What Is The Killers’ ‘Somebody Told Me’ About?
A lot of classic rock songs have gained attention for highlighting androgyny. For example, there’s some ambiguous gender club action going on in The Killers’ “Somebody Told Me.” Listeners could interpret the song in many different ways, but it appears to have a transgender theme. Despite this, The Killers’ Brandon Flowers didn’t seem to want to comment on the tune’s LGBTQ overtones.
The Killers’ ‘Somebody Told Me’ was pretty edgy for a song that came out in the 2000s
“Somebody Told Me” has a lot going for it. The song’s drums and synthesizers are crisp, its melody is memorable, and any song that straddles the line between dance music and 2000s rock is probably worth a listen. However, what people really remember about the track is its chorus: “Well somebody told me you had a boyfriend / Who looked like a girlfriend / That I had in February of last year.”
What’s going on here? I think an easy answer is that Flowers was dating someone who underwent a gender transition and is interested in at least knowing what’s currently going on with his former lover. Fans have also speculated that “Somebody Told Me” is simply about Flowers being attracted to a man who looks like his ex-girlfriend. That’s possible as well. Either way, “Somebody Told Me” was provocative and (arguably) progressive for a song released during the presidency of George W. Bush.
‘Somebody Told Me’ is part of a long history of androgynous rock songs
Regardless of the meaning behind “Somebody Told Me,” it’s a part of rock ‘n’ roll’s long history of androgyny. While our standards might be different today, Elvis Presley and Mick Jagger were considered sexually ambiguous when they debuted decades ago.
The 1970s saw a proliferation of artists and songs that embraced the masculine and the feminine, particularly in the British rock scene. Tunes like The Kinks’ “Lola” and David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” are about people whose gender identities are ambiguous. Hits like “Somebody Told Me” and Fall Out Boy’s “Thnks fr th Mmrs” extended this trend into the 2000s.
During a 2013 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Flowers revealed the origin of Hot Fuss, the parent album of “Somebody Told Me.” “The Strokes’ first record [Is This It] came out and we ditched everything we wrote except for [‘Mr. Brightside’] and started again,” he recalled. “[Laughs] Because that record’s so good, you know? It was just … we realized that they raised the bar. Whether The Strokes know it or not, they really changed our path.”
The Killers’ Brandon Flowers said the song is rooted in his love life
Flowers didn’t directly comment on the gender themes in “Somebody Told Me” when he explained the song’s meaning. “We were going out to clubs a lot at the time,” he said. “I think it speaks to a young man’s frustration, the difficulty of picking up girls. [Laughs] That’s probably where it stems from. I was just able to run with it, and the band supplied a wonderful backing track.”
During a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, Flowers explained his relationship with the track. “This is the story of trying to meet someone in a club,” he recalled. “There are people who want us to write ‘Somebody Told Me’ again, and we just don’t want that. There’s always a place for fun songs, but then there are the songs that give people chills. I like those more.”
