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).
Coming Back
Gotye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ever said you had the plan to
I'm just gonna wait 'till you come home
Though I count the days, they're grey without you
The weather's much better when I think about you
I'm just gonna wait till you come home
Curtains drawn on near-full blackness
I'm sleeping through the day, you're coming home
To reclaim this heart you owned
Lover, leave me
Make me burn
You're coming back!
You're coming back!
I'll wait patiently for your return
You're coming back!
You're coming back!
I'm clutching at straws
I'm climbing up the walls
But every time I fall
Back into my hole
I'm feeling like a wretch
I'm looking for a catch
But you're an itch that I can't scratch
I know you're coming back
You've been gone so long you're fading
And it takes all the time I can find just retaining
Thoughts of things we did while you were here
But I know you will return my dear
The lyrics to Gotye's song Coming Back describe a heartfelt longing for a lost love. The singer expresses the pain of being separated from someone who has been gone for much longer than they initially communicated, and recounts the emptiness that has taken hold in their absence. Despite counting the days until their return, the singer finds solace in the thought of their love, which seems to brighten the weather even as it darkens their surroundings. The chorus insists that the lover is indeed "coming back", with the repetition of this phrase underscoring the singer's tenacity in holding onto hope.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more vivid and urgent in expressing the singer's deep desire for their lover's return. The image of "empty glasses, burnt out matches" evokes a sense of self-destructive behavior in the singer's loneliness, while the "curtains drawn on near-full blackness" paints a bleak picture of isolation. The singer finds themselves sleeping through the day, unable to function without their beloved, and declares that their heart still belongs to them. The second half of the song sees the singer become more desperate in their insistence that their lover will return, culminating in the repeated refrain "I know you're coming back".
Overall, the lyrics to Coming Back are a poignant expression of love and loss, and the power of hope to sustain us through difficult times. The singer's determination to wait for their lover's return, despite the uncertainty of when or if it will happen, reveals the strength of their feelings and the depth of their commitment.
Line by Line Meaning
You've been gone much longer than you
You've been gone for a long time, way longer than you said you would be gone
Ever said you had the plan to
I knew you had a plan to come back sooner, but you didn't keep up your end of the plan
I'm just gonna wait 'till you come home
I'll wait patiently for you to come back
Though I count the days, they're grey without you
I keep track of the days you've been gone, but they all feel the same and dreary without you
The weather's much better when I think about you
Thinking of you makes me feel better, like I've seen the bright side of life again
Empty glasses, burnt out matches
My days feel empty and lonely, like I have no one to share my joy or my pain with
Curtains drawn on near-full blackness
I prefer to stay in my room and keep the curtains drawn to sustain the illusion of your presence
I'm sleeping through the day, you're coming home
I sleep through the day, anticipating your return and your comforting presence
To reclaim this heart you owned
You left with my heart when you left, but I trust you'll return it to me when you come back
Lover, leave me
I wish you didn't leave, but since you did, I ask you to come back and make it right
Make me burn
Make me feel, make me come alive
You're coming back!
I keep telling myself that you're coming back, that you will come back to me soon
I'll wait patiently for your return
I'll be patient for as long as it takes for you to come back to me
I'm clutching at straws
I'm desperate to hold on to any hope or any chance of seeing you again
I'm climbing up the walls
I'm so restless and anxious without you that I'm climbing up the walls of my room
But every time I fall
Every time I lose hope or feel defeated,
Back into my hole
I retreat back into my room and into my despair
I'm feeling like a wretch
I feel like a miserable and pathetic person without you here
I'm looking for a catch
I'm searching for a way to bring you back to me
But you're an itch that I can't scratch
You're the one thing that I need, but I can't seem to reach you or hold on to you
I know you're coming back
Despite my doubts and my fears, I know deep down that you will come back to me
You've been gone so long you're fading
The longer you're gone, the less vivid my memories of you become
And it takes all the time I can find just retaining
I have to keep reminding myself of our time together and holding on to that memory
Thoughts of things we did while you were here
I cherish the memories of the moments we shared and the things we did together
But I know you will return my dear
I have faith that you will come back to me, my love
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Walter Andre De Backer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@devin334
You've been gone much longer than you
Ever said you had the plan to
I'm just gonna wait 'till you come home
Though I count the days, they're grey without you
The weather's much better when I think about you
I'm just gonna wait till you come home
Empty glasses, burnt out matches
Curtains drawn on near-full blackness
I'm sleeping through the day, you're coming home
To reclaim this heart you owned
Lover, leave me
Make me burn
You're coming back!
You're coming back!
I'll wait patiently for your return
You're coming back!
You're coming back!
I'm clutching at straws
I'm climbing up the walls
But every time I fall
Back into my hole
I'm feeling like a wretch
I'm looking for a catch
But you're an itch that I can't scratch
I know you're coming back
You've been gone so long you're fading
And it takes all the time I can find just retaining
Thoughts of things we did while you were here
But I know you will return my dear
@lostfoundrescued
Love how all his songs sound so different which is so unique about him
@itscky2007
lmaoo
@LoveIzKind
If people would only actually listen to the lyrics of Gotye's music... deep & meaningful. I really appreciate his work. 🤗🤩
@jamesr1891
Yeah hearts a mess is the best imo
@Kirbyfemur1
I do wish this song would get more plays. It has a fantastic mood, feel and sound. The lyrics and way he presents them are great. This is amongst my favorite songs. But i have a feeling that a lot of people seem to be put off by the absurdity and strangeness of some of his videos.
@MissEmg2000
I like it but the full version is way better I seriously wouldn't mind having the six minute version played on the radio Cool video as well I always love his videos
@senpay9997
Live?
@MrsGiovanellaAline
This song is and always will be so special to me. A heartbroken classic!
@xmarksthefilms6161
I honestly really enjoy Gotye a lot even though there other songs aren’t as popular as somebody that I used to know.
@Andjela912
I remember when I was in my teens and worked in two shifts. I would work in the morning and then in the evening. Hot summer it was. The little time I had in between, I would put my Gotye playlist on, everyday, and sleep away until I had to go to work again. That was my only remedy!