Walk of the Earth - Somebody That I Used to Know

‘Walk of the Earth’ are a Canadian band that has achieved mild success on Youtube posting covers versions of songs. This mild success turned to a viral hit when they recorded their cover of Australian singer Gotye’s song ‘Somebody that I used to know’. 

This video had appeal for a number of reasons. Firstly, the performance required a lot of skill. Using the one guitar, I can’t imagine how many takes that would have had to do without anyone making an error. Secondly, there is a subtle humour in the video, mostly thanks to ‘beard guy’ (a name dubbed by the internet community), who spends most of the video staring intently off into the distance. 

Strangely, this video has benefited not only the cover band, but the artist himself. It has always been a struggle for Australian musicians to make it on the U.S. charts. Since this video has gone viral, Gotye’s song has reached number one on the U.S. charts, an achievement that hasn’t been made in 12 years, when Savage Garden’s ‘I Knew I Loved You’ hit number 1 in 2000.