Bronte

Album: Making Mirrors (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Gotye wrote this song about some friends of his who were letting go of their 21-year-old dog, Bronte. He explained to Artist Direct: "When you love and care for an animal, you don't want it to suffer too much. You also respect nature and the natural cause of things. They really struggled with the eventual decision of deciding they had to let go of the dog and put it down. I thought they did it in a very loving way. From what I could tell, it was very instructive and inclusive for their daughters. They did it as a family. I wrote that song like I was vicariously experiencing it. That's what I'm proud of. In its simplicity, I felt like it captured my feelings of that experience even if it was at a distance. You don't have to necessarily interpret it as a relationship between people and animals. You can flip it on its head and turn it into a group of animals letting go of this peculiar relationship with a human child they have in the forest."

Comments: 4

  • Joe from VirginiaAnyone who has ever said goodbye to a beloved pet will understand this song instantly and will weep as they did when that gentle, furry life first left them for the rainbow bridge.
  • Max from IdahoThis one can make me cry just by singing it in my head.
  • Nigel Davies from United Kingdom This is the only song that has made me cry just by listening to it for the first time. Beautiful.
  • Ben from Gladstone, QldThis is probably the first song which the lyrics have made me actually have a visceral reaction to. Sometimes, a song's melody will mae me react emotionally, but never the lyrics, until now. We had just put down our dog when I heard this, but I didn't register the lyrics, just that it was a nice song. About three months later, I heard it and began to cry uncontrollably. Gosh, it was hard. Good on Gotye for making such a good song, though.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."