Best Cover of "Somebody That I Used To Know"

[Soot and Stars]

Today more than ever the music community knows the value of a great pop song and shares in the love of it regardless of genre. With youtube you get exposure to everyone from amateurs to live bands paying tribute and given their own spin on popular songs. I remember this really came into consciousness with Kelly Clarkson making an anthemic pop song with such great hooks and so well written (Since You've Been Gone) that everyone covered it even lo-fi Indie bands and rock artist. The newest craze is covering the Gotye song. I can understand it. It's a great song that shows influences from Peter Gabriel to The Police but is written as a perfect enough pop song to hook a wide audience. Here's the original if anyone here has missed it:

Gotye-Somebody That I Used To Know


Here are the covers! Vote for who covered it the best whether giving it their best spin or adding or taking out something to make the song better!

Coheed and Cambria


Walk Off The Earth


Pentatonix


Tanya Phillips

 

[METALPRIEST]

Walk Off The Earth

 

[Gabble Ratchet]

Tanya Phillips! All of these are kooky covers but I can't say no to a beautiful girl with a harp.

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

I actually listened to them from the bottom up and when I got to Walk Of The Earth I was just sitting there going "Wait...wha....wha.....What is going on?! Five people are playing on instrument!" and I was sold.

 

[Lynch]

Coheed and Cambria is the only one that has any balls. Not sure I could vote for any of these though. I had a VERY hard time getting through the first 2 minutes of the original vid/song.

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[Cosmic Harmony]

Coheed and Cambria is the only one that has any balls. Not sure I could vote for any of these though. I had a VERY hard time getting through the first 2 minutes of the original vid/song.

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It's ok, Lynch. I had that same problem when I first heard it. When it won the Triple J Hot 100 last year and I hadn't even heard of it I of course had to check it out immediately. Initially I was kind of in disbelief that this was really what the voters thought was the best song of the year because it just sounded wonky and dull to me but I have to say.....it gets in your head. Plus the lyrics are really great. I mean, just thinking about the title I can't imagine how much it'd sting to have some come up to me and say "Now you're just somebody that I used to know...". I feel like that would hurt so much because it's just such a harsh, distancing statement.

 

[Soot and Stars]

This was a very hard choice! I love Coheed and think the vocalist was a good match for Gotye. I wouldn't have really though about that beforehand because it just wouldn't have occurred to me. In fact, when I saw they had done it I found it an odd choice but after seeing it you can put it all together. I love the one guitar gimmick from Walk Off The Earth and beyond the gimmick the vocals are great. The louder yelling male vocals is performed best by that second male vocalist. I love A Capella and I think Pentatonix did great. They did a great arrangement and that shit takes talent. I'm really impressed with Tanya Phillips. It's awesome to see the Harp used in a mainstream part. She makes it work and I love her vocal. It's the one vocal to stand out from the rest and not try to clone the original. The winner still goes to Coheed though. I love the riff they got out of the song and their is no gimmick to it at all. It's just a darker, more rock take on the song. The singers wife also does a good job on the vocal part!

 

[Julie]

I was doubting between the rocky version by Coheed and Cambria and Pentatonix but eventually went for the version of Pentatonix. I think the version of walk off the earth is awesome too, though, it resembles the original song too much, it doesn't add an edge to it or something innovative (except for the 5 people - 1 instrument thing, though, wouldn't it have been cooler if it was 1 person - 5 instruments? ). I didn't really like the harp version, I acknowledge that she's doing a good job but her voice just isn't really my thing; I think pentatonix stands out the most, as toots said, they are obviously really talented singers.

 

[WetWilly]

Coheed and Cambria gets my vote, but in all honesty I can't say I'm a fan of any of those ..

 

[Tek_54]

Pentatonix