Got Me Started

"Got Me Started"
Single by Troye Sivan
from the album Something to Give Each Other
Released20 September 2023 (2023-09-20)
GenreUK garage
Length3:18
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Ian Kirkpatrick
Troye Sivan singles chronology
"Rush"
(2023) 		"Got Me Started"
(2023) 		"One of Your Girls"
(2023)
Music video
"Got Me Started" on YouTube

"Got Me Started" is a song by Australian singer Troye Sivan. It was released through EMI and Capitol on 20 September 2023 as the second single from his third studio album, Something to Give Each Other. It samples "Shooting Stars" (2009) by Australian electronic duo Bag Raiders.[1]

At the 2024 ARIA Music Awards, the song was nominated for and won Song of the Year.[2] "Got Me Started" also received a nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.[3]

Background

Describing the creation process, Sivan explained: "When we were writing this song, I was emphatic about using 'Shooting Stars'—I just kept humming it in the studio. It's a huge sample and was a big ask; and I knew that they had never approved it in the past. So I'm over the moon about the opportunity to sample that track because this song is iconic to me. And then we have Ian Kirkpatrick on production, who is a genius. I love his work – he had this plan to record the vocal at a slower speed and then speed it up, and ultimately that's what you hear in the chorus. I instantly loved the way it sounded."[4]

Sivan explained that sampling "Shooting Stars" came naturally while he and his team were working on the song in the studio but that he did not actually believe that Bag Raiders members Jack Glass and Chris Stracey would allow him to use the track in the final version. Discussing how he convinced them to give him permission, Sivan stated "It was one of the first songs that we wrote for the album and it just stuck around. They [Bag Raiders] were like, 'By the way, we've had hundreds of requests and we've never said 'yeah,' so don't fuck this up.' And I was like, 'I promise you, I'm going to make a video. It's going to be sick.' Like, I really believe in this."[5]

Music video

The song's music video, directed by Gordon von Steiner, was released concurrently with the single on 20 September. Shot in Bangkok, Thailand, the video includes various clips of Sivan, featuring him walking and running through the city, sitting nude in a bathhouse, flying up the side of a building and engaging in choreography with several dancers. It concludes with him dancing in a disco ball jumpsuit on a heli-pad. The video also features cameos from fellow UMG recording artist PP Krit, and Thai drag performers Angele Anang, Année Maywong, and Miss Gimhuay.

Discussing the video with Zane Lowe, Sivan explained "There's this sort of reprise when the synth comes back at the end in the video when I'm like being pulled up the building and there's this new drum pattern and to me it was perfect. It was the euphoric moment of that total freedom of realizing that you're completely fine on your own and that also this is not a moment of sadness, but a moment of endless possibilities."[6]

Reception

In reviews for the album Something to Give Each Other, Pitchfork stated that "'Got Me Started' bookends its propulsive two-step beat with a sample snatched from Bag Raiders' 'Shooting Stars', aka from that years-old meme. Although initially grating, its wiggling synths build upon the song's romantic pining in a way that feels funnily reminiscent of Overmono's sample-heavy take on UK garage",[7] while The Guardian said that the song "has a nimble UK garage rhythm."[8]

The song was used in a sketch during the 49th season of Saturday Night Live featuring Bowen Yang as a doctor examining Sarah Sherman, a patient who has started seeing visions of a dancing Sivan (played by host Timothée Chalamet, with Boygenius appearing as clones) as her sleep paralysis demon. Sivan himself reacted to the sketch and changed his profile pictures on social media to that of Chalamet.[9]

The song was also used in the 2023 romantic comedy film Anyone But You.

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Got Me Started"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[24] 2× Platinum 140,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[25] Gold 20,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[26] Gold 25,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Got Me Started"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 20 September 2023
[27]
Italy 27 October 2023 Radio airplay Universal [28]

References

  1. ^ "Troye Sivan Shares New Single "Got Me Started": Listen". Stereogum. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  2. ^ "ARIA Awards 2024 nominations — everything you need to know". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  3. ^ Blistein, Jon (8 November 2024). "Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar Lead 2025 Grammy Nominees". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Troye Sivan Returns With New Single 'Got Me Started'". UDiscover Music. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Troye Sivan: 'Something to Give Each Other', Heartbreak & Tour | Apple Music". 12 October 2023. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Troye Sivan Goes From Sad Boi to 'Total Freedom' in 'Got Me Started' Video". Rolling Stone. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Troye Sivan: Something to Give Each Other". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  8. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (12 October 2023). "Troye Sivan: Something to Give Each Other review – one of the year's most distinctive pop albums". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Timothée Chalamet flashes red undies as Troye Sivan in 'SNL' sketch". EW.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  10. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 9 October 2023. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of October 18, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  13. ^ "EHR TOP 40 - 2023.10.06". European Hit Radio. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Dutch Single Tip 07/10/2023". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  15. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 2 October 2023. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  16. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista airplay" (Select week 06.01.2024–12.01.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  17. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 22. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  18. ^ "BGM Chart – Week 38 of 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  19. ^ "Download Chart – Week 38 of 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  20. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 39". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  22. ^ "Troye Sivan Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  23. ^ "Hot Dance/Electronic Songs – Year-End 2024". Billboard. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  24. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  25. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Troye Sivan" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  26. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 October 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Got Me Started in the search box.
  27. ^ Lane, Lexi (15 September 2023). "Troye Sivan Announced New Single 'Got Me Started' And Its Release Date". Uproxx. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  28. ^ "Troye Sivan - Got Me Started (Radio Date: 27-10-2023)". Earone (in Italian). 22 October 2023. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.