Using coldfusion variables in sql queries, some unexpected results.

I've come across a somewhat perplexing problem. I'd be interested to see if the following works for other people:

<cfset sql_var = "'something','something else'">
<cfquery name="test" datasource="db">
select id from table where somename in (#sql_var#)
</cfquery>

As it is this produces a sql error - coldfusion tries to run the query as

select id from table where somename in (''something'',''something else'')

That's with double single quotes around each of the strings, even though this wasn't specified in the variable sql_var.

So I tried this:

<cfset sql_var = "something','something else">
<cfquery name="test" datasource="db">
select id from table where somename in ('#sql_var#')
</cfquery>

Where variable sql_var only has single quotes in between the two strings, and I've added single quotes to the select statement. This produces no error, but no results either. The sql being run is

select id from table where somename in ('something','something else')

Which is exactly as it should be. I copy and paste the exact same query into the database and it produces results - but when coldfusion runs the query it doesn't. Running the query with no quotes produces a sql error, which is what I wopuld expect.

Which leaves me somewhat at a loss. Anyone got any ideas?

Running CF 6.1 (I think) using a MySQL database, if that makes any difference to anything.