions of those involved for what's true. And so when Kimbra walks away, the paint is off of her, making her not a part of his life anymore. She can't share in his mirror view of the world anymore. She's changed so much to the point where he can't recognize her anymore. I don't know, just a thought.

Then the song concludes and there you have it. All in all, I like the video, I just feel like he could have made the meaning of the song a little clearer. I guess that's my problem with a lot of videos and why, if I really don't like the song, I'm not going to look at the video. I know people are trying to be creative with their videos and the like. That's fine. But it's like can't you be creative AND make the video match the lyrics? Right now, I have an idea for the video to this song that I really like and will probably end up making for my film class next year. But at the end of the day, it's all up to the artist and director and whatever vision they wanted to create.

As promised, here's the video so you can see what I was talking about:



Enjoy your weekend everyone! I know I will! :)