Today marks 13 years since Avicii released ‘Wake Me Up’. The genre-defying single, recorded with Aloe Blacc on vocals and country songwriter Mike Einziger of Incubus on acoustic guitar, dropped on 17th June 2013. Crucially, it would go on to become one of the most influential dance records of the 21st century.
Originally previewed at Ultra Music Festival Miami the same year, the track baffled the dance music world on first listen. Notably, Avicii walked on stage and dropped a folk-leaning, banjo-laden production into a sea of festival-goers expecting four-on-the-floor — and watched the response split in real time. Still, within weeks, the cultural verdict was in.
As a result, ‘Wake Me Up’ became the lead single from Tim Bergling‘s debut album ‘True’. Furthermore, the song hit No.1 in 22 countries and is certified diamond in the United States. To this day, it remains the highest-streamed song by a Swedish artist in Spotify history, with well over 2 billion plays.
Equally important, the record changed the rulebook. ‘Wake Me Up’ proved that an electronic producer could pair a four-on-the-floor drop with bluegrass and country instrumentation — and convert it into a global pop anthem. Indeed, the entire folk-EDM and country-house lineage that followed traces directly back to this record.
Meanwhile, the song’s emotional weight has only deepened in the years since Avicii‘s passing. Crucially, the chorus’s “feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beating heart” line continues to soundtrack stadium singalongs at Tomorrowland, EDC and countless festivals worldwide.
In short, 13 years on, ‘Wake Me Up’ still feels timeless. The track is more than a hit — it’s the moment dance music walked into the mainstream and changed the conversation forever.
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