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).
Wonder Why You Want Her
Gotye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In her face,
Caught
On the thought of a taste,
Sold
On the fantasy,
Bought,
For a price you can have a piece
Fresh
From the colour press,
The flesh
Of today's princess,
Spread
From end to end,
Blue eyes
And perfect skin
Invite everyone in.
Do you ever wonder why you want her?
Does it even matter you can't have her?
Even if you tried to it wouldn't satisfy you
Trying to possess her can only depress you
Do you ever wonder why you want her?
Does it even matter you could never have her?
Even if you tried to it would never satisfy you
You'll only want her stronger,
Long for longer
The song "Wonder Why You Want Her" by Gotye is a reflection on the nature of desire and its associated pitfalls. It begins with the singer contemplating a woman's face and being captivated by the thought of having a "taste" of her. He acknowledges that this is a fantasy that can be bought for a price. The second stanza describes the woman's physical attributes and how she seems to invite everyone in.
The chorus poses a rhetorical question: "Do you ever wonder why you want her?" The answer is that it doesn't really matter if the desire is unattainable, and even if one tried to possess her, it would only lead to further longing and dissatisfaction. The song is suggesting that the desire for something unattainable is thrilling but ultimately empty, even depressing.
The verse structure of the song is very simple, with each line matching its follow-up in number of syllables and ending with a sung note. The melody has a cyclical quality to it that also mirrors the theme of the song. The drums and bassline maintain a steady beat throughout, while the melody is carried by acoustic guitar and synthesizers. Gotye's vocals are crisp and emotive, conveying the sense of longing that permeates the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Lost
Confused and disoriented
In her face,
Entranced by her physical appearance
Caught
Trapped in a thought or feeling
On the thought of a taste,
Obsessed with the idea of experiencing her
Sold
Convinced and committed
On the fantasy,
Imaginary idea or illusion
Bought,
Invested or paid for
For a price you can have a piece
Able to attain a portion of the fantasy for a cost
Fresh
New and recent
From the colour press,
From a publication or source of media
The flesh
The physical body
Of today's princess,
A woman held in high regard by society
Spread
Displayed or shown
From end to end,
Completely and thoroughly
Blue eyes
Brightly colored eyes
And perfect skin
Flawless and smooth complexion
Invite everyone in.
Encourages others to admire and desire her
Do you ever wonder why you want her?
Have you ever considered why you desire her?
Does it even matter you can't have her?
Is it significant that she is unattainable?
Even if you tried to it wouldn't satisfy you
Attempting to acquire her would not bring lasting fulfillment
Trying to possess her can only depress you
The pursuit of obtaining her can lead to sadness and disappointment
Even if you tried to it would never satisfy you
The pursuit of her would not lead to permanent satisfaction
You'll only want her stronger,
Your desire for her will only intensify
Long for longer
Desire for her will increase with time
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Walter Andre De Backer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nu Nogueda N.
Letra en Español
Perdido
En su cara,
Atrapado
En el pensamiento de un sabor,
Vendido
A la fantasía,
Comprado
Por un precio del que puedes tener un pedazo
Fresco
Por la prensa de color
La carne
de la princesa de hoy
Separado
de fin a fin
Ojos azules
Y una piel perfecta
Invitan a todos
Alguna vez te preguntaste porque la quieres?
Siquiera te importa si no puedes tenerla?
Aunque lo trates no estarás satisfecho
El tratar de poseerla solo te deprimirá
Alguna vez te preguntaste porque la quieres?
Aunque sea te importa que nunca podrás tenerla?
Aun así que trates, nunca estarás satisfecho
Solo la quieres mas
Por mucho mas
The King
Lost
In her face,
Caught
On the thought of a taste,
Sold
On the fantasy,
Bought,
For a price you can have a piece
Fresh
From the colour press,
The flesh
Of today's princess,
Spread
From end to end,
Blue eyes
And perfect skin
Invite everyone in.
Do you ever wonder why you want her?
Does it even matter you can't have her?
Even if you tried to it wouldn't satisfy you
Trying to possess her can only depress you
Do you ever wonder why you want her?
Does it even matter you could never have her?
Even if you tried to it would never satisfy you
You'll only want her stronger,
Long for longer
Michael Georgiadis
i freaking adore this dude... think he is a pure genius and an awesome musician of course... he needs more attention that just his hit song...
Word Unheard
Agreed. Hearts A Mess is far more catchier than Someone That I Used To Know. I still like that song to this day, but he had so many others that we much better.
Anna Miller
Listening to Gotye is a momentary spiritual experience. Absolutely beautiful and talented.
xplanetopplstupid
Great blend of sounds reminding DM SOFAD and Ultra era and trip-trop style like Massive attack . All in all, looking at the entire Gotye's creation, is amazing. Best fusion artist of the moment that gives a journey from Motown to psychedelic to electro -sampling Just a pure pleasure listening his music.
Pulsar77
I challenge anyone to name a more versatile artist than Gotye. He takes on every genre and makes it his own. Incredible.
LiliumCruorem
Been a fan of Gotye since this album came out, glad to finally see him getting the fame he deserves
Ahnastasia Rose
Sad this song isn't on Spotify :(
Billy Johnston
the music lulls you into a soothing state then the vocals send a chill up your spine, your hooked to the voice that is telling you the truths of the soul that captivate your mind and you can't escape, the voice of logic just leaves you entranced in the state of awe. i feel completely entranced with all of gotye's songs, highly talented musician.
Erin Delaney
why am I just now finding this. this is so amazing. I love his work the more and more I listen the more I love. brilliant!!!
viola kass
love this! Makes me go in another dimension