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).
Out of My Mind
Gotye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But said that you just couldn't stay
Now I can't get you out of my head
So many signs float by
But only you are signified
And I just can't get you out of my head
I can't get it right
I can't get it right
I just can't get you out of my mind
Lately I'm concerned
These dark obsessions make me toss and turn
And I can't be unwound
Now you're not around
Dreams of you are all that hold me down
I can't get it right
I can't get you out of my mind
I can't get it right
I just can't get you out of my mind
Out of My Mind is a song by Gotye, an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. The song reflects the singer's obsession with a past lover who has left him, and his inability to get over her. The lyrics of the song express extreme emotions of love, loss, and longing.
The first verse of the song reveals how the singer's lover left him despite loving him the day before. This sudden change of heart has left the singer feeling confused and unable to move on from the breakup. He has become obsessed with his ex and can't stop thinking about her even though they are no longer together. The second verse of the song talks about the singer's struggles to shake off his obsession. He finds himself constantly dreaming about his ex and can't get her out of his head.
The chorus of the song repeats the lyrics, "I can't get it right, I can't get you out of my mind". The singer is struggling with his desire to move on but finds himself consumed by thoughts of his ex. The lyrics convey a sense of desperation and vulnerability, as the singer feels helpless in the face of his emotions.
Overall, the song portrays the feelings of a person who is stuck in a rut after a breakup and struggling to move on. It presents a relatable and emotional subject matter that the listeners can easily identify with.
Line by Line Meaning
You loved me yesterday
You had feelings for me in the past
But said that you just couldn't stay
You decided to leave and end the relationship
Now I can't get you out of my head
I can't stop thinking about you
So many signs float by
There are so many things happening around me
But only you are signified
But you are the only thing that matters to me
And I just can't get you out of my head
And I can't stop thinking about you
I can't get it right
I can't seem to make things better
I can't get you out of my mind
I can't stop thinking about you
Lately I'm concerned
I have been worried about myself recently
These dark obsessions make me toss and turn
My intense feelings for you keep me awake at night
And I can't be unwound
I can't relax and let go of these feelings
Now you're not around
Now that you are gone
Dreams of you are all that hold me down
Thoughts of you are keeping me from moving on
I can't get it right
I can't seem to make things better
I can't get you out of my mind
I can't stop thinking about you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Walter Andre De Backer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kef Pincay
Que bacán!... Este álbum no comprendo como no lo había oido!
AngieEnz84
I love this song.
Andrés Falchetti
Me encanta la voz de Michaela Alexander <3 que capo Gotye
kalatayuk
Lo mejor de Gotye es lo menos comercial.
The Moon
This is so similar to State Of The Art!
Richtofen
Balladeer Harpsicle It actually is. :)
Sound Smith Asmr
Just because of the reggae part? That’s all I hear.
Ihiru Art
This is more like a Dub reggae
Arcanos Portentum Aeterium
Ups!!! soy el primero en comentar,. Bueno me agradó encontrar esta canción, se nota que hace poco la subiste, lo hiciste a tiempo, así que gracias por eso!
XM
Is it just me or does she sound like Lana del rey