Backer was born in Belgium, but moved with his family to Melbourne, Australia when he was two. Originally a member of the indie band Downstares, Backer began performing under the name Gotye in 2001 when the band disbanded. Aside from his solo work, De Backer has been a member of the indie band The Basics since its formation in 2002.
Gotye's second album Like Drawing Blood was featured by Triple J in May 2006 and was voted Number 1 in the listeners poll of the Best Album of 2006 . The album was also nominated for a J Award that year. Two tracks from that album, Learnalilgivinanlovin and Heart's A Mess, were ranked 94 and 8 respectively in Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2006. Like Drawing Blood has been certified Platinum.
In September 2006, Gotye was nominated for an Australian Recording Industry Music Award (ARIA award) for best independent release for his album Like Drawing Blood, and won 'Most Outstanding New Independent Artist' at the inaugural Australian Independent Record (AIR) Chart Awards.
In 2007, Gotye won the ARIA for best male artist. As a result of the publicity of the nomination, Like Drawing Blood re-entered the ARIA album chart and was named iTunes UK Album of the Year in 2008.
In 2009, Heart's A Mess came in at #77 in Triple J Hottest 100 of all time, voted by the Australian public.
Amidst the lead-up to Gotye's third album, Like Drawing Blood re-entered the ARIA charts in mid 2011, peaking at its highest ever position of 13.
After the success of Like Drawing Blood, De Backer was able to establish a permanent home, still in Melbourne's South East. In 2010, De Backer set up a recording studio in a barn at his parents' farm and set about recording tracks for his third album. He released a new single, Eyes Wide Open, in mid-October 2010, online and on 10" vinyl. The single received generally positive reviews and reached number 25 in the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2010. It was also shortlisted for the 2011 APRA Music Awards in the Song of the Year category.
In late March 2011, De Backer revealed the album's title to be Making Mirrors. This title was inspired by an artwork, painted by De Backer's father in the 1980s, discovered by De Backer amongst old bills and newspapers in his parents' barn, which was later edited in Photoshop to become the album artwork. "The mirror reflects on artwork and it is all very related to self-reflection and introspection on the album."
On 19 May, it was announced that the album would be released on 19 August 2011, with the album launch the following day at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Graphic Festival which will feature animators and a 10-piece orchestra as part of Gotye's performance. De Backer also released a follow-up single to Eyes Wide Open titled Somebody That I Used to Know, which was released 6 July 2011, and debuted at #27 on the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart. The single became something of a sensation, quickly moving up the ARIA singles chart despite comparatively low airplay to many other charting singles at the time. The track was further boosted by endorsements from well-known celebrities Ashton Kutcher and Lily Allen via Twitter, exposing Gotye's music to their millions of followers. The single has gone on to reach 6× Platinum (420,000 units sold) status.
On 15 July 2011, it was announced that Gotye's single Somebody That I Used to Know had come third in the 2011 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition. As part of the prize, Gotye won a spot to perform at Song Summit 2012 at Darling Harbour, 26–28 May 2012.
On its first week of release, Making Mirrors came in at number one on the ARIA Australian album chart, making Gotye the first Australian act to simultaneously hold both the number one single and album since Silverchair, who achieved the same feat in 2007.
On 11 October 2011, it was announced that Gotye had been nominated for seven ARIA Awards. Due to the release date restrictions of the eligibility period, Making Mirrors could not be nominated, and the seven nominations all related to the single Somebody That I Used to Know. Gotye was nominated for Highest Selling Single, Single of the Year, Best Pop Release, Best Male Artist and three awards in the ARIA Artisan category: Best Video (Natasha Pincus), Engineer of the Year (Francois Tetaz) and Producer of the Year (Wally De Backer). On the same day the nominations were revealed, the winners of the Artisan categories were announced, with Gotye and the album personnel winning all three. On 27 November 2011, Gotye took out three of the four remaining ARIA Award nominations. Single of the Year, Best Male Artist and Best Pop Release.
"Somebody That I Used To Know" has become an international hit, reaching #1 in Australia, Belgium, United Kingdom, Poland, Austria, Ireland, Norway, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Germany, and also reached #1 on the alternative radio airplay charts in The United States and Canada (on the pop charts in those countries, the song has reached #5 and #11, respectively).
Baby
Gotye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Try to satisfy the cravings before they
Consume you
Colours are brighter
The world can excite you
When you're under its spell
You can tell
That without it life would be hell
And time is passing you by
It marks no moment of your life
When you submit yourself to be numb,
The fear disappears,
And everything seems clear
When the emptiness is upon you
It fills you up like a balloon
And you float
High up over the real world,
And think of when
You were a little girl again
Where would you go, baby?
What could you do?
Didn't you hear, baby?
Nothing is sure but uncertainty
You can feel the hunger inside you
But the longing will no longer guide you onwards,
Sinking into the floorboards
Where the rats eat at your will
And do it until,
Your belly aches
And your soul will not be still
Wrench yourself from your demons
For far too long you've believed them
When they told you you were weak
Take a step in the tunnel
With the light 'round the bend
In the end
You can start to make amends
Who knows where you'll go, baby
So much you could do!
Haven't you heard, baby?
All will be well
If you want it to
In the song “Baby” by Gotye, the lyrics are exploring the idea of addiction and how it can be a force of temptation that can consume one’s life. The lyrics are telling a story of someone who is struggling with addiction and how it affects their life. The lyrics highlight the struggle and the emptiness that addiction can bring to one’s life. The opening lines, “Live from day to the next day, Try to satisfy the cravings before they consume you,” epitomizes the struggle of addiction, where the focus is always on satisfying the craving in the moment rather than looking at the long-term consequences.
The imagery of the song is powerful, creating a vivid picture of the emotions and feelings of someone struggling with addiction. The inclusion of the line “When the emptiness is upon you, It fills you up like a balloon” portrays the feeling of emptiness and how addiction can become a solution to fill that void. The song also discusses the importance of facing these demons and taking the first step towards recovery. The line “Wrench yourself from your demons, For far too long you've believed them” highlights how addiction can be a state of mind that takes over the individual and the importance of breaking free from it.
Overall, the song “Baby” by Gotye is a poignant and relatable exploration of addiction, and the effects it can have on one’s life. The lyrics emphasize the importance of facing the problem and taking the first step towards recovery, even if the path ahead is uncertain.
Line by Line Meaning
Live from day to the next day
Take life as it comes, live in the present and don't worry about the future or the past.
Try to satisfy the cravings before they
Consume you
Deal with your desires before they become too strong and overpower you.
Colours are brighter
The world can excite you
When you're under its spell
You can tell
All too well
That without it life would be hell
Life is vibrant and captivating when you're fully participating in it. Without such experience, life may feel mundane and lifeless.
And time is passing you by
It marks no moment of your life
When you submit yourself to be numb,
The fear disappears,
And everything seems clear
When you allow yourself to be numb and passive, time passes by without leaving any trace, and your fear and anxieties disappear, but you lose that special feeling of being alive and engaged.
When the emptiness is upon you
It fills you up like a balloon
And you float
High up over the real world,
And think of when
You were a little girl again
When you're feeling empty and disconnected from the world, you feel weightless and remote, and you may start reminiscing about your childhood.
Where would you go, baby?
What could you do?
Didn't you hear, baby?
Nothing is sure but uncertainty
Life is uncertain, and you never know what life brings you. So it is essential to be open to all possibilities and take risks.
You can feel the hunger inside you
But the longing will no longer guide you onwards,
Sinking into the floorboards
Where the rats eat at your will
And do it until,
Your belly aches
And your soul will not be still
Although you may feel hunger and thirst for something, it's not advisable to blindly feed on it; otherwise, it might consume you and cause a lot of discomfort & dissatisfaction.
Wrench yourself from your demons
For far too long you've believed them
When they told you you were weak
Take a step in the tunnel
With the light 'round the bend
In the end
You can start to make amends
You need to break free from your internal demons and anxieties that make you feel weak and helpless. Step towards the light at the end of the tunnel and start your journey towards redemption.
Who knows where you'll go, baby
So much you could do!
Haven't you heard, baby?
All will be well
If you want it to
The future is uncertain, and you have plenty of options to explore. If you approach life positively and with hope, everything will be okay.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mel .W
Live from day to the next day
Try to satisfy the cravings before they
Consume you
Colours are brighter
The world can excite you
When you're under its spell
You can tell
All too well
That without it life would be hell
And time is passing you by
It marks no moment of your life
When you submit yourself to be numb
The fear disappears
And everything seems clear
When the emptiness is upon you
It fills you up like a balloon
And you float
High up over the real world
And think of when
You were a little girl again
Where would you go, baby?
What could you do?
Didn't you hear, baby?
Nothing is sure but uncertainty
You can feel the hunger inside you
But the longing will no longer guide you onwards
Sinking into the floorboards
Where the rats eat at your will
And do it until
Your belly aches
And your soul will not be still
Wrench yourself from your demons
For far too long you've believed them
When they told you you were weak
Take a step in the tunnel
With the light 'round the bend
In the end
You can start to make amends
Who knows where you'll go, baby
So much you could do!
Haven't you heard, baby?
All will be well
If you want it to
tzortzinious
Music for your soul: Moon River https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q38GoSnCoH8
Alexander D Nieves
I love Gotye, he always gets me in the feels
Mel .W
Live from day to the next day
Try to satisfy the cravings before they
Consume you
Colours are brighter
The world can excite you
When you're under its spell
You can tell
All too well
That without it life would be hell
And time is passing you by
It marks no moment of your life
When you submit yourself to be numb
The fear disappears
And everything seems clear
When the emptiness is upon you
It fills you up like a balloon
And you float
High up over the real world
And think of when
You were a little girl again
Where would you go, baby?
What could you do?
Didn't you hear, baby?
Nothing is sure but uncertainty
You can feel the hunger inside you
But the longing will no longer guide you onwards
Sinking into the floorboards
Where the rats eat at your will
And do it until
Your belly aches
And your soul will not be still
Wrench yourself from your demons
For far too long you've believed them
When they told you you were weak
Take a step in the tunnel
With the light 'round the bend
In the end
You can start to make amends
Who knows where you'll go, baby
So much you could do!
Haven't you heard, baby?
All will be well
If you want it to
Mohd Sameer
Thank you :)
Richard Olivito
wonderful....musician and lyricist ... one of kind...and so refreshing ...to our modern music scene a true artist get thru to the world! rare today!
Wyvern
do you have asthma?
Richard Olivito
Love his music artsy
Sarah Trachtenberg
Amazing song, and easily the best song I've heard with "baby" in the title. (Which still isn't saying much.)
Kelcibear Symons
this song has gotten me through a lot in my life
EmanonGirl33
This is so beautiful! I wish I could form an all-Gotye radio station and play ALL the songs