Music of the Day, 30 March 2025

the pieces of your heart

I was sure I’d be featuring a more upbeat piece today—that’s what I was craving, at least. It was all clear in my mind: I wanted to revisit a band that a friend recommended to me, certain that I’d find something that fit my mood in their energetic, funky sound.

But when I opened YouTube, the name of another musician sprang into mind. I remembered that I’d explored a few of his songs after featuring his breakthrough hit here, and wondered if I could retrace my steps to find a particular song again. Just to listen. Not to write about today. It doesn’t fit what I thought I wanted to listen to at all. Not funky. Not energetic.

I didn’t remember its title, but YouTube did. YouTube also remembered that I’d searched for the title at least once before. Hmmm.

Maybe if I had just listened to it instead of watching the video, I’d have written something entirely different here, and you’d be getting set up for something energetic and funky.

We’ll never know.

Instead of energetic and funky, are you ready for something quirky and thoughtful?

“Hearts a Mess” is from Gotye’s¹ second studio album, Like Drawing Blood. It was released in Australia in 2006 and was pretty successful there. I learned today that it’s been featured in a movie and an American television show. Best I can tell, those things happened after the second single (!) from his 2011 album Making Mirrors became a worldwide hit, so I don’t think it got much attention in the US.²

“Hearts a Mess” can be seen as nicely foreshadowing that hit, but focusing on that doesn’t do it justice. The complex music drew me in first: it’s bouncy but also somber, with the drums in particular balancing between chaos and order. The lyrics demanded their share of my attention, of course. I’m glad I didn’t watch the video in my first few repetitions of the song; if I had, I might have gotten so caught up in all the symbolism that I’d have lost focus on the music. Even now, it’s almost overwhelming to listen and watch simultaneously.

Like “Somebody That I Used to Know,” “Hearts a Mess” is exquisitely sensitive. I want to explore more of Gotye’s music to see how prominent that thread might be… but I’m not sure I could handle it right now if it is.

1. “Wally” De Backer

2. Gotye released a different version of the album in Belgium in 2008 (he’s Australian and was born in Belgium); today’s MotD was released as a single there too