Walk Off The Earth first garnered attention on the internet with their creative and unique take on Gotye’s “Somebody I Used to Know” where all five members played the song on one guitar. Since then, they’ve been putting their own spin on popular songs as well as penning their own original material.
You can listen to Walk Off the Earth’s full album R.E.V.O. (Realize Every Victory Outright) right now before the album drops later this month!
In this edition of Way Back When we get nostalgic with Wally De Backer (more popularly known as Gotye). He talks about a childhood obsession with vintage car brochures and what he was like in high school. Sadly, we failed to ask questions about “people he used to know,” get it?
Watch it here
This will be the last one, kay guys? I’m so sick of cover artists uploading “Somebody That I Used To Know” covers on YouTube, so let’s make this the final one. It’s appropriate considering singer Gotye uploaded it to his own account gotyemusic. The version includes all the YouTube covers he could find, including a cover by Ingrid Michaelson and another by Pentatonix. Gotye wrote under the description: “Reluctant as I am to add to the mountain of interpretations of Somebody That I Used To Know seemingly taking over their own area of the internet, I couldn’t resist the massive remixability that such a large, varied yet connected bundle of source material offered.??”
My initial enthusiasm over Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” has slowly waned because they’re both on the radio ALL THE TIME. Then there are all the parodies that set us in an unexplainable tizzy everyday. If the songs were physical beings, I would grab them by the shoulders, shake them and be like: “For the love of music, stop it. Stop it already!!”
Still, I’d be amiss not to point out this mashup of the two songs. PomplamooseMusic took the famous chords out of “Call Me Maybe” for the the chorus and superimposed the melody and lyrics from “Somebody That I Used To Know.”
Although “Do Not Push” combines two overplayed songs, it ends up being pretty catchy in the end. What do you think?
When Gotye’s song “Somebody That I Used To Know” first came out you were OBSESSED. Luckily the radio satiated your incessant addiction to Gotye by playing it on loop every 10 minutes. Even when it wasn’t on the radio, it was in your head.
Then one day things started to change. Singing the song just didn’t bring the same joy as it used to bring because it was on ALL THE TIME. The next time it came on the radio you wanted to block your ears and make it go away. But the more it played, the more your former addiction overwhelmed you, until there you are, playing air xylophones while singing and crying at the same time (for shame).
This video, directed by Vincent Pergola highlights a universal truth: if Gotye comes on the radio, you’re going to sing along. 
Name: Tyler Ward
Song: “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye
Why we’re obsessed: We’re so drawn to Tyler Ward’s authentic cover of Gotye’s addictive hit “Somebody That I Used to Know,” it’s insane how I can still hear his voice resonating. BUT that’s because I’ve been listening to this cover for hours. Literally!
I seriously love how different this acoustic cover is compared to the original, especially the way Tyler slows down the song and unexpectedly starts belting 2/3 through.
His stage presence is amazing and I totally felt like he was playing the perfect part of a heartbroken heartthrob, both physically and mentally. It’s a no-brainer his video has been viewed by over 180,000 people in only a few days!
Background: Starting off his YouTube channel in 2008, Tyler has been uploading covers from various genres and Top 40 hits, some of his own material and recordings with other YouTube stars. He’ll be on tour this fall in Europe, the USA and Canada to promote his first official album which will be coming out in two parts, the first in September and second in February!
Watch it here:
Ever since Walk off the Earth did their five-person-on-one-guitar version of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” there’s been a rise in artists sharing instruments. I’m going to call it recession-proof music. Here’s Patrick Goble and Donovan Kirkpatrick, who demonstrate the four-handed bluesgrass version of Katy Perry’s “Firework.”
Though the duo really just wanted to get some ribs and beans they took some time out of their day, sped up the song and went for a higher pitch. Goble (left) is a 27-year-old instructor and composer from Kentucky.
What do you think of it?
Turns out, Kimbra always had the drive inside her to become a superstar — even when she was a bubbly 11-year-old! The singer appeared on a segment for a New Zealand children’s show way back when, where she had the chance to record her first song. She actually sounds pretty good too!
Kimbra clearly made a name out of herself since then, working alongside Gotye in “Somebody That I Used To Know,” plus she released her debut album Vows. She was even one of andPOP’s Artists of the Week (called it!).
Watch here:
We’re so over Gotye covers because the more we hear, the more we’re tired of the song. But we’ll take this mashup of people doing some pretty impressive stunts to Walk Off The Earth’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” (which, BTW, is an impressive cover itself).
The talents were filmed all around the world and include people doing everything from snowboarding to breakdancing to diving. It was filmed for MeTheOne, a global talent discovering project based in Spain.
If you’re having a depressing day, this video just might restore your faith in humanity. Just a little. And if you go to their official YouTube page, you can get a list of the people in the video.
Watch it here:
Not like we haven’t heard enough covers of Gotye’s hit song “Somebody That I Used to Know,” but this Swedish three-year-old boy really knows how to belt it out with a ton of emotion. While this is adorable, I sure am tired of hearing this song.
This fan was feeling so disgruntled by Kobe Bryant’s recent performance that he used Gotye to express his emotions. The song, which was written and performed by Dan Rib, turns “Somebody That I Used To Know” into “The Kobe That We Used To Know.”
I’m not an expert on basketball so can someone please tell me, is Kobe really so disappointing lately that he deserves an entire musical rant? The cover definitely had some angry commenters going at each other on YouTube.
Still the lyrics are pretty clever, you got to give the guy that: “You didn’t have to hog the ball/ You’re triple teamed so kick it out to either Blake or Sessions/ I know that they don’t shoot so well/ But you’re really not the Kobe that we used to know.”
Ouch!
Watch it here:
I know, we’ve seen WAY TOO MANY covers or lip synchs of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” but we have time for one more because these pouty kids are too adorable. Sure they probably don’t understand the song (or at least we hope they don’t understand) but they do a decent impression.
The two kids are friends and fell in love with Gotye’s song after seeing the music video. The person who posted it on YouTube wrote: “When they were riding in the car together, they would request it constantly and loved singing it. We joked about making a video for the song and the children loved the idea.”
One day, she set up a go pro camera behind the driver’s seat and the kids performed the song a couple times before they edited them altogether. ADORBZ!
Watch it here:
I’m officially obsessed with Alfie Magliano, who seamlessly arranged 40 current pop songs into one score. As someone who plays the piano, I’m incredibly impressed he managed to shoot the entire 14 minute song in one take, without any editing.
The track list goes in the exact order of Billboard’s Top 40 list, plus a bonus song. Included, is One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful,” Gotye’s “Somebody that I Used To Know” and Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend.” The whole medley is like a quick rundown of songs that are hot now, while giving makeovers to the ones you may be tired of. Magliano previously posted a top 40 video in September, and we’re crossing our fingers for more.
Listen to it here:
Sure, Gotye and Kimbra’s single “Somebody That I Used To Know” was always certified gold but everyone knows you really don’t make it until someone produces a cover in Hebrew while five people play the bouzouki.
The Israeli group Roi Lavi and the Good Guy did their own interpretation of Gotye’s song. Of course, they play off Walk Off The Earth but we’ll still take it. Also, they mixed it up a little by adding Bruno Mars’ doppelgänger, who wears a fedora and sunglasses and plays the piano. He’s pretty chill and provides some comic relief near the end.
Watch them here:
Reasons why I love Katy Perry: she has wicked blue hair, she’d go to Starbucks in a bedazzled, feathered costume, and she loves M83 and Gotye.
During her photoshoot with Teen Vogue, she revealed she’s a bit of a control freak and very hands on when she chooses her wardrobe. ”I’m involved with everything I do to an annoying point,” she said.
She also talked about the attention she’d get when she first started singing as a young child. “I felt like I had a magic trick cause everybody’s attention would be everywhere else and then when I’d start singing they’d be like aw! So it was like the only thing that I could pull out of my hat.”
Watch it below:
As if I wasn’t excited enough for Glee’s return on April 10, they had to go and tease one of the upcoming songs and it’s a good one: Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.” When I first saw the clip I was worried that this dud was Blaine’s ex-boyfriend or something, which would be a major punch in the gut to Kurt. Not to worry though, the scene features White Collar’s Matt Bomer as Blaine’s seemingly estranged older brother. The duet also includes flashbacks to their past.
Apparently the song selection played a role in Bomer agreeing to do the show, as he told TVLine: ”I had heard the Gotye song and I asked [series co-creator] Ryan [Murphy] if he ever thought of using that as a duet on the show. And he said he had. And then a week later I got a text from him asking me if I wanted to come on the show to sing it.”
Everyone has a favorite album cover that usually involves the artist doing some sort of embarrassing or ridiculous pose. Gotye discusses classic album covers, including The Reddings and Billy Ray Cyrus. He also talks about why he’s missing from his own album covers.
Gotye has taken North America by storm in recent months. His track Somebody I Used to Know has exploded, and even covers by Walk Of The Earth have over 60,000,000 YouTube views. However, Gotye is still extremely charming and humble, and explains that fame is something that doesn’t really interest him.
