Somebody Told Me
Encyclopedia
"Somebody Told Me" is the debut single by American rock
band The Killers. The song is featured on the group's debut album Hot Fuss
and was written by Dave Keuning
, Ronnie Vannucci Jr.
, Mark Stoermer
and Brandon Flowers
.
Lead singer Brandon Flowers
refers to this song as "Our most Vegas
-influenced song on the album. Sin city, The Strip
. It's where I grew up and of course it affects the songs I write. This song has a lot of sexual energy".
When The Killers first started out, their music was little noticed by music-buyers and the media, which is why "Somebody Told Me" has been released twice in slightly different forms. The first, with the pink background cover, is the rarer version of the single as it was their first release of it; due to poor sales not as many were produced. When re-released, the cover-art sported a blue background color and is the more common version of the single.
The single peaked at #51 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In the UK it charted at #28 upon its first release in March 2004 becoming the band's first top 40 hit , it was then re-released in January 2005 and reached #3.
In Australia, the song was ranked #4 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004
.
In 2009 it was voted at Number 9 in UK radio station XFM
's Top 100 songs of the decade.
7"
CD2
12"
for "Somebody Told Me", was filmed in February 2004 in California and was directed by Brett Simon
, it simply shows The Killers performing their song in the moonlight of a desert location, with a giant LED screen displaying rolling, flashing images of their logo, as well as an alternate version of the video shot during the day, presumably in the same location. The concept is very similar to the video for "Crystal
" by New Order
, which features a fictional band called The Killers miming the New Order song in front of a large video screen flashing random colors and images. It was from this video that The Killers got their band name, so the similarities are likely an intentional homage.
said the single is a "superb blaze of synthesizers and guitars that builds to the year's best one-liner: 'Somebody told me you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend I had in February of last year.'" Entertainment Weekly
hailed the single as "three smashingly punchy minutes of garage pop so tightly wound that singer Brandon Flowers seems to be accusing his girl of cheating on him with another woman, is the song worth downloading". Rolling Stone
said the single was a "nightclub anthem in the making" and continued, "the acid-tongued 'Somebody Told Me' blasts into outer space on a wave of synthesizers and singer Brandon Flowers' cheeky chorus".
covered this song in a Lounge
style on their 2005 album Aperitif for Destruction
. He sings the song in a drunken manner and, near the end of the song, he apparently runs to the bathroom to puke. The song was also covered by Daniel Bedingfield
as part of a Radio 1 Live Lounge
session.
It was also covered by Charlotte Church
and Alesha Dixon
on The Charlotte Church Show
. Also the same melody seems to be used in a song by A. J. McLean Teenage Wildlife.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
also included this song in "Polkarama!" from Straight Outta Lynwood
.
There is a parody of this song by ApologetiX
called "Somebody Sold Me".
On 9 October 2009, UK Boyband JLS
appeared on the BBC One
chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
, where they performed an a cappella
version of the song.
Ukrainian rock groups Queens and New’Z’Cool performed a Russian-language cover of this song, titled “Новый Парень” [new boyfriend]. The music video for this song was popular on Ukrainian music television in 2009.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Killers. The song is featured on the group's debut album Hot Fuss
Hot Fuss
Hot Fuss is the debut studio album by Las Vegas based American rock band The Killers, released on June 7, 2004 in the United Kingdom and on June 15, 2004 in the United States.-Background:...
and was written by Dave Keuning
Dave Keuning
David Brent Keuning better known as Dave Keuning is a founding member of the American alternative rock band The Killers. He is the band's lead guitarist and backup vocalist.-Personal life:Keuning was born and brought up in Pella, Iowa...
, Ronnie Vannucci Jr.
Ronnie Vannucci Jr.
Ronald Dante "Ronnie" Vannucci, Jr. is the drummer of the American rock band The Killers. He is also involved in a side project called Big Talk.-Personal life:...
, Mark Stoermer
Mark Stoermer
Mark Stoermer is an American musician, best known for being the bassist for alternative rock band The Killers, in 2011 he released his debut solo album Another Life.-Personal life:...
and Brandon Flowers
Brandon Flowers
Brandon Richard Flowers is an American musician, best known as the frontman of the Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. He has also released a solo album titled Flamingo.-Early life:...
.
Lead singer Brandon Flowers
Brandon Flowers
Brandon Richard Flowers is an American musician, best known as the frontman of the Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. He has also released a solo album titled Flamingo.-Early life:...
refers to this song as "Our most Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
-influenced song on the album. Sin city, The Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. It's where I grew up and of course it affects the songs I write. This song has a lot of sexual energy".
When The Killers first started out, their music was little noticed by music-buyers and the media, which is why "Somebody Told Me" has been released twice in slightly different forms. The first, with the pink background cover, is the rarer version of the single as it was their first release of it; due to poor sales not as many were produced. When re-released, the cover-art sported a blue background color and is the more common version of the single.
The single peaked at #51 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In the UK it charted at #28 upon its first release in March 2004 becoming the band's first top 40 hit , it was then re-released in January 2005 and reached #3.
In Australia, the song was ranked #4 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004
Triple J Hottest 100, 2004
The 2004 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on 26 January 2005. It was the twelfth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J....
.
In 2009 it was voted at Number 9 in UK radio station XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
's Top 100 songs of the decade.
Original UK release
CD- "Somebody Told Me" (FlowersBrandon FlowersBrandon Richard Flowers is an American musician, best known as the frontman of the Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. He has also released a solo album titled Flamingo.-Early life:...
/KeuningDave KeuningDavid Brent Keuning better known as Dave Keuning is a founding member of the American alternative rock band The Killers. He is the band's lead guitarist and backup vocalist.-Personal life:Keuning was born and brought up in Pella, Iowa...
/StoermerMark StoermerMark Stoermer is an American musician, best known for being the bassist for alternative rock band The Killers, in 2011 he released his debut solo album Another Life.-Personal life:...
/Vannucci) - "Under the Gun" (Flowers/Keuning)
- "The Ballad of Michael Valentine" (Flowers/Keuning)
7"
- "Somebody Told Me"
- "The Ballad of Michael Valentine"
UK re-release
CD1- "Somebody Told Me"
- "Show You How" (Flowers)
CD2
- "Somebody Told Me"
- "Somebody Told Me" (Mylo Mix)
- "Somebody Told Me" (King Unique Vocal Mix)
- "Somebody Told Me" (U-MYXU-MYXU-MYX is a music format launched in 2004 which allows a user to arrange and create their own mix of songs by known music artists. The U-MYX Software is available on CDs and as digital downloads from U-MYX's own digital store. Digital U-MYX Sales are UK Chart eligible and count towards the...
)
12"
- "Somebody Told Me" (Mylo Mix)
- "Somebody Told Me" (The Glimmers GypoRock Mix)
US release
12"- "Somebody Told Me" (Josh Harris Club)
- "Somebody Told Me" (Josh Harris Dub)
- "Somebody Told Me" (King Unique Mix)
- "Somebody Told Me" (King Unique's Dub)
Official versions
- "Somebody Told Me" (Album Version) - 3:17
- "Somebody Told Me" (The Glimmers GypoRock Mix)
- "Somebody Told Me" (Josh Harris Club)
- "Somebody Told Me" (Josh Harris Dub)
- "Somebody Told Me" (King Unique Mix) / (King Unique Vocal Mix)
- "Somebody Told Me" (King Unique's Dub)
- "Somebody Told Me" (Mylo Mix)
- "Somebody Told Me" (U-MYXU-MYXU-MYX is a music format launched in 2004 which allows a user to arrange and create their own mix of songs by known music artists. The U-MYX Software is available on CDs and as digital downloads from U-MYX's own digital store. Digital U-MYX Sales are UK Chart eligible and count towards the...
)
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Somebody Told Me", was filmed in February 2004 in California and was directed by Brett Simon
Brett Simon
Brett Simon is an American commercial, music video and film director.-Career:Simon graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature and Creative Writing, and later graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2002 with...
, it simply shows The Killers performing their song in the moonlight of a desert location, with a giant LED screen displaying rolling, flashing images of their logo, as well as an alternate version of the video shot during the day, presumably in the same location. The concept is very similar to the video for "Crystal
Crystal (song)
"Crystal" is a song by the English rock band New Order, released as the first single from their seventh album Get Ready. The song entered the UK charts at number 8.Backing vocals for the track are provided by Dawn Zee, who regularly tours with the band....
" by New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, which features a fictional band called The Killers miming the New Order song in front of a large video screen flashing random colors and images. It was from this video that The Killers got their band name, so the similarities are likely an intentional homage.
Critical
Billboard called the song " wildly infectious", and "as addictive as nickel slots". BlenderBlender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
said the single is a "superb blaze of synthesizers and guitars that builds to the year's best one-liner: 'Somebody told me you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend I had in February of last year.'" Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
hailed the single as "three smashingly punchy minutes of garage pop so tightly wound that singer Brandon Flowers seems to be accusing his girl of cheating on him with another woman, is the song worth downloading". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said the single was a "nightclub anthem in the making" and continued, "the acid-tongued 'Somebody Told Me' blasts into outer space on a wave of synthesizers and singer Brandon Flowers' cheeky chorus".
Chart performance
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
17 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
24 |
| Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
6 |
| French Singles Chart | 24 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
9 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 31 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 13 |
| Polish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
16 |
| Taiwanese Singles Chart | 7 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
3 |
| UK Indie Chart UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
51 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 3 |
Accolades
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XFM Xfm Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are... |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
100 Greatest Songs Of The Decade | 2009 | |
| Absolute Radio | United Kingdom | 100 Best Songs Of The Decade | 2009 | |
| NME NME The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles... |
United Kingdom | 100 Greatest Tracks Of The Decade | 2009 | |
| Triple J Triple J triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation... |
Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Hottest 100 of 2004 Triple J Hottest 100, 2004 The 2004 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on 26 January 2005. It was the twelfth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J.... |
2004 | |
Awards
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Grammy Awards | Best Rock Song | Nominated |
| Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | International Dance Music Awards | Best Alternative/Rock Dance Track | Nominated |
Covers and parodies
Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the MachineRichard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine
Mark Jonathan Davis , known by his stage name Richard Cheese, is an American musician and comedian. He was born in New York...
covered this song in a Lounge
Lounge music
Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...
style on their 2005 album Aperitif for Destruction
Aperitif for Destruction
Aperitif for Destruction is the fourth album from Richard Cheese, released May 24, 2005. The album title and artwork are take-offs of Guns N' Roses' 1987 album, Appetite for Destruction.-Track listing:# "Me So Horny" – 2:15...
. He sings the song in a drunken manner and, near the end of the song, he apparently runs to the bathroom to puke. The song was also covered by Daniel Bedingfield
Daniel Bedingfield
Daniel John Bedingfield is a British singer-songwriter. He is the brother of pop singers Natasha Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle.-Music career:...
as part of a Radio 1 Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
session.
It was also covered by Charlotte Church
Charlotte Church
Charlotte Maria Church is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10 million records worldwide including over 5 million in the United States...
and Alesha Dixon
Alesha Dixon
Alesha Anjanette Dixon is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model and television personality. She first found fame in the all-female R&B trio Mis-Teeq, however, the trio separated in 2005 and Dixon continued pursuing her music career as a solo artist, signing to Polydor Records...
on The Charlotte Church Show
The Charlotte Church Show
The Charlotte Church Show was a Channel 4 entertainment television show presented by Welsh singer Charlotte Church. It was first broadcast on 1 September 2006 and ran for 6 subsequent Fridays. The show was commissioned for a further two series, the first of which aired from 23 February to 6 April...
. Also the same melody seems to be used in a song by A. J. McLean Teenage Wildlife.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
also included this song in "Polkarama!" from Straight Outta Lynwood
Straight Outta Lynwood
Straight Outta Lynwood is the 12th studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It was released on September 26, 2006 in the U.S. by Volcano, on September 30, 2006 in Australia, on October 3 in Canada, on October 6, 2006 in New Zealand, November 13, 2006 in the United Kingdom, and November 24, 2006 in...
.
There is a parody of this song by ApologetiX
ApologetiX
ApologetiX is a Christian parody band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The band was founded in 1992, and since then, has played in 44 states, released 17 studio albums, and built up a fan club that includes 45,000 people. The band is currently composed of J...
called "Somebody Sold Me".
On 9 October 2009, UK Boyband JLS
JLS
- Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...
appeared on the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
, where they performed an a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
version of the song.
Ukrainian rock groups Queens and New’Z’Cool performed a Russian-language cover of this song, titled “Новый Парень” [new boyfriend]. The music video for this song was popular on Ukrainian music television in 2009.
In popular culture
- The song is heard in the film Rocky BalboaRocky Balboa (film)Rocky Balboa is the sixth and final film in the Rocky franchise, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone. The film, which was also written by Stallone who plays underdog boxer Rocky Balboa, is the sixth film in the Rocky series that began with the Academy Award-winning Rocky thirty years...
when Robert Balboa is in the bar and sees the computer simulated fight between his father Rocky Balboa and Mason Dixon. - The song is a playable song on the music video game Rock RevolutionRock RevolutionRock Revolution is a music video game developed by Zoë Mode and HB Studios and published by Konami. It was first revealed on May 15, 2008, and released on October 15, 2008 for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360...
. - The song is also playable twice in DJ HeroDJ HeroDJ Hero is a music video game, developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision as a rhythm game spin-off of the Guitar Hero franchise. It was released on October 27, 2009 in North America and on October 29, 2009 in Europe...
, either mixed with DisturbiaDisturbia (song)"Disturbia" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from the re-release, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded , of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad . The song was released as the third single from the reloaded edition of the album, and seventh overall...
by RihannaRihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
or with PjanooPjanoo"Pjanoo" is a keyboard-based house track by the Swedish DJ and producer Eric Prydz and Australian producer Daniel R Muller. It has received moderate airplay amongst British radio stations, being heavily used by BBC Radio 1 in advertisements for their "Radio 1 Big Weekend" and "Weekend in Ibiza"...
by Eric PrydzEric PrydzEric Sheridan Prydz is a Swedish DJ and producer based in London, United Kingdom. The pronunciation of his surname is often questioned; it is pronounced "prids", but when under his alias, Pryda, it is pronounced "pride-ah"...
. - It is used often in sporting events.
External links
- The music video for the song released publicly by Universal Media Group.