Gotye performing "Somebody That I Used To Know"
I came across this song while looking for another song, with a very similar title, for a post earlier this week. A happy accident.
Here is a version Chip brought up in the comments, saying he loves very much.
7 comments:
I love this song so much. It's the one that the two CODAs put to sign that is most the most excellent thing I've seen.
Their choices fascinate me. And I learned from it. And that's unusual. Most of the time it's beginners but these two are showing the understanding they grew up with.
So happy you could die, she's left handed and the camera in on the wrong side and her "die" looks like "drown"
And I love the way she says, "go so low" she makes a crawling down movement. It's just excellent.
And others interpret it too but they give it "I'm being artsy" about it that off-putting by contrast.
I love these two women in this video. The one that looks trans has done another but not nearly as good as this.
And I like the scene shot on BART as well.
It's much better than the official video.
I read the lyrics discussed negatively and at length, as the man's complaint as being typically millennial crap, and indicative of what's wrong with them, but I disagree with that.
Man, I'm getting cranky in my old age. I just watched 6 videos of this in sign and they're all pure shit.
My impulse is smack these people. I get five seconds in and shut them down. One after another. So annoying.
And if I met them, I wouldn't know WHAT they were talking about. I would not be able to identify the song.
That video with the ASL gestures was compelling. Much more so than the video of the people singing. I couldn't stop watching it and I got very involved emotionally with the gestures and facial expressions of the signers (as opposed to singers). The song had much more depth, impact and meaning in Chip's video. I watched it three times.
Serious questions and probably stupid questions. I don't mean to be offensive. How are they able to coordinate their gestures so perfectly with the beat of the song and the lyrics if they are deaf? Partially deaf? Do they have coaching to tell them that the tone of the song has become louder and more serious and then make their signing larger and more dramatic to fit with the music and the singing voice?
I'll notify Chip DBQ.
They are not deaf. They are CODA, children of deaf parents.
But they are not coordinating exactly either. It's why their signs do not comply with textbook examples.
The trans' "remember" is a thumb twisted into her head, it's very clear but not textbook.
Her "die" is far afield from the real sign, it's more like "sinking or drowning"
"now and then" is differs, s/b "again"
Notice she says, "right for me" and "we were together" are the same sign.
Her translation uses "mesh" or "roommate" Jeff Dell uses that same signal for
breed "of horse" and "breeding horses"
It's a great sign too. When the wrists are rotated the fingers become gears and it looks very mechanical, and used for "mechanic," and "industry" and all those gear-type things.
Her sign for "certain kind of sadness" is a darkness over her body. the textbook sign, all of the dictionaries show a single hand drawn downward over the face.
Her "cut me off" is a BLAM! and it's very effective. But it is not cutting a piece of paper and flicking off the end. I would do that differently.
Finally, her "the end, always the end" is the signal for "aim, goal" it's appropriate, but you'll see non CODAS like me prefer "stop"
The woman's roll, says "screwed me over" very differently than I would. My sign would show a definite screw, and second choice "fucked" but she does not.
H
Her sign for "ever word you say" really is "word" and it's also "bullets"
(were it a single finger putting dots along an index finger then it would be "peas."
Her now and then when I think about is simply, "look back over my shoulder"
Then, "my responsibility" on her shoulder, abandoning the actual text.
I don't wanna live that way, Is "continue"
And all this is why I LOVE it so much. They get at the ideas expressed in the text and act them out. The signing is raw as all hell. And that's what get me, you too.
Compare with the others much closer to textbook samples and they outshine them completely. This really is the way deaf people communicate. The dictionaries only assist in providing a starting point to pantomiming effectively.
I love this video so much. It's the best thing on YouTube. These two taught me a lot.
Thank you for your explanation Chip. CODA. Children of Deaf Parents. I didn't know that, and it makes much more sense now. With the lyrics and their signing it was very clear what the signing was 'saying'. I found it very poetic and compelling and would watch more of the same. It gave the song depths and emotions that the video of the band performing, which was fine too, just didn't have.
Her sign for "certain kind of sadness" is a darkness over her body. the textbook sign, all of the dictionaries show a single hand drawn downward over the face.
I don't know much about ASL but I could tell when she signed sadness that she meant that it was a very deep overwhelming sadness.
Superb video.
It's a fantastic song about breaking up. Both points of view.
It's good all over the place. check this out.
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