Gotye's number one

Woohoo!

We couldn't be more proud: overnight, Walla de Backer (aka Gotye – choose your pronunciation) reached number one on the US Billboard charts, becoming only the tenth Aussie to do so and the first since Savage Garden's 'I Knew I Loved You' in early 2000. We're chuffed (but we already mentioned that). Gotye and Kimbra's 'Somebody that I Used to Know' was downloaded 542,000 times in Billboard's last sales period, the fourth biggest US download tally in history. And lest you think de Backer's onto a one-hit wonder stateside, note that his album, Making Mirrors, sold 54,000 copies and came it at number seven on the album charts.

There are a number of factors behind Gotye's US success. Number one: that song. We in Australia may be toying with being "over it" but there's no denying its breakthrough indie-pop brilliance, and early endorsement Tweets from tastemaker Ashton Kutcher and Katy Perry helped it along internationally. Number two: that awesome video. Number three: Kimbra. And number four: a helluva week in America. After coming in at number two on the charts last week, 'Somebody that I Used to Know' had one of the most highly exposed musical weeks in recent memory. Not only did de Backer and Kimbra kill it on Saturday Night Live, but the song was covered on Glee and also on American Idol. We suspect some people saw it. Idol judge Steven Tyler told America he had the song on loop on his iPod and said it was changing music everywhere. Not a bad endorsement.