Gotye tops Triple J’s Hottest 100: Music News

triple j’s Tom & Alex have just announced Gotye’s Somebody That I Used To Know (Feat Kimbra) as the number one song in the Hottest 100 of 2011, as voted by triple j listeners.

Each year more and more people have their say in the world’s biggest musical democracy and this year was no exception. An incredible 158,258 voters from 144 countries registered 1,378,869 million votes (up 9% on last year) in triple j’s Hottest 100. Add to that 3924 Hottest 100 parties held by listeners across Australia and internationally – and this is our biggest poll yet.

Gotye is no stranger to triple j’s Hottest 100, with songs ranking in the 2006, 2009 & 2010 polls, as well as last year’s Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time. But 2011 was the year that Gotye became an international phenomenon. His album ‘Making Mirrors’ had two additional songs make the list, ‘In Your Light’ ranking at #87 and ‘I Feel Better’ at #34. But it was ‘Somebody That I Used To Know (Feat Kimbra)’ that triple j listeners voted as their favourite song of 2011. The song itself has very real and intense emotions. Varying from melancholy over love lost to an intense bitterness. It’s these achingly personal insights into the end of a relationship which makes it resonate with so many people around the world. Wally explained to triple j that the song wasn’t based on a single relationship, stating “It’s kind of an amalgam of lots of relationships and experiences I’ve had in my life, and certain elements of fiction all kind of edited and rolled into one.” Shortly after its release, the song quickly rose to being one of the most requested songs on triple j, and proved its staying power. Gotye went on to win a slew of awards including triple j’s J Award for this year’s Best Album and six ARIA’s.

triple j’s Acting Music Director Nick Findlay said of the song “It was pretty obvious from the first time we started playing Somebody That I Used To Know, back in July, that we had something truly special in our hands. It was how quickly it rose to being one of the biggest songs on the planet, that really took us all by surprise. It is a satisfying acknowledgement of just how much of a musical mastermind Wally DeBacker is.”

2011 was an incredible year for Australian music with 34 Australian artists and 44 Australian songs claiming their place in the Hottest 100. Making an appearance were old favourites Bluejuice, Jebediah, Hilltop Hoods and The Grates. As well as artists making a name for themselves in recent years like Architecture In Helsinki, Art vs Science and The Jezabels. With triple j’s playlist including 50% Australian music in 2011, it is great to see this reflected in our listeners’ tastes.

2011 was also a huge year for Unearthed artists. The ongoing success story of 2010 Unearthed J Award winners Boy & Bear, who took out two places in 2010 Hottest 100, sees them land another three spots in this year’s Hottest 100. Unearthed High alumni Stonefield and Snakadaktal both made an appearance, as did 2011 Unearthed J Award winners Ball Park Music. With the launch of triple j Unearthed on digital radio earlier in 2011, not only are triple j unearthing more artists than ever, more triple j listeners are discovering artists through this expanding channel.

A total of 20 artists (9 Australian + 11 International) had multiple entries in the list. The Wombats were the act with the most ranked songs, with four spots in the chart. Following closely with three entries are 360, Bon Iver, Gotye, Grouplove and Kimbra. Notably Florence + the Machine had a strong presence in 2009 with four songs ranking from her debut album, and gained another three songs with her sophomore album in 2011.

Want to hear the Hottest 100 all over again?

Maggie Collins brings you the Hottest 100 encore – 2-6pm Saturday 28 Jan and 2-6pm Sunday 29 Jan. Alternatively, Rage brings you the Hottest 100 on ABC1
#100 – #51: 12.15am Fri Night (Sat Morning) on 10 Feb and #50 – #1: 11.15pm Saturday Night on 11 Feb

Triple J Hottest 100 Top 10

1 Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know {Ft. Kimbra}

2 The Black Keys – Lonely Boy

3 Matt Corby – Brother

4 Boy & Bear – Feeding Line

5 M83 – Midnight City

6 Lana Del Rey – Video Games

7 San Cisco – Awkward

8 360 – Boys Like You {Ft. Gossling}

9 The Jezabels – Endless Summer

10 Hilltop Hoods – I Love It {Ft. Sia}