Gotye claims top spot in Last.fm singles chart

ETX Daily Up
American indie singer Lana Del Rey's LP, 'Born To Die'

Claiming the top spot in the Last.fm international singles chart this week is Belgian-Australian musician Gotye with his massive international hit track "Somebody That I Used to Know." Also holding steady in the chart is American indie sensation Lana Del Rey.

For weeks Gotye, aka Wouter De Backer and a member of Melbourne indie band The Basics, has been building momentum with "Somebody That I Used to Know" featuring pop star Kimbra. The track was released last year and has reached number one in singles charts in eight countries. In January, the tune also won the Triple J Hottest 100, an annual music poll of listeners of national Australian radio station Triple J, as top song of 2011. The track has since been a hit in the US as well, with Gotye making his television debut in the region this month on the US talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In the Last.fm chart, the track jumps one position to number one with 61,242 listeners, up from last week's 59,158 listeners.

Del Rey maintains her lead as a frontrunner in Last.fm's chart, holding the third and fourth spots with hits from her album Born to Die. This week the title track had 46,207 listeners, while "Video Games" had 43,860 listeners. The album has reached number one in album charts France, Germany, the UK, and Australia.

Last.fm's top tracks for February 19-26:

1. Gotye - "Somebody That I Used to Love" (61,242 listeners) (+1)
2. Adele - "Rolling in the Deep" (51,936 listeners) (-1)
3. Lana Del Rey - "Born to Die" (46,207 listeners) (no change)
4. Lana Del Rey - "Video Games" (43,860 listeners) (no change)
5. Coldplay - "Paradise" (40,121 listeners) (+2)
6. Foster the People - "Pumped Up Kicks" (39,838 listeners) (no change)
7. Rihanna - "We Found Love" featuring Calvin Harris (38,426 listeners) (+3)
8. M83 - "Midnight City" (37,349 listeners) (no change)
9. Adele - "Someone Like You" (36,235 listeners) (-4)
10. Adele - "Set Fire to the Rain" ( 33,521 listeners) (-1)

Last.fm claims more than 40 million active users based in more than 200 countries. Available in 12 languages, the site's radio service is free for desktop computer users in the UK, the US, and Germany; mobile devices require a subscription of €3 a month to stream music.

Using a system called "scrobbling," Last.fm's charts measure everything its users listen to through the Last.fm website as well as hundreds of other music sites and services, including iTunes, Spotify, and The Hype Machine.

http://www.last.fm

Watch Gotye's video for "Somebody That I Used to Know": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY