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).
Don't Worry We'll Be Watching You
Gotye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's your name?
Don't worry
Don't be afraid
We won't hurt you
Hey
Lost your way?
Just do as we say
And we won't hurt you
It's hard
The world can lead you so astray
It gets harder
It's hard just to keep the faith
Do you need a reminder
Of the love that we gave you?
Don't worry
You're walking away
But we'll always be watching you
The song "Don't Worry We'll Be Watching You" by Gotye seems to explore the concept of surveillance and the feeling of being watched. The opening lines invite the listener to give their name, but immediately reassure them that they need not be afraid, as they will not be hurt. This could be interpreted as a form of control or manipulation - encouraging the listener to give up their information while also establishing a sense of safety.
The chorus features the phrase "Don't worry, we'll be watching you" being repeated, which could be interpreted as a warning or a threat. The verse that follows references the difficulty of navigating through life and holding onto one's faith, which perhaps suggests that the watchers are some kind of spiritual or moral authority trying to guide the listener. The final lines, "You're walking away, but we'll always be watching you" could be interpreted as a haunting reminder that no matter what the listener does or where they go, they will always be monitored.
Overall, the song seems to touch on ideas of control, power, and surveillance in a way that is ominous and unsettling. It leaves the listener with a sense of unease and the feeling that there is always someone watching, even when they cannot be seen.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey
The singer is getting the attention of someone.
What's your name?
The singer wants to know the other person's name.
Don't worry
The singer wants to reassure the other person that everything is okay.
Don't be afraid
The artist wants to reassure the other person that there is nothing to be scared of.
We won't hurt you
The artist wants to reassure the other person that they are safe.
Lost your way?
The singer is asking if the other person is lost.
Just do as we say
The singer is telling the other person to follow their instructions.
And we won't hurt you
The artist wants to reassure the other person that if they follow their instructions, they will not get hurt.
It's hard
The artist acknowledges that life can be difficult.
The world can lead you so astray
The artist understands that the world can be confusing and lead you in the wrong direction.
It gets harder
The singer acknowledges that life can get even harder as time goes on.
It's hard just to keep the faith
The artist understands that sometimes it is difficult to keep believing in something.
Do you need a reminder
The singer is asking if the other person needs a reminder of something important.
Of the love that we gave you?
The singer is reminding the other person of the love they have received in the past.
You're walking away
The singer acknowledges that the other person is leaving or moving on.
But we'll always be watching you
The artist wants to let the other person know that they will always be there, even if they are not physically present.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Walter Andre De Backer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Rajat_1010
Hey
What's your name?
Don't worry
Don't be afraid
We won't hurt you
Hey
Lost your way?
Don't worry
Just do as we say
And we won't hurt you
It's hard
The world can lead you so astray
It gets harder
It's hard just to keep the faith
Do you need a reminder
Of the love that we gave you?
Don't worry
You're walking away
But we'll always be watching you
(We'll always be watching you)
(We'll always be watching you)
@nintendold
Gotye: makes song about how blindly following a cult is a terrible idea
Me: Yes Gotye I want to blindly follow your cult, where do I sign my name?
@mooby1721
I dunno, it's creepy but the lyrics nor the visuals actually depict anything terrible about the group
@rastabincoolie1
@Moo by it's more the implications. I don't think he could have Actually put anything too obvious there.
@jaykylehd20
Is this proof that we're being gangstalk or stuck in a simulation
@yaoilover496
Me: started to worship gotye himself.🥺
@Connor-gz4ol
Well I definely need help. I'm stuck in a cult that doesn't let me out of the basement. It also makes me di paintings and to worship this Jim Pickens guy.
@EddieBsB
That crescendo at 1:36 is just breath taking !
What a masterpiece. This guy is a genius.
@DACFalloutRanger
Gotye is pretty underrated. Too bad most people only know him for one song.
@EddieBsB
+DACFalloutRanger 100% agreed !
@zetsubougigi9098
+DACFalloutRanger I AGREE like he is hands down one of my favorite solo artists