Every once in a while something magical comes shuffling down the radio waves. In the midst of a year dominated by four-on-the-floor pop tunes from Carly Rae Jepsen and Katy Perry came Gotye and his odd little tune called Somebody That I Used To Know. I don’t think anyone ever expected the cello and xylophone driven piece to become the top selling song of the year 2012. Ever.
It’s pretty easy on ‘ukulele – just three chords. Getting the rhythm down is harder. I highly recommend playing the chords “piano style” – with a finger on each string so you can pick them simultaneously. If you have a low-G then you might want to keep the A string quiet and just pluck the top three.
Intro: Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C A |------------------|-0-1-3-0----------|------------------|------------------| E |---------3--3-----|----------3-------|-1--1--0--0-------|------------------| C |--0--0------------|------------------|------------------|--2--2--0---------| G |------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C A |------------------|-0-1-3-0----------|------------------|--------------0---| E |---------3--3-----|----------3-------|---------0--------|-------------/5---| C |--0--0------------|------------------|-2--2-------------|-2--2-------------| G |------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------| Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C Now and then I think of when we were together Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C Like when you said you felt so happy you could die Dm C Dm C Told myself that you were right for me Dm C Dm C But felt so lonely in your company Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C But that was love and it's an ache I still remember Break: x2 Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C A |-0----------------|----------3---0---|------------------|----------------| E |------------------|------------------|-3----------------|--------(0)-----| C |------------------|------------------|---------2--------|------------(2)-| G |------------------|------------------|------------------|----------------| Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness Dm C Dm Like resignation to the end C Dm C Dm C Always the end Dm C Dm C So when we found that we could not make sense Dm C Dm C Well you said that we would still be friends Dm C Dm C Dm/ (C Dm C) But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over Chorus: Dm C Bb C But you didn't have to cut me off Dm C Bb Make out like it never happened C Dm And that we were nothing C Bb C And I don't even need your love Dm C But you treat me like a stranger Bb C And that feels so rough Dm C Bb C You didn't have to stoop so low Dm C Bb Have your friends collect your records C Dm And then change your number C Bb C I guess that I don't need that though Dm C Bb C Dm C Bb C Now you're just somebody that I used to know (last line x3) Break> Dm C Dm C Dm C Dm C Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over Dm C Bb C Dm C Dm C But had me believing it was always something that I'd done Dm C Bb C And I don't wanna live that way Dm C Bb C Reading into every word you say Dm C Bb C You said that you could let it go Dm C Bb C And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know... Chorus> Dm C Bb C Somebody... I used to know (repeat and fade)