: Gotye and Kimbra appear naked and are gradually painted into a geometric background inspired by Gotye's father's artwork.

The , directed by Natasha Pincus, became as iconic as the song itself. It features:

The track is celebrated for its minimalist yet hypnotic instrumentation, which notably includes:

: The video has surpassed 2 billion views on YouTube and helped the song reach No. 1 in more than 25 countries.

Lyrically, the song is an "amalgam" of Gotye's past relationship experiences. It captures the frustration of a partner who feels discarded and the counter-perspective of a partner who feels gaslit or suffocated.

: The distinctive opening guitar riff is sampled from Luiz Bonfá's 1967 instrumental "Seville".

: The painting symbolizes the shared history of the relationship, with Kimbra eventually "washing clean" of the paint as she breaks away.

: Gotye initially struggled to finish the track until he added a female verse. Kimbra was eventually chosen as the vocalist after another high-profile artist cancelled. Meaning and Visuals