Somewhere Only We Know

Composition and recording

The first demo was composed by Tim Rice-Oxley circa 2001. Rice-Oxley said that the song came from "hammering away on the piano" explaining "I was thinking of something like David Bowie's "Heroes", which you drive along to a really rocking beat. ... It was one of the first things we recorded for the album." It was first played on the guitar just before Dominic Scott left the band, and recorded as a demo the same year with a Yamaha CP70 instead of the guitar. Keane recorded the final version in 2003 at the Helioscentric Studios, Rye, East Sussex for the album. Keane also played this song at the historic concert Live 8 in London, along with the single "Bedshaped".

A demo version of "Somewhere Only We Know" was leaked into the Internet in 2004. This version features a different length (4:24) and an extra bridge. Chaplin's shout at the outro is removed.

"Somewhere Only We Know" is a traditional piano rock song. The piano is the most relevant instrument, due to its harmonic and rhythmic role. It is played in quavers throughout the whole song, holding the tempo and the rhythmic pattern. The studio version is recorded in 87bpm, and follows a 4/4 time signature, one of the most commonly used in traditional rock songs. It is in the key of A major. The song form can analyzed as "ABAB CBCB", a variation of the strophic form. The verse (A) chord progression is a plain (I-II-V), one of the most used chord progressions in music; the chorus (B) presents a (VI-III-IV-V) progression; the variation of the verse section (C) presents a (II-III-IV-V) progression.

The bass line was recorded by Rice-Oxley. When played live, this song uses a pre-recorded bass, which is played in an Apple PowerBook G4. The 16-beat rhythm was made by Hughes. The song relies heavily in synthesizers, sampling and organ timbre, used to complement the harmonies in the song.

Information about song

The song was mixed by Mark "Spike" Stent. 3" pocket CDs were released as a limited edition of 1000, containing the B-side "Snowed Under" as well as links to receive a polyphonic ringtone via SMS. These copies are now valued at £20 due to their rarity. This song was the first Keane item released on vinyl format. The records were numbered and limited to 5000 copies, only sold in the United Kingdom. The B-side "Walnut Tree" was recorded during the James Sanger sessions at Normandy, France.

The real meaning of the song's video and lyrics remain unknown; however, several have accepted that the meaning refers to "Manser's Shaw", a place in Battle where Keane members used to visit in their childhood days and the site of the Battle of Hastings, fought on 14 October 1066.

Richard Hughes, Keane's drummer, offered the following explanation of the song on Chris Flynn's fansite:

In the trailer for Winnie the Pooh, the song "Somewhere Only We Know" was used. The song is not included on the soundtrack.

B-sides

The song talks about a place called "Manser's Shaw" in Battle, East Sussex where the band used to spend their childhood days. It was inspired by a poem. "Snowed Under" was the only B-side played live during 2004, 2005 and early 2006, because of its appearance on the CD+DVD version of Hopes and Fears, as well as in the Japanese version of it. Like "Walnut Tree", this song was mixed by Andy Green. "Snowed Under" also titles the band's debut album, with the line "someone who understands your hopes and fears".

The lyrics talk about waiting for someone under a walnut tree but Rice-Oxley hasn't given a real meaning to this. It appeared on the Music from the OC: Mix 2 soundtrack. James Sanger is credited on this song for his contributions at his studios in France. This song was mixed by Andy Green.

Music videos

There are three music videos for this song:

Keane appear coming out of a studio and taking a taxi. Then they come across a forest where live the "simple thing" aliens (called "Roxleys" by some fans). Each Roxley represents the spirit of a tree.

This international video was directed by Corin Hardy, produced by Kit Hawkins for White House Pictures and shot between 22–23 November 2003. Hardy was influenced by the movie Princess Mononoke and created the "simple thing" aliens, based on the "kodamas" appearing on that film.

The video saga starts with an image of a backstage door shortly before Keane gets through it with Tom holding a snare. They get into a British taxi cab. A little spirit (a "simple thing" alien) is inside the taxi. Then they arrive in a wooded area (in East Sussex, owned by Anthony Becvar, an acquaintance of Corin Hardy). The "simple thing" alien remains in the cab. They began walking through the forest, "an empty land", across a "fallen tree" and finally arrive to a stream. They are now playing the song in the stream. Near the end of the song, the little spirits, Roxleys, appear again and get closer to Keane. Finally lights representing their hearts shine.

The video is the same without the "simple thing" aliens.

This video was shot on 29 May 2004 in Hollywood, California and directed by The Saline Project. The song kicks off and Keane are playing a gig on the stage with a photography of a forest behind them. Soon, the photography becomes real and Keane are actually playing in the forest it represents. After the chorus, the forest becomes a city, and buildings start to grow. On the last chorus, it starts raining before converting into a forest again. The forest disappears and then Keane are playing again on the stage.

Cover art

The cover art was designed by Madefire and Alex Lake, and represents maple leaves falling as on the music video. It also relates to the themes of the B sides, "Walnut Tree" and "Snowed Under". Although neither of the B-sides appear on the Hopes and Fears album, they are relatively well known due to live performances and soundtracks. The letters reading "KEANE" are also in the background, featuring the red leaves.

Track listings

Catalogue number: CID849
The CD included two different wallpapers for the PC and the official UK release music video.

1. "Somewhere Only We Know" – 3:58
2. "Snowed Under" – 3:51
3. "Walnut Tree" – 3:40
4. "Somewhere Only We Know" (CD-ROM video) – 3:56

Catalogue number: IS849

1. "Somewhere Only We Know"
2. "Snowed Under"

Released 19 July 2004. It included links for download polyphonic and real ringtones.

1. "Somewhere Only We Know"
2. "Snowed Under"

Alternative versions

Released 26 March 2004.

1. "Somewhere Only We Know"
2. "Snowed Under"

Released 16 April 2004.

1. "Somewhere Only We Know"
2. "Walnut Tree"
3. "Somewhere Only We Know" (video)

The font depicted was used only during the Fierce Panda era.

1. "Somewhere Only We Know"

Lily Allen version

In 2013, English singer Lily Allen released a cover version of the song. It was released on 10 November 2013 in the United Kingdom as a digital download through Parlophone and Regal Recordings. The song was selected as the soundtrack to the John Lewis 2013 Christmas advertisement. The song reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, becoming her third number-one single.2013). "Somewhere Only We Know" is included of Allen's third studio album, Sheezus.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the single were donated to Save the Children's Philippine Typhoon Appeal campaign.

Music video

The video for the song shows making of the John Lewis's 'The Bear and The Hare' Christmas advert.

Commercial performance

On 24 November 2013, "Somewhere Only We Know" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, thus becoming Lily Allen's third number-one single following "Smile" (2006) and "The Fear" (2009). Although the song has spent a total of three non-consecutive weeks at the top spot, it has never reached number one on the UK Singles Download Chart. It sold 46,279 copies during its second week at number one, the lowest number for a number-one single since Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart" sold 42,746 copies in its third week at number one in 2009.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from CD single liner notes.

Other cover versions

The song is the most covered of Keane's songs, with cover versions by several artists: