I encourage any fans of Sting’s music, or any music featuring “reedy tenor, modal melody,” and a “hint of reggae” to check out Belgian-Australian songwriter Gotye’s song “Somebody That I Used To Know.” This song is featured on his current album, “Making Mirrors,” which has not yet been released in the United States. It is a major Australian hit, and the video that corresponds to it has over 12 million views on YouTube, which is where American audiences discovered the song in the first place. Most importantly, though, it is so damn catchy. I can’t stop listening to it. Anyone who wants to read the article that turned me onto the song can click here. In the meantime, anyone who wants to listen to the song I’ve been listening to for the greater part of the day, can watch this video here:
I think it has a very interesting artistic concept, and fits the song very well. Any opinions? On the song? On the video? On YouTube as a tool for introducing American listeners to foreign music?
I had to go to YouTube to view the video, which is quite catchy and demonstrates the time-honored adage that “misery loves company.” There are incredibly few “happy” songs, don’t you think? People much prefer to write songs about suffering. And the indication that this song is a bona fide hit is the presence of parody:
http://youtu.be/MN9dW_hKOKk