Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” released

Wake Me Up! Avicii with Aloe Blacc

Writer(s): Avicii, Aloe Blacc, Mike Einziger (see lyrics here) Released: June 17, 2013 First Charted: July 13, 2013 Peak: 4 US, 13 RR, 114 A40, 14 AA, 12 MR, 13 UK, 2 CN, 16 AU, 7 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 6.0 US, 1.97 UK, 12.12 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1880.0 video, 1960.93 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Avicii’s “Wake Me Up!” wasn’t the usual EDM music with its blend of country and folk. The introduction of the song at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami has been compared to the legendary 1965 Newport Folk Festival when Bob Dylan went electric, angering purists. SF When introduced on BBC Radio 1, the Swedish DJ described it as a “complete change in style” from his past singles. SF He told MTV News “really wanted to make sure to do something different than what anyone else is doing.” SF Avicii and Mike Einziger, a multi-instrumentalist from the rock band Incubus, came up with the chord progression and melody with Avicii on keyboards and Einziger on acoustic guitar. They had no lyrics and neither could sing, so Avicii reached out to Aloe Blacc, the only person he knew who lived in Los Angeles. WK The American rapper-turned-soul singer, who peaked at #2 on the UK charts with “I Need a Dollar,” provided vocals and lyrics for the song, writing the words on an airplane on a trip back from Switzerland. WKBlacc would later release his own acoustic version of the song on his solo EP Wake Me Up. WK “The fusion elements make the song perfect as a dance-floor filler, while introspective lyrics can adapt the song for more personal listening.” SF Digital Spy’s Robert Copsey said, “As chart-friendly EDM continues to reach the furthest corners of the globe, staying ahead of the pack can prove a tricky task…Kudos to Avicii then, who has dared to try something a little different.” WK It definitely proved the right mix, topping 27 charts worldwide SF and was the first song to reach 200 million streams on Spotify. SF The song is also the most searched on the Shazam app with more than 23 million as of February 2018. WK It was the first dance/electronic song to stay on the Billboard Hot 100 for more than a year and the first to seel over four million copies in the U.S. WK Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Avicii DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Aloe Blacc SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Last updated 7/19/2023.