From Tame Impala's 2015 album Currents
#1 song on triple j's Hottest 100 of the Decade
Went double platinum in the US last year after going viral on TikTok
Kevin Parker is the latest addition to APRA AMCOS' The 1,000,000,000 List, for 'The Less I Know the Better,' from Tame Impala's chart-topping 2015 album Currents.
The award is given to APRA AMCOS songwriter members in recognition of more than one billion streams for a song, and was presented to Parker at the music rights organisation's head office in Sydney. The streaming honour comes on the heels of Parker winning the Songwriter of the Year title at the APRA Music Awards on 28 April.
It's been a wild ride to the streaming milestone for the song, which was written, recorded, produced and mixed by Parker. The disco-driven track was the fourth single from the ARIA #1 and Grammy-nominated album and landed at number four on the triple j Hottest 100 for 2015, just ahead of its album mate 'Let It Happen' at number five.
Momentum continued to build for the song, becoming a live favourite and an online sensation thanks to the lyrical intrigue around the character 'Trevor.' It was the all-time fan favourite in triple j's Hottest 100 of the Decade, with 'The Less I Know the Better' taking the top spot.
The song is quadruple platinum in Australia, platinum in the UK and was propelled to double platinum in the US just last year after going viral on TikTok.
At the award presentation, Parker told staff how the song was written and intended for Mark Ronson's album.
"During the recording session, I was working myself up to tell him I was going to take it back," Parker said, but before he could, Ronson told him he should keep it for his own release.
"I owe APRA a lot, thank you everyone, this means a lot. Thanks for supporting me."
“Kevin is a highly acclaimed songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, performing and recording artist, and I’d add visionary. He has created a sound and a global following, and has the world’s best creatives queuing to work with him. It's a testament to Kevin’s work that his 2015 hit 'The Less I Know the Better' has remained globally current. APRA AMCOS and all of our staff are so proud to support Kevin and celebrate his global achievements," said APRA AMCOS Chief Executive Dean Ormston.
"It's an incredible song, with one of the greatest basslines ever written. And, that's just one element of the song,” said Damian Trotter, Managing Director, Sony Music Publishing Australia, in congratulating Parker.
Parker joins an esteemed list of recipients: Nat Dunn (for MARSHMELLO’S ‘Friends’), Dean Lewis and Jon Hume (for ‘Be Alright’), Flume (for ‘Never Be Like You’), Jake Mason, Ivan Khatchoyan, and Lance Ferguson (for Cookin’ On 3 Burners ‘This Girl’), Starley and P-Money (for ‘Call On Me’), Troye Sivan and Alex Hope (for ‘Youth’), Tones And I (for ‘Dance Monkey’), 5 Seconds of Summer (for 'Youngblood'), Georgi Kay, Ivan Gough, Aden Forte and Josh Soon (for 'In My Mind'), Vance Joy (for 'Riptide'), Gotye (for 'Somebody That I Used to Know'), VASSY (for 'Bad'), Khaled Rohaim, Te Whiti Warbrick, Lewis Audino, and Nick Hughes (for Rihanna's 'Needed Me') and more including Sia, Joel Little, and Sarah Aarons for multiple works. See the full list.
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.
Tame Impala - The Less I Know the Better