"Eyes Wide Open" is a song by the Belgian-Australian musician Gotye from his third studio album Making Mirrors. It was released as a digital download on 5 November 2010 in Australia and 4 June 2012 in the United States and United Kingdom. The song was written and produced by Gotye. It peaked at No. 55 on the Australian Singles Chart and was voted in at No. 25 in the 2010 Triple J Hottest 100.
| "Eyes Wide Open" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| SinglebyGotye | ||||
| from the album Making Mirrors | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 5 November 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | Worldbeat, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 3:07 | |||
| Label | Eleven: A Music Company | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Wally De Backer | |||
| Producer(s) | Wally De Backer | |||
| Gotye singles chronology | ||||
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The song features the Winton Musical Fence, a large fence with metal strings. Gotye sampled the Musical Fence in 2008 during a stay in Winton, Queensland.[1]
In 2018, Broods released "Eyes a Mess", a cover medley of "Eyes Wide Open" and "Hearts a Mess".
A music video to accompany the release of "Eyes Wide Open" was first released onto YouTube on 25 October 2010 at a total length of three minutes and seventeen seconds. The music video was created by Sydney production company pictureDRIFT and directed by Brendan Cook. It features stop-motion animation created by Darcy Prenderghast of creatures riding on spider-legged boats over several barren terrains, searching for water. Perhaps due to the lack of water, their faces crumble. Underneath, we see Gotye's face as he sings the song but the face gets hidden away due to the use of water. The singer's face is also shown when the creatures project it in holograms through their eyes.[2]
| Chart (2010–12) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 55 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[3] | 33 |
| UK Official Streaming Chart Top 100[4] | 78 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[5] | 96 |
| USAdult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[6] | 28 |
| USAlternative Songs (Billboard)[5] | 22 |
| USRock Songs (Billboard)[5] | 35 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[7] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 5 November 2010[8] | Eleven: A Music Company | Digital download |
| Germany | 4 May 2012 | Universal Music | CD single |
| United Kingdom | 4 June 2012[9] | Island Records | Digital download (re-release) |
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