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Gotye joins The 1,000,000,000 List for ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’

Media Published Wednesday 11 March 2020
Goyte attending the 2012 APRA Music Awards, where he was awarded the APRA Songwriter of the Year, and ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ won the APRA Song of the Year. Photo by Tony Mott

The latest 1,000,000,000 List award has been presented to Wally de Backer (Goyte) & his publisher Origin Music Publishing

‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ is one of the most successful Australian songs, having won two GRAMMY Awards and was the bestselling song of 2012


Gotye has officially joined APRA AMCOS’ The 1,000,000,000 List with one of the biggest songs of its decade. This is not the first award for ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’, as it won the ARIA Award for Song of the Year, Best Pop Release, Best Video and Producer of the Year in 2011, and in 2013 the song won two GRAMMY Awards for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record of the Year. It was also voted into the coveted #1 spot on the Triple J Hottest 100.

Gotye was awarded Songwriter of the Year at the 2012 APRA Music Awards, with ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ also winning APRA Most Played Australian Work and APRA Song of the Year that year. The song went on to win the APRA Most Played Australian Overseas Work in 2013, 2014, and 2015.

The infectious single reached number one in more than 23 countries and broke the top ten in more than 30 countries. ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ became the best-selling song of 2012 with 11.8 million copies sold, which ranked it among the best-selling digital singles of all time.

With over 1.3 billion views on YouTube, the video for ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ was voted number 1 in the annual Rage Fifty countdown, and was lovingly parodied on Saturday Night Live by Andy Samberg and Taran Killam.

Gotye made his American TV debut with his 11 times platinum track, appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The song was also featured in the film Boyhood, and covered by artists such as Hayley Williams, Coheed and Cambria, Karmin, as well as the TV show Glee.

The 1,000,000,000 List award for ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ was presented to Wally De Backer (Gotye) and his publisher Origin Music Publishing.

The 1,000,000,000 List takes into account streaming numbers from major services Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. It is the first award of its kind to recognise a songwriter’s achievement.

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)

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