Released December 9, 2008 Length 3:51 | Recorded 2008 Label RCA, Sony | |
Format Digital download, 7", CD Genre Alternative rock, power pop | ||
"Use Somebody" is a song by American alternative rock group Kings of Leon. It was the second single from the band's fourth studio album Only by the Night (2008), released on December 8, 2008.
Contents
The single received heavy airplay in Scandinavia, the Republic of Ireland, Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia, where it was number one on the Official Airplay Chart for six consecutive weeks. It was a huge success in the U.S., where it topped multiple airplay formats and reached number four on the Hot 100 and number one on the Pop Songs chart.
The song received positive reviews and won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Rock Song and was also nominated for Song of the Year. Along with "Sex on Fire", the song was one of two from Kings of Leon's Only by the Night to reach the top three in Australian radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2008, coming in at #3.
Critical reception
The song has received generally positive reviews from music critics. Mikael Wood of Entertainment Weekly called "Use Somebody" a highlight of the album, describing the song as "a too-cool hipster's cry for comfort". Nick Levine of Digital Spy said, "With its Springsteen-style 'oooah-woooah's, gathering storm of guitars and lusty, longing vocals from Caleb Followill, it's nearly as infectious as 'Sex on Fire'." Gavin Haynes of NME praised the song as "easily the best 80s power ballad of 2008", but cautioned that the band "may be in danger of mistaking bluster for brilliance".
Chart performance
In the United States, "Use Somebody" became the band's mainstream breakthrough. Peaking at number four on the Hot 100, it gave the band their first top five hit there, and spent 57 weeks on the chart. On United States radio, the song was a multi-format smash, becoming just the fourth song in history to top the Mainstream Top 40, Adult Top 40, Alternative Songs, and Triple A charts. (Preceding it were "Slide" by the Goo Goo Dolls, "Every Morning" by Sugar Ray, and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day.) The song first reached number one on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart (now called the "Alternative" chart), their second of three consecutive singles to top that chart. "Use Somebody" also reached number one on the Adult Top 40 Chart, and later topped the Mainstream Top 40 as well. It reached over 4 million downloads in the US by July 2013.
In the United Kingdom, "Use Somebody" peaked at number two on the official UK Top 75 and spent an unbroken 40 weeks on the chart, only dropping out due to the surge in sales of Michael Jackson titles immediately after his death; after an absence of just one week it was back for another 20 weeks, peaking at #25. It has reappeared on further occasions since, and has now spent 77 weeks on the Top 75, making it the 5th longest runner of all time, just two places behind "Sex on Fire" with its 90 weeks.
Notable cover versions
American singer Anastacia released this song on her fifth studio album It's A Man's World.
Track listing
CD single
- "Use Somebody" - 3:51
- "Knocked Up" (Lykke Li vs. Rodeo Remix) - 5:34
iTunes exclusive EP
- "Use Somebody" - 3:51
- "Knocked Up" (Lykke Li vs. Rodeo Remix) - 5:34
- "Frontier City" - 3:36
- "The Bucket" (CSS Remix) - 3:43