“Somebody Else”
Writers: Matthew Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann, Ross MacDonald
Original Release Date: February 15, 2016
Clocking in at nearly six minutes, “Somebody Else” is one of the longest songs on The 1975’s sophomore album, and it’s worth every second.
Like the rest of I like it when you sleep…, “Somebody Else” is a beautiful example of synthpop and Matty Healy’s vocals are as lovely as ever (and surprisingly clear). It starts off mellow, building slightly in the post-chorus with the repeated line “I don’t want your body” in the background. The first half of the song sounds like a lament, but the bridge provides us with a new motto: “Fuck that, get money”. You can interpret it as being a cynical worldview; that money is more important than emotional connections. But maybe the line is referring to how a lot of people deal with breakups and betrayals: By taking a break from starting a new relationship and spoil yourself instead.
I’ve always thought it’s a pretty bold move to cover The 1975—in my opinion, only a few people have really pulled it off, including Knuckle Puck’s version of “Chocolate”. They have such a unique sound it’s hard to do their songs justice…but pop singer-songwriter VÉRITÉ (aka Kelsey Byrne) put her own spin on “Somebody Else” and the result is stunning. When idobi’s chief creative officer Sherin sent me a link to the cover, my immediate reaction was “whoa, what a jam!”. VÉRITÉ gives “Somebody Else” a dance-hall ready beat and her vocals are crystal clear. It’s a lot more energetic than The 1975’s version and it makes me want to look up the rest of her work—if her cover is this good, I can only imagine how magnetic her original songs are.
It’s hard to decide which version is “better”, but if I had to choose which one to put on repeat, I’d go with the extremely addictive original.
