Somebody That I Used to Know: The Duet That Gives Both Sides of a Breakup

By Dan Cohen · Published 2026-06-27

Somebody That I Used to Know, the 2011 global phenomenon by the Belgian-Australian artist Gotye featuring Kimbra, is one of the great modern examples of a song nobody saw coming — an independent-minded, slightly oddball track that became one of the biggest hits in the world and won major Grammys. Its success rested on a genuinely clever idea about how breakups are remembered.

Two sides of the same story

Most breakup songs give you one perspective. This one is a duet by design: the first half is the wounded ex stating his case — hurt, a little self-pitying — and then Kimbra enters with the other side, pushing back on his version of events and naming his faults. Suddenly the listener realizes there’s a whole second account, and the “victim” may not be so blameless. That structural empathy — letting both people be right and wrong — is rare and disarming.

Old sound, new song

Musically it’s built on a sample of a 1960s instrumental by guitarist Luiz Bonfá, looped into something spare and intimate, and it was paired with a striking body-paint stop-motion video. The combination of borrowed warmth and modern restraint helped it feel both familiar and brand new.

What it measures like

On our scale it’s a build from sparse, gentle restraint to a fuller, more intense release when the second voice arrives — the dynamics tracking the argument. Full profile on its song page.

Somebody That I Used to Know was released by Gotye featuring Kimbra in 2011 and samples Luiz Bonfá’s “Seville.” Its chart success and Grammy wins are matters of public record. No lyrics are reproduced.