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).
The Only Thing I Know
Gotye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the attic in my mind
And you've been getting by without me
But I've been spending all my time
With a girl that I remember
Who'll never leave or need to grow
'cause when you left you left your memory
Now it's the only thing I know
When the past gives me no comfort
And though the future is the cost
The way I'm choosing to remember
I'll forever be the man I never was
And you, you fade
But the memory remains the same
And I, I can't change
And I think that living with your memory
Is slowly driving me insane
You are perfect but you're empty
And it gets so lonely in my mind
'cause your image in my memory's
The only shred of you that's left behind
You were real but then you left me
And that's the part I can't accept
So I'll keep on living with your memory
Because it's all that I've got left
The lyrics of Gotye's song The Only Thing I Know portrays the struggle of the singer in coping with the loss of someone who has left him behind. The opening line, "I'm living with your memory in the attic in my mind," paints a picture of the person's memory living within his mind, a place that he cannot get rid of. The singer is living with the memory of the person who has left him, a memory that he has to deal with day and night.
The agony of separation and distance is evident as the singer mentions that the person who left him is "getting by without [him]." However, he is stuck in the past and is "spending all [his] time with a girl that [he] remembers." The only way he can cope with the pain he feels is by living in that memory, a world that he knows very well, and where the girl he remembers will never leave him.
The chorus is a testament to his pain, where he explains that his memories are slowly driving him insane. The truth is that he cannot change the fact that the person who left is gone, and he must live with it. This constant battle between living in the past and moving on is further emphasized in the last lines, where the singer chooses to keep living with his memory because it's all that he has left.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm living with your memory
My mind is filled with thoughts of you from the past
In the attic in my mind
These memories are tucked away deep in my psyche
And you've been getting by without me
You have moved on and don't need me anymore
But I've been spending all my time
I can't stop thinking about you
With a girl that I remember
I am with someone else, but I am reminded of you
Who'll never leave or need to grow
This girl will never be as important to me as you were
'cause when you left you left your memory
Your memory is all I have left of you
Now it's the only thing I know
My memories of you are all I have left and they are consuming me
When the past gives me no comfort
I am unable to find peace in my past memories of you
And though the future is the cost
The pain of losing you has made me uncertain about my future
The way I'm choosing to remember
I am purposely holding onto the memories that are causing me pain
I'll forever be the man I never was
Losing you has changed me and I will never be the same again
And you, you fade
Your memory is slowly fading away
But the memory remains the same
Despite fading, your memory is still strong in my mind
And I, I can't change
I am unable to let go of my memories of you
And I think that living with your memory
My constant focus on my memories of you is taking a toll on me
Is slowly driving me insane
My obsession with you is causing me to lose my mind
You are perfect but you're empty
Although you were perfect to me, you are no longer here and there is nothing I can do about it
And it gets so lonely in my mind
The constant thoughts of you are making me feel lonely
'cause your image in my memory's
Your image is the only thing left of you in my mind
The only shred of you that's left behind
You are gone and all that remains is my memory of you
You were real but then you left me
Our relationship was real, but it ended when you left
And that's the part I can't accept
I am unable to come to terms with the fact that you are gone
So I'll keep on living with your memory
I will continue to hold onto my memories of you, even though they hurt
Because it's all that I've got left
Your memory is now the most important thing to me
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Walter Andre De Backer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
yeezy
I'm living with your memory
In the attic in my mind
And you've been getting by without me
But I've been spending all my time
With a girl that I remember
Who'll never leave or need to grow
'cause when you left you left your memory
Now it's the only thing I know
When the past gives me no comfort
And though the future is the cost
The way I'm choosing to remember
I'll forever be the man I never was
And you, you fade
But the memory remains the same
And I, I can't change
And I think that living with your memory
Is slowly driving me insane
You are perfect but you're empty
And it gets so lonely in my mind
'cause your image in my memory's
The only shred of you that's left behind
You were real but then you left me
And that's the part I can't accept
So I'll keep on living with your memory
Because it's all that I've got left
Peter Bik
Memories broken
The truth goes unspoken
I’ve even forgotten my name
I don’t know the season
Or what is the reason
I’m standing here holding my blade
A desolate place
Without any trace
It’s only the cold wind I feel
It’s me that I spite
As I stand up and fight
The only thing I know for real
There will be blood-shed
The man in the mirror nods his head
The only one left
Will ride upon the dragon’s back
Because the mountains don’t give back what they take
Oh no
There will be blood-shed
It’s the only thing I’ve ever known
Losing my identity
Wondering have I gone insane
To find the truth in front of me
I must climb this mountain range
Looking downward from this deadly height
And never realizing why I fight
Aline Giovanella
I keep coming back to this song over and over again, year after year, for nearly a decade. And it gets me every damn time, everything about it, from the instrumental to the production, to the lyrics, all of it. Truly one of his best songs If not THE best.
Sam Gautreau
Gotye is now somebody that we used to know
Dragon Ball Teorias y Más
+Sam Gautreau Yes he is :(
Dragon Ball Teorias y Más
Richard Phist :V
Alvin Olinsky
What do you mean by that lol?
A
GET OUT
AshleyArtsco
Lol some people don't realize it takes a while to write and record art. A lot of work goes into it. Love it :) you're great.
MrBukket
I'm sure it took a while for Miley Cyrus too, to write and record the disgusting excuse of art people call "Bangerz".
JBtheExplorer
MrBukket Some people want to release art, others want to receive money as quickly as possible. Sad, ain't it?
deselise
MrBukket Bangerz is actually an okay album, it's just Miley's attitude that's trash.