He is reluctant to analyse the song's success but suggests the lyrics, in which two former lovers trade accusations "you didn't have to cut me off" , contributed to its attraction.
Born in Belgium, Gotye was just two years old when his parents moved to Australia. By this stage, he was already known as Gotye pronounced Gaultier, like the fashion designer. The moniker is a French translation of his Flemish birth name, Wouter. As he grew up, Gotye's parents listened to the folk music that reminded them of home, but they allowed him to follow his own passion for pop music and, in his teens, grunge and metal.
You earn your stripes by the level of skill or speed you can attain. In school bands, Gotye played the drums - trying to mimic the intricate double-kick drum patterns of "super-nerdy progressive metal" groups like Dream Theater and King's X. I like finding those sounds on the margins, usually quite daggy sounds. Sampling has been the bedrock of Gotye's career. But, rather than recycling other people's drum loops and instrumental breaks, he tracks down sounds that intrigue him and manipulates them into new, unrecognisable instruments.
Then I chopped it up into 20 or 30 notes, and laid them out across the keyboard. It sounds like an enormous effort for a simple five-note riff, but this attention to detail is what makes Gotye's patchwork pop stand out. A handful of EPs which received strong support from stations such as Triple J culminated in the release of his debut album Boardface, then it was his album Like Drawing Blood which drew critical acclaim and cemented Gotye as an artist to watch with his fantastic single Heart's a Mess.
All the while, de Backer continued to play drums for indie band The Basics which toured Australia relentlessly and released a string of albums with modest success. His live shows became "must see" as the multi-instrumentalist re-created his vast soundscapes live and it became apparent that this was more than a cult following, taste-makers around Australia started a love affair with de Backer.
It used the artwork from the cover of his third record Making Mirrors, painted on the bodies of Gotye and Kimbra by Adelaide artist Emma Hack. Next he conquered the Triple J Hottest poll, becoming the favourite song of the year in a vote by radio listeners - but the best was yet to come.
A cover version of the song by a Canadian five-piece performing the hit on one guitar became a viral hit - 96 million hits later and Gotye had his foot in the door. Then people around the globe rediscovered the original - million hits and counting - and the door was was well and truly opened.
A cover on TV series Glee and a live performance on Saturday Night Live brought the shy musician to the top of the charts. The song which has become a breakup anthem and a number one song in 18 countries almost proved too challenging and, ironically, Gotye told the BBC he was ready to give up at one stage.
But I stuck with it, and I was really proud once it was finished. Then I might change another. And so on. You may not know it but I'm no good at… committing to a certain style or production aesthetic in the music I pursue. Actually, if you listen to my records you will probably quickly come to know that. That's one thing I actually wouldn't change about myself though. I wish I had never worn… this grey golf hat that haunts me in old videos. It was way too big for my head.
It's not fashionable but I like… Michael Bolton. In The Lonely Island's [song] "Jack Sparrow", and when referenced in the movie Office Space, sure, but mostly when he's belting "Steel Bars" at the limits of his super-human vocal range. It gets me from A to B. Also, sometimes my dad's beaten-up old Mazda van. The stereo's busted, so if you see a guy in a van wearing studio headphones, give a honk.
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