Urban wrote this with John Shanks, a producer who has worked with a wide variety of artist, including BBMak, Melissa Etheridge, Kelly Clarkson, Stevie Nicks and Unwritten Law.

Urban has said that he wrote this song because he was trying to love himself like the others around him loved him.

This was a huge Country hit, staying at #1 on the Country charts for 6 weeks. >>

According to the liner notes, Urban played lead guitar, ganjo, EBow and cardboard box on the track.

The song's music video was directed by Trey Fanjoy, who also helmed the clip for Urban's late 2000 single "But for the Grace of God." Urban's ex-girlfriend, supermodel Niki Taylor appeared in the visual.

Keith Urban admitted during his 2018 South By Southwest session "Creation and Connection" that at the time he wrote this he "sucked at relationships." The singer explained:

"I would write these songs about love and relationships; I remember writing 'Somebody Like You' and I remember playing it for my girlfriend at the time and she just looked at me and said, 'You're a f---ing hypocrite' - and I couldn't argue that. And I realized I was writing from all these place of the kind of person I wished I could be. I wasn't that person but I wanted to be. It was only a song but my real life was a disaster."