I’ve always had a problem with the phrase ‘one hit wonder’ because it implies an artist who tries to make hits but only manages it once, whereas I think for many ‘one hit wonder’s, and especially for Gotye, the hit was a random accident in a career more concerned with chasing the art. Glad you checked this out, one of my favs of his. It wasn’t a chart topper, but it did do very well within the Australian music world and got voted into the top ten of an annual music poll on our national youth radio broadcaster. If you ever do Gotye again, Night Drive it excellent. Or, for an interesting take check out ‘The Only Way’ and then Karnivool’s cover of it for a prog rock/metal bands interpretation of it. That comparison would be interesting.
Completely agree with 'one hit wonder' but I think it implies the right idea of having a single hit in a library of works. I think the 'wonder' aspect is the problematic word in the phrase. I'll try to come up with a better phrase for it.
Well stated most off the best musicians iv even run into now-body will even know off. I call them back shed muso , he just meant one hot 🔥 wonder as in he’s only heard the one off his that went massive main stream & never looked into his music other then that viral af song .
While Gotye might be seen as a one hit wonder in the US, here in Australia he has created a lot of great music and has been very popular. He’s a drummer, producer and a singer that I reckon has a bit of a Sting vibe. He also had a small band called The Basics.
He is not a one hit wonder. He's a multiple grammy winning artist. He's an artist who made his own rules about his relationship to his art, to fame, and to the world. He may have won awards, but he's not a part of the world of 'hits' and 'chart toppers'.
Glad this one got a spot. So Gotye is the stage name of Wouter André De Backer, who is one of the listed artists for this song. When he first started out, did a lot more with sample work. In his words he sees himself as more of a tinkerer than a musician. As you said, I think that style of loops/samples and tinkering around with them really comes out in this song. Some of his other songs like Smoke and Mirrors, Seven Hours With a Backseat Driver, and State of the Art showcase this a as well, but not as strongly, with allowing some more leeway. The overall style of his music is more relaxed-ish with some having tinges of sadness/nostalgia (Bronte especially) and others a bit more lighthearted. His lyrics are often subtly "off" of what you expect. This one in particular to me when looking at the lyrics is like Somebody That I Used to Know or Don't You Want Me without the female counterpoint to show how the actions/feelings of the character are received by others. If you do end up checking out any of the music videos they are kind of out there for a popy-er sound.
@@CriticalReactions Yeah, he has three studio albums out from early 2000s to 2010s. Could bang it out in a free afternoon or two if you were determined. Definitely a lot under the surface of Somebody I Used to Know.
I adore the tone and vibe of this song so much. It is so rich and full despite having so much of an "open" feeling, to me. It's so light and twinkling until he hits you with the intense vocals. It's just... ugh. So good. The music video is weird and fitting.
Been interested in checking out Gotye ever since hearing Someone That I Used to Know, because I think it was clear even from that hit that he resides on the artier end of the pop spectrum. This song didn't disappoint, and just like with STIUTK what really stands out is how he sets the mood with production and timbre, especially that keyboard(?) up front that's supported by the rather muted and homespun percussion, the pulsing bass, and those different textural swells in the background that waver like a waterbed. Really cool stuff, and makes me want to do a discog run for him soon.
At 5:04 I think Gotye purposefully pierced the eerie vocal dimension of the song for a reason which is to reveal the instrumental concept design of the song purely in guitar and vocals, and then at 5:35 it instantly gets traversed back to its melancholic home dimension. Genius musical architecture.
Gotye's albums are so good and all of them get completely overshadowed by Somebody That I Used to Know. A song so big that no one even realizes Gotye is an award winning artist who had hits before that song.
This was Gotye's masterpiece and much more reflective of his music. Early Gotye is beautiful and brilliant. Also has a band The Basics which are great . Listening further to your analysis about the drums, when he performs live he plays the drums live and controls the samples and sings, kinda like a one man band. Also his actual name is Wouter(Wally) De Bacher so that may be the name cited in the song writing credits. So enjoying your break down and analysis and obvious appreciation of process of the song song. As for the lyrics being a bit creepy if you look at Somebody that I use to Know, I think the protagonist (him) comes off creepy their too. So a theme that links the two songs.
I can't remember how I decided to check out his music outside of that one hit, but I'm glad I did. I hate that it's not available (where I live) on any of my streaming platforms 😛 Well, Like Drawing Blood is on Bandcamp, Making Mirrors is on Spotify and more, Boardface is nowhere. just another streaming rant :)
Totally agree with the streaming. It's not as fractured as film/tv but ideally we'd have more options with larger libraries for actually getting money to the artists and buying DRM-free digital copies.
I know it's 2 yrs later but .. gotye has so many great songs. Ppl don't know what good music is or what goes into a piece like this. You shld check out "State of the art" you'll love it!
Excellent choice, state of the art is also another great deep cut It's a bummer Gotye stopped making solo music. Supposedly, somebody I used to know brought a bunch of people to shows that only wanted to hear that one song, very disheartening for him. He missed the audiences he would get at shows before his hit single as they really wanted to see Gotye and not a song. I believe he is still in music though, part of a band
This was nice. Glad I gave it a listen. I got burnt out quickly with Somebody That I Used to Know and just never really wanted to listen to more of Gotye
Do people realize how hard it is to stand out with even ONE hit?? It should not infer that the band or artist in question had no quality music in their repertoire. There are an awful lot of great artists who never have a commercial hit. ❤️🇨🇦
I do think there is another layer instead of romantic love it’s from a friend who wants to help and get through to someone that’s emotionally cut off. A person that’s been there for a while
@@themetalpig7613 They did a series of covers with a (Belgian?) radio station in about 2013. Lots, but not all of them were released on an EP called the Q-music Sessions (I guess just the ones they could come to an agreement with the original record company?). Somebody That I Used to Know isn't on the EP though. Quite a few of the others are really good too (Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness, The Who - Behind Blue Eyes, Imagine Dragons - Radioactive, Swedish House Mafia - Don't you Worry Child, etc). Some of the others which didn't make the EP are worth seeking out too (Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man, Adele - Skyfall and Coldplay - Paradise). Most are on RUclips but only with not very good audio quality, unfortunately. Apart from The Who, I far prefer WT's versions of all of them.
@@richardjones38 cheers for all that info mate. I've heard Summertime Sadness on one of their deluxe version albums, but that's it. I'll def chase the rest down.
I’ve always had a problem with the phrase ‘one hit wonder’ because it implies an artist who tries to make hits but only manages it once, whereas I think for many ‘one hit wonder’s, and especially for Gotye, the hit was a random accident in a career more concerned with chasing the art.
Glad you checked this out, one of my favs of his. It wasn’t a chart topper, but it did do very well within the Australian music world and got voted into the top ten of an annual music poll on our national youth radio broadcaster.
If you ever do Gotye again, Night Drive it excellent. Or, for an interesting take check out ‘The Only Way’ and then Karnivool’s cover of it for a prog rock/metal bands interpretation of it. That comparison would be interesting.
Completely agree with 'one hit wonder' but I think it implies the right idea of having a single hit in a library of works. I think the 'wonder' aspect is the problematic word in the phrase. I'll try to come up with a better phrase for it.
Well stated most off the best musicians iv even run into now-body will even know off. I call them back shed muso , he just meant one hot 🔥 wonder as in he’s only heard the one off his that went massive main stream & never looked into his music other then that viral af song .
This guy is crazy good noise, producer the things he dos with sounds I luv this song & luv that he’s dancing his head around as he reviews it .
While Gotye might be seen as a one hit wonder in the US, here in Australia he has created a lot of great music and has been very popular. He’s a drummer, producer and a singer that I reckon has a bit of a Sting vibe. He also had a small band called The Basics.
That's awesome. Glad to hear he was more of a common name than here in the states.
He is not a one hit wonder. He's a multiple grammy winning artist. He's an artist who made his own rules about his relationship to his art, to fame, and to the world. He may have won awards, but he's not a part of the world of 'hits' and 'chart toppers'.
Glad this one got a spot. So Gotye is the stage name of Wouter André De Backer, who is one of the listed artists for this song. When he first started out, did a lot more with sample work. In his words he sees himself as more of a tinkerer than a musician. As you said, I think that style of loops/samples and tinkering around with them really comes out in this song. Some of his other songs like Smoke and Mirrors, Seven Hours With a Backseat Driver, and State of the Art showcase this a as well, but not as strongly, with allowing some more leeway. The overall style of his music is more relaxed-ish with some having tinges of sadness/nostalgia (Bronte especially) and others a bit more lighthearted. His lyrics are often subtly "off" of what you expect. This one in particular to me when looking at the lyrics is like Somebody That I Used to Know or Don't You Want Me without the female counterpoint to show how the actions/feelings of the character are received by others. If you do end up checking out any of the music videos they are kind of out there for a popy-er sound.
Thanks for the insight! I'll probably check out a bit more from him now that I have a better understanding of his style.
@@CriticalReactions Yeah, he has three studio albums out from early 2000s to 2010s. Could bang it out in a free afternoon or two if you were determined. Definitely a lot under the surface of Somebody I Used to Know.
I adore the tone and vibe of this song so much. It is so rich and full despite having so much of an "open" feeling, to me. It's so light and twinkling until he hits you with the intense vocals. It's just... ugh. So good. The music video is weird and fitting.
Been interested in checking out Gotye ever since hearing Someone That I Used to Know, because I think it was clear even from that hit that he resides on the artier end of the pop spectrum. This song didn't disappoint, and just like with STIUTK what really stands out is how he sets the mood with production and timbre, especially that keyboard(?) up front that's supported by the rather muted and homespun percussion, the pulsing bass, and those different textural swells in the background that waver like a waterbed. Really cool stuff, and makes me want to do a discog run for him soon.
Cool to see you doing a Gotye reaction. This whole album is absolutely fantastic.
At 5:04 I think Gotye purposefully pierced the eerie vocal dimension of the song for a reason which is to reveal the instrumental concept design of the song purely in guitar and vocals, and then at 5:35 it instantly gets traversed back to its melancholic home dimension. Genius musical architecture.
I absolutely LOVE Gotyes music. One of my favorite artists. ✨👏🏽
Love seeing someone reacting to more of his music. His voice is phenomenal and there are so many awesome songs
Gotye's albums are so good and all of them get completely overshadowed by Somebody That I Used to Know. A song so big that no one even realizes Gotye is an award winning artist who had hits before that song.
Apparently they used the song in the movie, " The Great Gatsby "
This was Gotye's masterpiece and much more reflective of his music. Early Gotye is beautiful and brilliant. Also has a band The Basics which are great .
Listening further to your analysis about the drums, when he performs live he plays the drums live and controls the samples and sings, kinda like a one man band. Also his actual name is Wouter(Wally) De Bacher so that may be the name cited in the song writing credits.
So enjoying your break down and analysis and obvious appreciation of process of the song song.
As for the lyrics being a bit creepy if you look at Somebody that I use to Know, I think the protagonist (him) comes off creepy their too. So a theme that links the two songs.
I luv all the comments on this vid . 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 your all awesome 👏
I can't remember how I decided to check out his music outside of that one hit, but I'm glad I did.
I hate that it's not available (where I live) on any of my streaming platforms 😛 Well, Like Drawing Blood is on Bandcamp, Making Mirrors is on Spotify and more, Boardface is nowhere. just another streaming rant :)
Totally agree with the streaming. It's not as fractured as film/tv but ideally we'd have more options with larger libraries for actually getting money to the artists and buying DRM-free digital copies.
Eyes wide open and Grone is also a must.
I absolutely love this song.
I know it's 2 yrs later but .. gotye has so many great songs. Ppl don't know what good music is or what goes into a piece like this. You shld check out "State of the art" you'll love it!
Dig Your Own Hole is another really great Gotye song
Excellent choice, state of the art is also another great deep cut
It's a bummer Gotye stopped making solo music.
Supposedly, somebody I used to know brought a bunch of people to shows that only wanted to hear that one song, very disheartening for him. He missed the audiences he would get at shows before his hit single as they really wanted to see Gotye and not a song. I believe he is still in music though, part of a band
State of the Art is INCREDIBLE
Yeah - The Basics are a great trio , kinda rock n roll , kinda many things
This should be interesting I just learned this song
cooler than expected. i never listen to pop and this was refreshing
It’s awesome song
State Of The Art is another awesome song by Gotye.
Great vid！just what i was looking for
This was nice. Glad I gave it a listen. I got burnt out quickly with Somebody That I Used to Know and just never really wanted to listen to more of Gotye
Do people realize how hard it is to stand out with even ONE hit?? It should not infer that the band or artist in question had no quality music in their repertoire. There are an awful lot of great artists who never have a commercial hit. ❤️🇨🇦
22:15 i live for bryan making bird noises
Soooo I should make weird noises in more videos 😅
You have to check out Gotye’s State of the Art (with lyrics)
Love this song!!!!!!!!!!! Love your analysis. Your the BEST.
I do think there is another layer instead of romantic love it’s from a friend who wants to help and get through to someone that’s emotionally cut off. A person that’s been there for a while
Really cool song!
Within Temptation's cover of Somebody I Used to Know is well worth a listen, if a 'rockier' version appeals. I far prefer it to the original.
I didn't know they did a cover of that. Is it on an album, or just a solo track?
@@themetalpig7613 They did a series of covers with a (Belgian?) radio station in about 2013. Lots, but not all of them were released on an EP called the Q-music Sessions (I guess just the ones they could come to an agreement with the original record company?). Somebody That I Used to Know isn't on the EP though. Quite a few of the others are really good too (Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness, The Who - Behind Blue Eyes, Imagine Dragons - Radioactive, Swedish House Mafia - Don't you Worry Child, etc). Some of the others which didn't make the EP are worth seeking out too (Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man, Adele - Skyfall and Coldplay - Paradise). Most are on RUclips but only with not very good audio quality, unfortunately. Apart from The Who, I far prefer WT's versions of all of them.
@@richardjones38 cheers for all that info mate. I've heard Summertime Sadness on one of their deluxe version albums, but that's it. I'll def chase the rest down.
@@themetalpig7613 No problem. Sharon's voice and heavier music make most mainstream songs better!