"Somewhere Only We Know" is a song composed and performed by English alternative rock band Keane, officially released as the first single from their debut album, Hopes and Fears (2004).
The song peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart during its first week of sales, becoming the band's signature song and biggest hit single to date. It has been certified triple platinum in the UK and double platinum in the US. Keane would perform the song during their set at Live 8 held at Hyde Park, London in 2005.[2]
The first demo was composed by Tim Rice-Oxley in about 2001. Rice-Oxley explained that the song came from "hammering away on the piano":
"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".[4]
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 CP-70 instead of the guitar. Keane recorded the final version in 2003 at the Helioscentric Studios, Rye, East Sussex for the album.[5]
"Somewhere Only We Know" is a traditional piano rock song, and leaned on different influences, "A lot of The Smiths, Oasis, U2, The Beatles, Radiohead [and] Paul Simon", according to Rice-Oxley.[5] The piano is the most prominent 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 86 bpm, and follows a 4 4time signature – the most commonly used in traditional rock songs. It is in the key of A major. The song form can be analysed 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 bassline was recorded by Rice-Oxley. When played live (up until 2007 with the arrival of bassist Jesse Quin), this song uses a pre-recorded bass, which is played in an ApplePowerBook G4. The 16-beat rhythm was made by Hughes.
Lyrics
The song's lyrics refer to Manser's Shaw, a place in Battle, East Sussex that Keane members used to visit in their childhood and the site of the Battle of Hastings, fought on 14 October 1066. According to Rice-Oxley, they wrote the song after returning to Battle from London after failing to achieve musical success.[6] He told Dave Simpson of The Guardian: "I picture a particular place in Sussex, just a bit of scrub where we used to go when we were kids", and spoke of a fallen pine tree (referenced in the song as "I came across a fallen tree") where the three of them were photographed together around the age of 11.[6] The "pathway" referenced in the song refers to the trail between the house of Rice-Oxley's parents and the local pub.[7]
Richard Hughes, Keane's drummer, offered the following explanation of the song on Chris Flynn's fansite:
"We've been asked whether "Somewhere Only We Know" is about a specific place, and Tim has been saying that, for him, or us as individuals, it might be about a geographical space, or a feeling; it can mean something individual to each person, and they can interpret it to a memory of theirs...It's perhaps more of a theme rather than a specific message...Feelings that may be universal, without necessarily being totally specific to us, or a place, or a time..."[8]
B-sides
Snowed Under
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.[9] "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. 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".
Walnut Tree
The lyrics talk about waiting for someone under a walnut tree, but Rice-Oxley has not given this meaning. 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.
Music video
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Cover art
The cover art, designed by Madefire and Alex Lake, 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 these songs 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.[10]
Live performances
Keane's signature song, the group have played "Somewhere Only We Know" at many concerts, including at Live 8 in Hyde Park, London, along with the single "Bedshaped", in 2005, and at Glastonbury in 2024.[2][5]
Track listings
Enhanced CD singleCatalogue number: CID849 The CD included two different wallpapers for the PC and the official UK release music video.
"Somewhere Only We Know" – 3:58
"Snowed Under" – 3:51
"Walnut Tree" – 3:40
"Somewhere Only We Know" (CD-ROM video) – 3:56
UK 7-inch vinylCatalogue number: IS849
"Somewhere Only We Know"
"Snowed Under"
UK 3-inch pocket CD Released 19 July 2004. It included links for download polyphonic and real ringtones.
"Somewhere Only We Know"
"Snowed Under"
Alternative versions
German enhanced CD single Released 26 March 2004.
"Somewhere Only We Know"
"Snowed Under"
Spanish enhanced CD single Released 16 April 2004.
"Somewhere Only We Know"
"Walnut Tree"
"Somewhere Only We Know" (video)
Charts
Weekly charts
2004–2015 weekly chart performance for "Somewhere Only We Know"
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 Lewis2013 Christmas advertisement. The song reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, becoming her third number-one single.[57] It is included on Allen's third studio album, Sheezus.
Allen's version of the song was used for the trailer of The Little Prince (2015), which was shown in French. It was also used on an advertisement by Brazilian telecommunications company Vivo in 2015.
The video for the song is a composite made by editor Chris Morris of the John Lewis "The Bear and the Hare" Christmas advert, directed by Elliot Dear and Yves Geleyn, and its making-of video, directed by Jake & Josh (Jacob Hopewell & Josh Hine), allowing the song to run to its full length.[61][62]
Commercial performance
On 24 November 2013, "Somewhere Only We Know" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, thus becoming Allen's third number-one single following "Smile" (2006) and "The Fear" (2009).[57] Although the song spent a total of three non-consecutive weeks at the top spot, it did not reach number one on the UK Singles Downloads 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.[63]
In total the single sold over 600,000 copies.[64] According to the BPI, the single was awarded a gold disc in January 2014, representing 400,000 sales. The song was included on the album Now 86! which sold more than 1.1 million copies to become the UK's best-selling album of 2013.[65]
Darren Criss performed a cover of the song as character Blaine Anderson in Season 2 Episode 18 of the TV series Glee. As of September 2024, the cover is the second most popular streamed song by the Glee cast on Spotify, with over 93 million monthly listeners.[83]
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