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).
Somebody That I Used To Know -
Gotye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember
You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end, always the end
Well you said that we would still be friends
But I'll admit that I was glad it was over
But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No, you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believing it was always something that I'd done
But I don't wanna live that way
Reading into every word you say
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know
But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No, you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Somebody (I used to know)
(Somebody) Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Somebody (I used to know)
(Somebody) Now you're just somebody that I used to know
I used to know, that I used to know, I used to know somebody
In Gotye's hit song "Somebody That I Used to Know," the lyrics speak to the end of a romantic relationship and the aftermath of the breakup. The first verse recalls the happy times spent together and the pain that still lingers. The second verse speaks to the idea that you can become addicted to the sadness and acceptance of an ending, always knowing it will happen, so it becomes easier to move on. The chorus focuses on the pain caused by the other person cutting them off completely, as if their relationship never happened, leaving the singer feeling like a stranger to the person they once knew so well. The bridge brings up the anger that still exists towards the other person for how they treated the singer, while still trying to move towards letting go of the past.
Overall, the song conveys complex emotions after a breakup, including nostalgia, sadness, and anger, and how difficult it is to let go when the other person cuts you off completely. The lyrics are relatable and capture the pain of moving on from someone that you once loved.
Line by Line Meaning
Now and then I think of when we were together
The singer remembers being in a relationship with the person mentioned in the song and occasionally thinks about their time together.
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
The person mentioned once expressed such an intense feeling of happiness that they could die from it.
Told myself that you were right for me
The singer believed that the person mentioned was the right one for them.
But felt so lonely in your company
Despite being in a relationship with the person mentioned, the singer still felt lonely when around them.
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember
Despite the difficulties in their relationship, the singer still considers it to have been a form of love that still causes them emotional pain.
You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
The singer believes that it's possible to become so accustomed to feeling sad that it becomes a kind of addiction.
Like resignation to the end, always the end
This line suggests that the person mentioned has a tendency to focus on negative outcomes and resign themselves to defeat.
So when we found that we could not make sense
When the relationship between the singer and the person mentioned became confusing or difficult to understand.
Well you said that we would still be friends
The person mentioned suggested that even if their romantic relationship didn't work out, they could still be friends.
But I'll admit that I was glad it was over
Despite the suggestion that they could be friends, the singer was actually relieved that the relationship had ended for good.
But you didn't have to cut me off
The person mentioned didn't have to abruptly end all contact with the singer.
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
In cutting off contact, the person mentioned acted as though the relationship had never existed and meant nothing to them.
And I don't even need your love
The singer doesn't need the person mentioned to love them anymore.
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
The person mentioned has begun treating the singer as though they are a complete stranger, which is emotionally painful.
No, you didn't have to stoop so low
The person mentioned didn't have to act in such a hurtful or immature way.
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
The person mentioned went so far as to have their friends pick up their belongings from the singer and then changed their phone number to avoid further contact.
I guess that I don't need that though
Despite the hurt caused by the person mentioned, the singer realizes that they don't actually need them in their life anymore.
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
The person mentioned has become nothing more than a distant figure from the singer's past.
Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
The singer now reflects on all the times that the person mentioned wronged them in some way.
But had me believing it was always something that I'd done
Despite the person mentioned being at fault, they were able to make the singer believe that they were responsible for the problems in the relationship.
But I don't wanna live that way
The singer is no longer willing to continue living with the emotional pain caused by the person mentioned in the past.
Reading into every word you say
In the past, the singer was hyper-aware of the person mentioned's every word and action, constantly trying to interpret their motives and meaning behind them.
You said that you could let it go
The person mentioned told the singer that they had moved on from the relationship.
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know
The person mentioned claimed that they wouldn't obsess over someone they used to be in a relationship with, like the singer is doing now.
Somebody (I used to know)
The singer is referring to the person mentioned as somebody they used to know (as opposed to someone they still know or are currently in a relationship with).
(Somebody) Now you're just somebody that I used to know
This line repeats the previous sentiment that the person mentioned is now just someone from the singer's past.
I used to know, that I used to know, I used to know somebody
This closing refrain reinforces the finality of the relationship and the singer's acceptance that the person mentioned is now just a memory.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Luiz Bonfa, Walter Andre De Backer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind