You're Somebody Else

"You're Somebody Else" is a song by the Swedish-American indie pop duo Flora Cash. The song was initially included on the band's debut full-length album, Nothing Lasts Forever (And It's Fine), which was released on 20 April 2017 via Stockholm-based indie label Icons Creating Evil Art, before being licensed to Sony Music's RCA Records after achieving viral success. Upon the band's signing to RCA, the track was removed from the digital version of the album (worldwide, except in Scandinavia) while being allowed to remain on the vinyl version. The song achieved its initial viral success after being used in a Movistar commercial in Mexico promoting safety for young people meeting each other online.[1] After debuting on Pandora Radio's Predictions chart in August 2018 and retaining the No. 4 spot there well into September, "You're Somebody Else", reached the Top 10 on both the Billboard Alternative Songs and Adult Alternative Songs airplay charts that November.[2] By December 2018, the song had reached No. 1 and No. 5 respectively, on the Adult Alternative[3] and Alternative radio formats[4]. To date, the track has garnered over 86 million streams on Spotify, with the official lyric video having been viewed over 73 million times on YouTube.

"You're Somebody Else"
Single by Flora Cash
from the album Baby, It’s Okay
Released20 April 2017 (2017-04-20)
FormatDigital download
Genre
Length3:39
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Shpresa Lleshaj
  • Cole Randall
Producer(s)
  • Cole Randall
  • Shpresa Lleshaj
Flora Cash singles chronology
"You're Somebody Else"
(2017)		 "They Own This Town"
(2019)
Music video
"You're Somebody Else" on YouTube

Background

The song was written in less than 24 hours while songwriters Cole Randall and Shpresa Lleshaj were staying at Shpresa's sister's apartment in Stockholm. Shpresa's sister, Swedish actress Ariana Lleshaj and her fiancé had gone on a trip to New York, and asked if Cole and Shpresa would like to stay in their apartment for a change of scenery. The couple; Cole in particular, had been going through a period of anxiety leading up to the writing of the song.[5]

Song description

According to Cole and Shpresa, the main lyric in the song, you look like yourself but you're somebody else was "more a matter of one speaking to oneself than to another person." They went on to say, "sometimes when we’re dealing with psychological issues, we literally feel displaced internally; alien to ourselves. [The song] ended up taking on multiple meanings and perspectives but the root of it at the beginning was as a sort of self-talk, self-therapy."[6]

Music video

On 6 November 2018, the music video for "You're Somebody Else" came out on YouTube. It was directed by Mark Pellington and portrays the song's message of struggling with depression, anxiety and self-image. The band were overwhelmed by the public's response to the song and decided to include personal responses in the video. They are quoted as saying, "We shot this video with a large diverse group of people whose actual casting process involved telling us on home recorded footage what this song meant to them and how they personally related to the lyrics. Individuals were chosen on the basis of the degree to which they related to the song; it was a really emotional process. We’re honored by their involvement and excited to finally share the result."[7]

Critical reception

The song was given positive reviews. Steve Baltin, writing for Forbes Magazine wrote that "[Flora Cash's] brilliant "You're Somebody Else" is arguably the most intriguing song on radio this past year."[8] Comeherefloyd wrote that the track "hounds and whispers that secret dark self doubt, deep within ourselves."[9]

Television

On 9 August 2018, Flora Cash performed "You're Somebody Else" on The Late Late Show with James Corden, marking their television debut.[10]

On 28 February 2019, Flora Cash performed "You're Somebody Else" on Live with Kelly and Ryan, marking their first live television performance.[11]

Charts

References
  1. Duncan MacLeod, "Movistar Love Story reveals online twist", The Inspiration Room, 9 May 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2018
  2. Emily Blake, "Pandora Predictions to Know: Flora Cash, Social House, Ava Max & Summer Walker", 13 September 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018
  3. Paul Marszalek, "The Top 22 Triple A Radio Songs 12-9-18", Media Mechanics, 9 December 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019
  4. Paul Marszalek, "The Top 22 Alternative Rock Radio Songs 12-9-18", Media Mechanics, 9 December 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019
  5. "Flora Cash talks about their new album – a glowing world of melancholy music". Vents Magazine. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  6. "Track by Track: Flora Cash on Nothing Lasts Forever (And It's Fine)". The Line of Best Fit. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  7. "Flora Cash share powerful music video for 'You're Somebody Else'". Sonic 1029. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  8. "BottleRock Brings The Rock With Neil Young, Santana, Mumford & Sons, Imagine Dragons". forbes. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  9. "Flora Cash – You're Somebody Else". comeherefloyd. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  10. Sam Tornow, "Flora Cash Make American TV Debut With Dreamy Performance of 'You're Somebody Else' on Corden: Watch", 10 August 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018
  11. "Flora Cash books performance on "Kelly and Ryan"", 15 February 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019
  12. "CANADIAN AIRPLAY CHARTS; Modern Rock, January 27th, 2019". FYI Music News. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  13. "Adult Pop Songs: April 6, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  14. "Top Rock Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  15. "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  16. "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
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