We’re pretty sure the internet just exploded. No, there’s wasn’t a mass breakout in cat-related videos, but we do have the next best thing – a Gotye video cover.

Now we know what you’re thinking, please make it stop, but this time it’s a little different. Wally De Backer – aka Gotye himself – is responsible this time, putting together his favourite youtube covers of hit song ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ and mashing them together for the youtube cover to end all youtube covers (please, let this be the end).

Since the release of his third album, Making Mirrors, the Melbourne-based musician has conquered not just Australia, but the world, including a highly coveted number one single in the United States – an honour he enjoyed for a full eight weeks.

The awards, records, and accolades have also flowed in since the runaway success of the single, including its status as the most streamed single of the year according to the UK’s new streaming chart; and its body-paint video clip being one of the most watched YouTube videos of all time, with over 200 million+ views.

But it was the covers and tributes seemingly taking over youtube of ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ that has really taken everybody by surprise, and although Gotye admits he was reluctant to add to the mountain of Gotye-related videos taking over the internet he “couldn’t resist the massive remixability that such a large, varied yet connected bundle of source material offered.

”

“Thankyou to everyone who has responded to Somebody That I Used To Know via YouTube. It’s truly amazing! ” he said in a statement attached to the video mashup.

“All audio and video in Somebodies is from the YouTube user videos featured, each of them a cover or parody of Somebody That I Used To Know. No extra sounds were added to the mix, but I used some EQ, filtering, pitch-shifting and time-stretching to make the music.

”

“I avoided using any existing remixes of the song, or any covers from tv talent shows.
 As comprehensive and extensive as I tried to be with my downloading of source videos, I know there are many clips that I missed.”

“

I used Ableton Live for audio stretching, pitch-shifting and the initial video editing, and Adobe’s After Effects to put the final video together.”

“Big thanks to Travis Banko for assistance with downloading source videos, and to James Bryans for After Effects tutelage.

 Thankyou to Barry for being Barry, and guiding us all.

”

A full list of links to the original videos is available here:
‪ http://www.gotye.com/#blog.html

You can watch the ultimate video mashup below, if you dare.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine