: The painting symbolizes the shared history of the relationship, with Kimbra eventually "washing clean" of the paint as she breaks away.
: The distinctive opening guitar riff is sampled from Luiz Bonfá's 1967 instrumental "Seville". Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)
: Gotye initially struggled to finish the track until he added a female verse. Kimbra was eventually chosen as the vocalist after another high-profile artist cancelled. Meaning and Visuals : The painting symbolizes the shared history of
: The video has surpassed 2 billion views on YouTube and helped the song reach No. 1 in more than 25 countries. Kimbra was eventually chosen as the vocalist after
Lyrically, the song is an "amalgam" of Gotye's past relationship experiences. It captures the frustration of a partner who feels discarded and the counter-perspective of a partner who feels gaslit or suffocated.
: Gotye and Kimbra appear naked and are gradually painted into a geometric background inspired by Gotye's father's artwork.
"Somebody That I Used to Know," released by Belgian-Australian artist featuring New Zealand singer Kimbra in July 2011, is a multi-platinum art-pop single that became a global cultural phenomenon. Written and produced by Gotye at his parents' house in Australia, the song explores the bitter aftermath of a romantic breakup through two opposing perspectives. Composition and Sampling
