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).
What Do You Want?
Gotye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What do you want from us?
To ask you this much is just a matter of trust
Not an affront
What do you want?
Few here'd be true to your point of view
If they knew
Who here would choose
To walk in those shoes
Even you can't
So what do you want?
What do you want from us?
What do you want
What do you want that you cannot say
Show us the faith we're supposed to display
Come what mayâ?¦
You can't!
So what do you want?
What do you want from us?
It's a matter of trust
That you tell us just
What you want from us
The lyrics of Gotye's song "What Do You Want?" seem to be challenging an unknown authority figure, asking them to reveal their true desires and intentions. The song starts with the repetitive question, "What do you want? What do you want from us?" indicating frustration and confusion about the authority figure's unclear motives. Gotye then acknowledges the difficulty of the task, saying that asking the authority figure what they want is a "matter of trust" and not an "affront."
The second verse expresses the sentiment that the authority figure's desires may not be easy for people to understand or relate to. Gotye sings, "Few here'd be true to your point of view if they knew what you want." He then asks, "Who here would choose to walk in those shoes, even you can't?" suggesting that even the authority figure may not fully comprehend their own motivations.
The chorus repeats the question with more urgency and frustration, as Gotye acknowledges that the authority figure is holding back or hiding something. The final line, "What you want from us," implies that the situation involves multiple people or groups and that the authority figure's desires are affecting them all. Ultimately, the song leaves the listener wondering who the authority figure is and what they want, but also questioning the nature of power and control.
Line by Line Meaning
What do you want?
The singer is asking the listener to express their desires or needs.
What do you want from us?
The singer is asking the listener what they expect or require from the group or society.
To ask you this much is just a matter of trust
The singer conveys that asking someone what they want shows that they trust them.
Not an affront
The artist assures the listener that asking about their needs is not an insult or challenge.
Few here'd be true to your point of view
The artist acknowledges that few people would share the listener's perspective.
If they knew
The singer suggests that if others had insight into the listener's perspective, they might understand it better.
What you want
The singer is again asking the listener to specify their desires or needs.
Who here would choose
The artist wonders who would willingly adopt the listener's point of view.
To walk in those shoes
The artist means to inhabit the listener's position or see things from their viewpoint.
Even you can't
The artist is conveying that the listener cannot fully understand their own position and hence cannot expect others to grasp it.
What do you want?
The singer is once more asking the listener to specify their wants.
What do you want that you cannot say
The artist is suggesting that the listener has desires that they cannot express openly.
Show us the faith we're supposed to display
The singer is asking the listener to demonstrate the belief that is expected of them.
Come what mayâ?¦
The singer suggests that no matter what happens, the listener should be honest about their positions and wants.
So what do you want?
Once again, the singer asks the listener to communicate their desires or needs.
What do you want from us?
Again, the artist is asking the listener to identify what they expect or require from the group or society.
It's a matter of trust
The artist emphasizes that trust is essential to building strong relationships and understanding one another's needs.
That you tell us just
The singer is urging the listener to reveal their needs clearly and unambiguously.
What you want from us
The singer is again asking the listener to specify their needs or expectations from the group or society.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@m0ssflower355
The first two verses seem as though they're about insecurity surrounding the desires you wish you could suppress.
Few here'd be true to your point of view
If they knew
What you want
Who here would choose
To walk in those shoes
Even you can't
^He's saying that we'd all see each other differently if we knew these things about each other.
What do you want
What do you want that you cannot say
Show us the faith we're supposed to display
Come what may
You can't!
^This is a verse that's very in character for the video. He's playing the role of this guy on stage saying "What could you possibly want that makes it so hard for you to share? Show your faith in your peers such that they can do so for you!"
Everyone is afraid to take that first step.
Now, the only things that throw me off are these biblical talks and the chorus asking "what do you want FROM US". Perhaps he's speaking to everyone with regards to everyone else?
@Mr1drumlover
A true artist in every sense of the word... ART AT IT'S FINEST!!!!
I believe that it is not important to Gotye how many people his art reaches... but rather, how his art impacts even one heart and soul.
Thank you Wally, collaborators and crew for ALL the hard work and the resulting beauty that you put out into this troubled world!!!! The Karma will run over the dogma!!!!
Much Peace and Love,
Brian J. Foti
Nashville, TN USA
@algesficareynada9511
What do you want?
What do you want from us?
To ask you this much is just a matter of trust
Not an affront
What do you want?
Few here'd be true to your point of view
If they knew
What you want
Who here would choose
To walk in those shoes
Even you can't
So what do you want?
What do you want from us?
What do you want
What do you want that you cannot say
Show us the faith we're supposed to display
Come what may...
You can't!
So what do you want?
What do you want from us?
It's a matter of trust
That you tell us just
What you want from us
@mayahw4948
Gotye: "What do you want? What do you want from us?" Us: More music.
@mr.bigman_nibba
Mayah W lol
@vyncz7451
Hey
@patf3045
Mayah W lol
@thesimpsons-clips8921
He’s deaaad
@thesevenphysicalprincnable8976
I swore off it along time ago but thankyou
@gregorykerlin8986
I am just recently discovering what a multi-talented musical artist he is. It's a shame not enough people know his other work. This is great!
@elsiewilkey3490
I have money where is it
@keola3798
@Elsie Wilkey you can find some of it on Spotify, sorry I'm 2 months late
@margaretk2515
gotye is the most underrated artist, he's amazing!