Talk:Gotye

Belgian-born Australian

He is much more than just born in Belgium: Both his parents are Belgian (Flemish) and he speaks his mother tongue fluently (Dutch, the official language of the Flanders, Belgium) More over, his real name Wouter De Backer is typical Belgian (Flemish). So I would like to propose to describe him as 'Belgian-Australian', not as 'Belgian-born Australian', since that could mean a variety of other things, for example that he had Australian parents living in Belgium.--Flanamsterdam (talk) 23:24, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Origins of "Gotye"

The article says that the name 'Gotye' is "a French translation of his name"... Here's the thing. I am French and to the best of my knowledge "gotye" doesn't mean *anything* in French. I even double checked in a dictionary to make sure it wasn't some obscure word. It's not in there. I can however see a few possibilities:

1. it could be old French, or derived from old French;
2. it could be some obscure Canadian French term, thus not appearing in a French dictionary (ie. from France);
3. it could be a (voluntarily?) misspelled word -- for instance, if you add an accent on the last 'e' (Gotyé) it would change the sound and then it would be pronounced the same way as 'Gauthier' which is a somewhat popular French last name -- however, I fail to see how that would be a translation of 'DeBacker'... heck, I don't even see what 'DeBacker' itself is supposed to mean???

Whichever of the above it is (or if it's something else I missed) it obviously needs more explaining because it is not obviously clear. So if whoever wrote that could provide more information / sources / details / etc. it would really be nice, cause as is, it doesn't really make much sense, I'm afraid :-o Desdenova 03:57, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

I have cleared all of this up in the article. --Jixor 03:19, 24 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, but is DeBacker a fictional name or is it Walter's actual real surname? Shaybear♥ — Preceding undated comment added 22:47, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

I think that's his real surname. Watto the jazzman 04:09, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

i know wally and his surname is De Backer. his single 'learnalilgivinanlovin' was somewhat popular (94 in jjj's hottest 100). though i think 'pop' sometimes also refers to the catchy sound of 'pop music'. eg http://www.popboomerang.com is record label that deals with kind of underground pop music. and wally/gotye did make his two albums as an 'independent' artist. though i think he likes it that people struggle to pigeonhole his music in a particular genre. (220.253.29.167 19:03, 28 February 2007 (UTC))

I also know Wally and I think it might be worth putting the fact that he usually uses the name "Wally" on a day to day basis rather than Wouter. Master z0b (talk) 23:47, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

I thought it must have been an acronym for "Game Of The Year Edition", which is a specially released version of video game.--Dohzer (talk) 10:44, 29 April 2009 (UTC)

On Belgian radio, he said recently that he was once told that 'Gauthier' was the French version of 'Walter' or 'Wouter', his real name. He liked that name, but wrote it as 'Gotye', to be pronounced in the same way as 'Gauthier' (got-yay). JustLikeBelgium (talk) 06:58, 21 October 2011 (UTC)

I think that the pronunciation of his name should be at the top of the page, since it's such a common question among people. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Perseus1977 (talk • contribs) 18:42, 20 January 2012 (UTC)

He explains the name in an interview here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17230510 . Along with some other information. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.99.28.77 (talk) 01:28, 13 March 2012 (UTC)

Can we please have someone who knows fix the name issue. Is is his name Walter or Wouter? the lede says something different then the infobox. I think we have too many fans editing here or something. on his huge hit "someone that i used to know", he wasnt even credited in the lede with writing it, and in the infobox his birth name was given under writer, so a newbie like me thought some guy named Walter wrote this Gotye performed song. Remember, not everyone who reads these articles already know all about the subject.(mercurywoodrose)76.232.8.21 (talk) 08:12, 27 May 2012 (UTC)

There is no "H" at Gautier in French (except in some family names) and it means Walter (William is Guillaume, etc). In Dutch Wouter means Walter too. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.8.149.33 (talk) 13:46, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

Which genre?

Which genre does he belong to? I wrote the article for Learnalilgivinanlovin (the single) and I said it was Indie Pop, but seing as "pop" stands for popular and "Indie" means independent or alternative, I realised this doesn't really make much sense. Watto the jazzman 04:09, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Boardface.jpg

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Boardface

The album is great, and deserves SOME mention, rather than just being entirely skipped, and forgotten. 58.178.23.106 (talk) 05:15, 10 January 2008 (UTC) person

cut'n'paste tunes (??!)

WHAT are cut and paste tunes?? Can someone clear up that whole paragraph?? --leahtwosaints (talk) 00:49, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

pronunciation

Is the pronunciation supposed to be Dutch? English? kwami (talk) 08:26, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

No idea, he just likes it pronounced that way. --Closedmouth (talk) 08:33, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

The pronunciation in the article wasn't in accordance with Help:IPA for English. I've adjusted it to reflect the pronunciation I've heard/seen written. — Ƶ§œš¹ _{[ãːɱ ˈfɹ̠ˤʷɪ̃ə̃nlɪ]} 14:56, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Walter is not an English name

"His parents chose to use the English variation of his name, Walter, when enrolling him in school."

Sorry, but the name Walter is not English, it's German. Maybe this name became somehow popular in the US because lots of Americans are of German descendence. But it doesn't seem to me that the popularity of this name would have spread to other English-speaking countries. But as everyone there is growing up with American movies and literature etc., they are supposedly convinced that Walter is an English name. Just wanted to add .. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.48.86.106 (talk) 22:10, 14 December 2011 (UTC)

Cool story bro — Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.210.213.135 (talk) 08:14, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

Walter may not be of British origin, but its now an english language (american english) name. funny how language doesnt stand still.(mercurywoodrose)76.232.8.21 (talk) 08:15, 27 May 2012 (UTC)

Intro, mention popular songs

Should mention his popular works, such as Somebody That I Used to Know in the actual introduction (as in the articles for other musicians).CrocodilesAreForWimps (talk) 18:03, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Youtube Cover

Shouldn't there be a mention of the cover by Walk off the Earth on youtube? It has 100 million hits and coincided with his sudden popularity in the states, I can't imagine that was a coincidence.

http://www.toronto.com/blog/post/710555--gotye-rides-web-wave-of-walk-off-the-earth — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.138.111.22 (talk) 19:22, 3 May 2012 (UTC)

This has already been mentioned on the Somebody That I Used to Know article, so it probably doesn't need to be mentioned in this one as well. -- Chuq (talk) 22:40, 3 May 2012 (UTC)

um so this is saying that a major reason this song got so big in the us is because of wote?? if thats so should definitely be mentioned here because this song is one of the most important reasons for his fame and wote seems to be an important reason for its fame. you see the connexion? Happy monsoon day (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 21:30, 1 June 2012 (UTC)

Origin

Haha, who wrote that he was from 'Australia, New Zealand?' That could offend people. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.167.140.207 (talk) 11:52, 24 May 2012 (UTC)

Isn't the wording "Origin Melbourne, Victoria, Australia / New Zealand" somewhat confusing? After all, he is of Belgian origin, his family just moved to Australia. I believe it would be better to write "Country". Highollow (talk) 16:02, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

Link Attributes

I don't know how this would be fixed, but as of 25May2012, Posting a link to this Wikipedia page produces the following description on Facebook including references to Goatse instead of Gotye: "Wouter "Wally" De Backer (born 21 May 1980), also known professionally by his stage name Goatse (pronounced /ˈɡɒti.eɪ/), is a Belgian-Australian[1] multi-instrumental musician and singer-songwriter. The name 'Goatse' is attributed to him due to his poor quality of music. His voice has been compared …" — Preceding unsigned comment added by Chandler760 (talk • contribs) 00:19, 26 May 2012 (UTC)

That was old vandalism, since reverted. Facebook obviously uses an out-of-date version of the article - not good, but not something we can do much about. Ghmyrtle (talk) 16:04, 27 May 2012 (UTC)

hi just to say that i added a quote to the top of the article that i think helps kind of introduce this person to the masses. it was reverted once already but i added a source so hope it's ok now. any issues lets talk about it! Happy monsoon day (talk) 00:36, 29 May 2012 (UTC)

That seemed to do the trick. I am not longer seeing the vandalized text. Chandler760 (talk) 22:05, 29 May 2012 (UTC)

• can people please not delete quotes for no reason?: thasnkHappy monsoon day (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 21:42, 1 June 2012 (UTC)

should be belgian-australian because of the order of vowels and consonants making it easier to say — Preceding unsigned comment added by Happy monsoon day (talk • contribs) 03:55, 4 June 2012 (UTC)

critical reception

shouldn there be a section about 'critical reception' which talks about how awesome everyone thinks de backer is? here in the states everyone i know in the music scene loves this guy's latest record. shouldnt there be a section discussing this? Happy monsoon day —Preceding undated comment added 00:16, 8 June 2012 (UTC)

A section titled "Critical reception" is generally used on albums and songs like Somebody That I Used to Know, for example but a section "Artistry" could be created with a subsection "influences" in which HIS influences are cited and a section "Legacy" which explains his impact on people (like X artist has been influences by Gotye, Gotye as a person is a model for X famous person) or if he is mentioned in a best list of a notable website, magazine, journal... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.134.49.62 (talk) 22:21, 8 June 2012 (UTC)

o.k. thank you this is helpful. not sure where to find the good juice on this guy?Happy monsoon day —Preceding undated comment added 01:53, 9 June 2012 (UTC)

Death Hoax

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-809752 The artist known as Gotye committed suicide today (12.07.01).

At 4:32 AM EST, it was reported that Gotye had shot himself in the head with a 9mm handgun. He was pronounced dead at 4:45 AM.

The investigation concluded that the cause of death was suicide. It was confirmed shortly after by family and friends. He was quickly taken to the Central Montmorency Hospital, to no avail. His family has stated that they plan a closed funeral.

I daresay this should be accounted for. RhythmChill (talk) 12:05, 1 July 2012 (UTC)

I dare say NOT. https://twitter.com/GotyeHQ/status/219420840385724416

Also, CNN's iReport will never be a reliable source as long as its administrators/moderators/what-have-you take longer than you can sing "Somebody That You Used To Know" to verify anything posted there. For all you know, it might be a dud... and, hey, it is. NotThisAgain (talk) 1 July, 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.54.54.37 (talk)

I'd write it off as a hoax. He says on Twitter he's alive and this article dispels it. http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2012/07/gotye-dead-no-but-unvetted-cnn-ireport-sparks-death-hoax.html

Although seeing that the hoax is pretty popular, should we add that "A hoax regarding Gotye's death was widely circulated on 1 July 2012."?

Meh. Aleksandar Bulovic' (talk) 14:37, 1 July 2012 (UTC)

The only reason we should add the hoax is if it has been widely discussed in reliable sources. If it is just widely circulated on the internet through blogs and we reported it here, it would just go and entice them to continue falsely reporting deaths. I know this is is about Wikipedia, but the concept works here, WP:Don't feed the trolls. GB fan 14:43, 1 July 2012 (UTC)

There are some sad people in this world, really. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.234.214.63 (talk) 02:52, 2 July 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 22 July 2012

Should the infobox say occupation: embryo? Seems like vandalism. 84.52.143.227 (talk) 22:54, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

 Done Dl2000 (talk) 23:55, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Languages

Gotye is bilingual, speaking both Dutch and English.[7] Doesn't he speak any Belgian? Being like, Belgian and all. There's also numerous YouTube interviews where he speaks passable Japanese. DrHacky (talk) 13:39, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

Oops, maybe Dutch is one of the 3 official languages of Belgium, and Belgian isn't a language. I'll go back to lurking again now. DrHacky (talk) 13:53, 15 December 2012 (UTC)

Familiarity with Song

It is well known that Someone That I Used to Know is exactly the same tune as Baa Baa Black Sheep — Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.223.97.72 (talk) 11:31, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 23 May 2013

For the awards table, can you put billboard music awards. Bensondon49 (talk) 10:49, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

Not done: please be more specific about what needs to be changed. You need to propose the exact content you wish to be added, indicating precisely what should be added or changed, and provide reliable sources to support your proposal. Thanks. Begoon ^talk 10:55, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 2 July 2013

Formatting change request Change this:

||2013 || People's Choice Awards |Himself |Favorite Breakout Artist |style="background: #FFE3E3; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2 notheme"|Nominated |- |rowspan="3"| 2013 |rowspan="3"| Grammy Awards |rowspan=2|"Somebody That I Used to Know" (feat. Kimbra) |Record of the Year |style="background: #9EFF9E; color: #000; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2 notheme"|Won |- |Best Pop Duo/Group Performance |style="background: #9EFF9E; color: #000; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2 notheme"|Won |- |Making Mirrors |Best Alternative Music Album |style="background: #9EFF9E; color: #000; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2 notheme"|Won |}

to

|rowspan="4"| 2013 || People's Choice Awards |Himself |Favorite Breakout Artist |style="background: #FFE3E3; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2 notheme"|Nominated |- |rowspan="3"| Grammy Awards |rowspan=2|"Somebody That I Used to Know" (feat. Kimbra) |Record of the Year |style="background: #9EFF9E; color: #000; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2 notheme"|Won |- |Best Pop Duo/Group Performance |style="background: #9EFF9E; color: #000; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2 notheme"|Won |- |Making Mirrors |Best Alternative Music Album |style="background: #9EFF9E; color: #000; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2 notheme"|Won |}

110.142.6.202 (talk) 12:42, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Done Thank you for the correction, and the clear request. Begoon ^talk 15:06, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

References

Australian or Belgian?

Lead: in the very first sentence it says he is Australian. Later in the lead it says he is the 5th Australian-based and I think second *Belgian* to make no.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. One of those statements must be wrong. Boscaswell talk 18:22, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

Now clarified, by a slight wording change. Ghmyrtle (talk) 07:25, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

Another edit request

In the sentence "On 18 October 2011, Gotye released a film clip for the song "Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You" on YouTube and Vimeo." it should refer to the song "Easy Way out", right? I've checked this on Youtube. (Also notice that "Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You" is mentioned in the next sentence of that paragraph.) ---oo- (talk) 22:07, 31 December 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 19 January 2020

The Broods song in 2018 mentioned has no original line, and the entry mentions Hearts a Mess but does not mention how it's a mashup of that song and Eyes Wide Open MarioXMan100 (talk) 06:59, 19 January 2020 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Eggishorn (talk) (contrib) 20:41, 19 January 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 6 July 2020

The link to his website is pointing to a 2008 archive, while his current website is still online and updated. Should just point straight to gotye.com PolygonError (talk) 07:58, 6 July 2020 (UTC)

 Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the {{edit semi-protected}} template. ~ Amkgp 💬 11:40, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

Sorry about that, it's just very confusing to me how to request an edit for a semi-protected page and I didn't believe this was controversial. PolygonError (talk) 13:59, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

 Done. No idea why some editors need to make things difficult. Thanks for your input. Ghmyrtle (talk) 14:49, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

Songroom was not recorded in 2018

It was however recorded on 28th of December 2016 and released on May 14th 2020. You can find this information on the official Bandcamp page of The Basics: https://thebasics.bandcamp.com/album/a-toot-and-a-scream-in-16-the-songroom-s02e09-full-audio-video 157.193.240.150 (talk) 12:25, 16 February 2023 (UTC)

Nationality

There was talk about this several years ago, as his page used to just say 'Australian' before. Per MOS:FIRSTBIO: Context (location, nationality, etc.) for the activities that made the person notable. and WP:ETHNICITY, his Belgian birth is irrelevant to his notability. Nor should hyphenated terms be used.

He has lived in Australia since he was two y/o, was educated in Australia and first gained notability in said country. His breakout song, Somebody That I Used to Know was a collaboration with a New Zealand singer, and was worked on in his native Australia. Clear Looking Glass (talk) 06:12, 16 June 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 1 June 2024

The seventh paragraph of section "2010–2013: Making Mirrors and international success" begins "On 11 October 2011, was nominated for seven ARIA Awards." The sentence should read "On 11 October 2011, Gotye was nominated for seven ARIA Awards." Lchu613 (talk) 16:43, 1 June 2024 (UTC)

 Done. 〜 Askarion ✉ 22:46, 1 June 2024 (UTC)