# Opinions on "Gotye" songs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863 "2012-07-20T15:46:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/1 "2012-07-20T15:46:38Z")
There’s a singer/band with a different sound played on the what-is contemporary radio these days. The title is “Somebody I Used to Know”. To me, his style is reminiscent of The Police (c.1980s rock band). So, my question is what do you think of his other songs? Is this signature song typical or an exception to Gotye’s (and Kimbra’s?) other tunes??? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/2 "2012-07-20T15:51:59Z")
After the whiny bullshit of Somebody That I Used To Know, I have no desire to hear anything else from him. The person in that song really needs to get over it. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/3 "2012-07-20T15:56:19Z")
I heard ‘Sting’ the first time that song came on as well. I can’t get it to come into my head right now, but the single he recently released that is getting a lot of radio play now also reminds me of a rip-off of another artist. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/4 "2012-07-20T16:01:06Z")
The first ten times I heard the song (radio or tv), I just thought is was an old Sting or Police song that I didn’t know. I believe I even googled ‘sting somebody I used to know’… don’t know about the rest of his stuff though. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/5 "2012-07-20T16:02:15Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > I heard ‘Sting’ the first time that song came on as well. Seriously? Because I heard Peter Gabriel. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/6 "2012-07-20T16:03:54Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Seriously? Because I heard Peter Gabriel. Yes, I never thought Peter Gabriel…but I just Wikipedia’d Gotye and saw that that is a common comparison. Now that I think about it I can hear it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/7 "2012-07-20T16:04:04Z")
Am I the only one who hear’s Ozzy’s voice during the _“But you didn’t have to cut me off…”_ part? (And a quick googling of “Gotye Ozzy” shows that no, no I’m not) ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/8 "2012-07-20T16:04:57Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Seriously? Because I heard Peter Gabriel. Hmm, I could see that (ala: Peter Gabriel “In Your Eyes”), but…a Sting sound-alike seems more dominant. ---
**Author:** ![BottledBlondJeanie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/0ea827/32.png) [@BottledBlondJeanie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BottledBlondJeanie)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/9 "2012-07-20T16:07:01Z")
Hearts a Mess, one of his more popular songs: [Gotye Hearts a Mess - Official Music Video - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_CM5-gel6o&feature=youtube_gdata_player) ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/10 "2012-07-20T16:16:32Z")
I enjoyed Somebody, but his style is experimental so his other songs are not really like that one. I was only able to find one other song of his that I wanted. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/11 "2012-07-20T16:18:50Z")
This seems like a good place to share this. It’s [a cover/mash-up of the Gotye song and Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe” by the duo Pomplamoose.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ure6I6mRyDc) Don’t be scared, it’s actually really good. Better than the sum of its parts, for sure. The video is interesting as well. ---
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/12 "2012-07-20T16:21:28Z")
The whole album evokes the 80’s and it’s many sounds. Some songs have a new wave feel, others have a top 40’s romantic pop thing going on. The one song that doesn’t fit this description is also my favorite “State of the Art”. That reminds me of a techno-reggae on codeine. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/13 "2012-07-20T16:30:16Z")
It’s great to see Gotye’s getting some recognition, but I hope he will be remembered for more than just that single song. His stuff is so diverse, there’s plenty for everyone. My favourite: [Gotye - State Of The Art (Official Music Video) - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWIKQMBBTtk) ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/14 "2012-07-20T16:32:25Z")
Gotye’s fine but it was through STIUTK that I learned of Kimbra and she’s just fantastic. Settle Down is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/15 "2012-07-20T17:10:07Z")
What is this “Somebody I Used to Know” that you speak of? I have not heard it in the past two hours. But seriously folks, Peter Gabriel is who I immediately thought of. There is even a parody song out there on youtube that draws the comparison. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/16 "2012-07-20T17:27:28Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Seriously? Because I heard Peter Gabriel. Same here. The only place i hear top-40 music is at the gym, and when they started playing this song on the radio i thought it was good. I described it to my wife, and said that the singer reminded me of Peter Gabriel, and she immediately knew who i was talking about. I really love [this cover](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9NF2edxy-M) by Canadian band Walk Off The Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/17 "2012-07-20T18:34:15Z")
> [@MostlyClueless](#): > > It’s great to see Gotye’s getting some recognition, but I hope he will be remembered for more than just that single song. His stuff is so diverse, there’s plenty for everyone. > > My favourite: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWIKQMBBTtk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWIKQMBBTtk) I liked that video. Will have to get that song. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/18 "2012-07-20T18:35:17Z")
I love Pomplamoose so very much. They make me quite happy, and their house/studio?/workshop/ makes me insanely jealous. There’s soooo much awesome musical crap in there just piled in the corners. Unbelievable. As for Gotye - eh. The only problem I have with “Somebody that I Used to Know” is that it gets stuck in my head like a motherfucker. The rest of the album isn’t nearly as earwormy, but its ok. I’m still getting used to the overarching weirdness, so none of them are precisely my favorite songs, but they’re not bad. Don’t know that I’ll buy it, but haven’t decided not to yet. Another good cover of “Somebody” is the acapella group Pentatonix, who are frigging awesome in their own right, and their cover is haunting. They’re actually where I heard the song first - a really long time back, before the original started playing every 10 minutes on every radio station ever. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/19 "2012-07-20T18:38:15Z")
This was overplayed 2 months ago. I would hardly call it “new”. It’s already got a [parody version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfvqSUTKBPw)on youtube. You have to see Gotye’s original video to appreciate the parody. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863/20 "2012-07-20T18:45:29Z")
I agree with whomever heard Ozzy in the “you didn’t have to cut me off” part. Oh, and lets also not forget the Star Wars That I Used To Know parody: ['The Star Wars That I Used To Know' - Gotye 'Somebody That I Used To Know' Parody - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJlbPXZEpRE) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-gotye-songs/628863.md?page=2)