Wake Me Up

Lore & Background

Avicii introduced "Wake Me Up" for the first time live on stage at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. The experimental rendering (it was accompanied by a live band with instruments and vocalists, though notably not including Aloe Blacc, Mike Einziger, or any members of Incubus) reportedly confused and angered a section of the electronic dance festival community. Subsequently, Avicii achieved critical and commercial success with the release of the single worldwide. The actual writing process involved Avicii and Mike Einziger creating the music first, after which Aloe Blacc was brought in to write the lyrics. Blacc wrote the lyrics in just a couple of hours, completing the track.

Reader's Guide

"Wake Me Up" is a folktronica song, blending elements of EDM, soul and country music. Musically, it is written in the key of B minor and runs at 124 beats per minute (BPM). It follows a chord progression of Bm/G/D/A – Bm/G/D/F#, with Blacc's vocals ranging from B2 to B4. Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave the song a positive review, stating: "As chart-friendly EDM continues to reach the furthest corners of the globe, staying ahead of the pack can prove a tricky task – especially when more and more acts arrive on the scene turning out mixes with identikit build-ups, tired lyrics and uninspired breakdowns that newcomers to the arena lap up with excitement. Kudos to Avicii then, who has dared to try something a little different for his latest offering. 'So wake me up when it's all over/ When I'm wiser and I'm older,' featured artist Aloe Blacc sings over dialled-up, country-flecked guitar strums that sound like Mumford & Sons on speed. The jig-along chorus may conjure up images of Brits-on-tour, but to be honest, what summer anthem doesn't?" At the end of the year, Rolling Stone listed "Wake Me Up" at number 26 on its list of 100 Best Songs of 2013. The single has peaked at number one in 22 countries to date, including Australia, New Zealand, Hungary, Ireland, the United Kingdom and several European countries, in addition to reaching the top 10 in six others. The song is also the most searched on the Apple owned music identifying app Shazam with more than 23 million in February 2018.

Did You Know?

• The official music video, directed by Mark Seliger, has over 2.1 billion views on YouTube as of January 2025, making it one of the most viewed videos on the site.
• It is often cited as a landmark dance track, though other dance songs like 'Party Rock Anthem' by LMFAO had already sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. prior to its release.
• In the UK, it sold 267,000 copies in its first week, becoming Britain's fastest-selling single of 2013 at the time.