American soul singer Aloe Blacc provides vocals for the track and Mike Einziger of Incubus provides acoustic guitar.
Due to the success of the song, Blacc later released an acoustic version of "Wake Me Up" in his solo EP Wake Me Up.
The official video was shot in the Santa Clara River orange groves and in the town of Piru, California, west of Los Angeles.
The song is written in the key of B minor and runs at 124 beats per minute.
The single has peaked at number one in 22 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Hungary, Ireland and the United Kingdom.