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Savage Garden was an Australian
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...
duo consisting of Darren Hayes on vocals and Daniel Jones on instruments. Formed in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
,
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...
, in 1993, the duo achieved international success from the mid-1990s to early 2000s with the No. 1 hit singles " I Want You", " To the Moon and Back", " Truly Madly Deeply", " The Animal Song" and " I Knew I Loved You". The band's two studio albums, '' Savage Garden'' and ''
Affirmation Affirmation or affirm may refer to: Logic * Affirmation, a declaration that something is true * In logic, the union of the subject and predicate of a proposition Law * Affirmation (law), a declaration made by and allowed to those who conscienti ...
'', reached No. 1 in Australia and peaked in the top ten in both the United Kingdom and United States. These albums sold 23 million copies worldwide. The group won a record number of ten ARIA Music Awards in 1997 for their debut album and its related singles. They disbanded at the end of 2001, and Hayes continued as a solo artist.


History


1993–1995: Formation

In 1993, multi-instrumentalist and producer Daniel Jones placed an advertisement in Brisbane newspaper ''Time Off'' seeking a vocalist for his five-piece covers band Red Edge, which he had formed with his brothers. Darren Hayes, who was studying at university, was the only respondent and joined after his first audition. Red Edge played venues along the Gold Coast pub and club circuit, while Hayes and Jones started to write original material. In June 1994, Hayes and Jones left Red Edge to pursue a career together originally as Crush. The new duo was renamed Savage Garden after a phrase from ''
The Vampire Chronicles ''The Vampire Chronicles'' is a series of gothic horror novels and a media franchise, created by American writer Anne Rice, that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman turned into a vampire in the 18th ...
'' by Anne Rice: "Beauty was a Savage Garden". By year's end, the pair had enough songs for a demo tape; they sent 150 copies to various record companies around the world. John Woodruff ( The Angels, Baby Animals, Diesel) was the only positive response; he became their manager and negotiated a contract with
Roadshow Music Village Roadshow Limited is an Australian company which operates cinemas and theme parks, and produces and distributes films. Before being acquired by private equity company BGH Capital, the company was listed on the Australian Securities Ex ...
/ Warner Music. In 1995, they entered the studio to work on their debut album with producer Charles Fisher (
Air Supply Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975. It consists of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five h ...
, Moving Pictures,
1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...
).


1996–1998: Debut album

In May 1996, Savage Garden released their debut single " I Want You" under Roadshow Music. It peaked at No. 4 on the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...
(ARIA)
Singles Chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...
and on the 1996 End of Year Singles Chart was highest placed by an Australian artist. On 30 September, they received their first ARIA Award nomination, in the category 'Breakthrough Artist – Single', for "I Want You". Their success garnered interest from international labels and they signed with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. The label's executives had Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones sent to Sydney for 8 months, where they would write songs for a debut album to be released in 1997. In November 1996, " To the Moon and Back" was released which reached No. 1 in January 1997. "I Want You" was released in North America in February, where it peaked at No. 4 on the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and by April had achieved gold status according to
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
(RIAA). It peaked at No. 1 on the Canadian Singles Chart. " Truly Madly Deeply", the band's third Australian single, was released in March and reached No. 1 and soon became their signature song. In March, the duo's debut album, '' Savage Garden'', entered the Australian charts at No. 1 and peaked there for a total of 19 weeks. According to rock music historian Ian McFarlane, " trevealed the influence of 1980s UK pop on Hayes and Jones' songwriting. Tears for Fears melodies blended seamlessly with Eurythmics-like arrangements, while Cure-styled guitar provided the icing on the cake." The album was released internationally two weeks later. "I Want You" was released across Europe in April and reached No. 11 on the United Kingdom
Singles Chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...
. At the end of May, "To the Moon and Back" was the most played song on radio in the United States. In June, a fourth single, " Break Me Shake Me", was released in Australia as the album reached No. 3 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified gold by RIAA. In September, Savage Garden won a record ten ARIA Awards from 13 nominations for the album and associated singles. They followed with their fifth Australian single, "
Universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. A ...
" in November. "Truly Madly Deeply" became their third release in the United States and replaced Elton John's " Candle in the Wind 1997", after its fourteen-week run at No. 1. In January 1998, "All Around Me" was released as a radio-only single in Australia, although about 3,000 physical copies were given away at their second concert in Brisbane. By the end of the year, "Truly Madly Deeply" was the most played song on radio in the United States and the only one-sided single to spend a full year in the Top 30 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In November, "Santa Monica", the final single from the album, was released exclusively in Japan, accompanied by a video of a live performance at the Hard Rock Cafe. As of 2005, ''Savage Garden'' had been certified 12× platinum in Australia, 7× platinum in the United States, 3× platinum in Canada, 2× platinum in New Zealand, Singapore, and in the United Kingdom.


1999–2000: ''Affirmation''

In February 1999, " The Animal Song", which was featured in the Touchstone film '' The Other Sister'', became a No. 3 hit in Australia and Top 20 in the United Kingdom and United States. In September they released " I Knew I Loved You" – a love ballad – which peaked at No. 4 in Australia and No. 10 in the United Kingdom. It was followed in November by the duo's second album, ''
Affirmation Affirmation or affirm may refer to: Logic * Affirmation, a declaration that something is true * In logic, the union of the subject and predicate of a proposition Law * Affirmation (law), a declaration made by and allowed to those who conscienti ...
'', produced by Walter Afanasieff ( Ricky Martin,
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the ...
, Céline Dion). It was described by McFarlane as "pure unadulterated pop, boasting enticing melodies and a classy and sleek production sound." The album peaked at No. 1 in Australia and eventually achieved 8× platinum. Within a month, it went platinum in the United States, partly due to the success of the single "I Knew I Loved You", which hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, going platinum, and becoming the most-played single on US radio for the year. ''Affirmation'' was a new turn for Savage Garden – it was mainstream pop and some songs had an
adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
sound. The group finished the year by winning two
Billboard Music Award The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...
s: Adult Contemporary Single of the Year and Hot 100 Singles Airplay of the Year. In February 2000, as " Crash and Burn" became the third single from their second album, 1997's "Truly Madly Deeply" was still on the Monitor/Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay Chart, breaking the record for length of time on that chart. It would finally drop off after 123 weeks, while "Crash and Burn" peaked at No. 10. In June, Hayes performed " 'O Sole Mio" at Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti's annual charitable benefit concert '' Pavarotti and Friends''. Savage Garden's success was reflected at the Billboard Music Awards, where they won Best Adult Contemporary Video and No. 1 Adult Contemporary Song of the Year, for "I Knew I Loved You", and No. 1 Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year. "I Knew I Loved You" stayed on the Monitor/''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary Airplay Chart for 124 weeks. Savage Garden performed "Affirmation" at the Closing Ceremony of the
2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...
in October 2000.


2001: Split

At the end of 2001, there was media speculation that the band would break up due to Hayes starting his solo album project. He announced that Jones was taking time off to work on a record label that he had founded. The band took a hiatus but was expected to reform by early 2002. However, in October 2001, Hayes announced that Savage Garden had broken up. Hayes and Jones had agreed that they would break up after finishing their tour for their second album. After the announcement, the band's website posted a statement: In an interview on the musicMAX network, Hayes said that a few weeks before the release of their second album, Jones did not like the fame that the band was receiving and was not happy. Hayes wanted to move on in the music industry as a solo artist. His first solo single, " Insatiable", was released in January 2002 and his solo album, '' Spin'', followed in March. It spawned several UK Top 40 singles, including "I Miss You", "Strange Relationship", and "Crush (1980 Me)". Hayes went on to release a further four studio albums: 2004's ''
The Tension and the Spark ''The Tension and the Spark'' is the second studio album by Darren Hayes, released in 2004. The album was a change for Hayes, who took a more electronic and darker style for this record and also delved deeper into more personal matter. During th ...
'', 2007's ''
This Delicate Thing We've Made ''This Delicate Thing We've Made'' is the third studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Darren Hayes. It is a double album that was released on his own label Powdered Sugar on 20 August 2007. The first single from the album, "On the Verge o ...
'', 2011's ''
Secret Codes and Battleships ''Secret Codes and Battleships'' is the fourth studio album from Australian singer-songwriter Darren Hayes. It was released 21 October 2011 on Mercury Records in Australia, on EMI Records in the United Kingdom on 24 October, and on his own labe ...
'', and 2022's ''
Homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
'', the latter three studio albums releasing on Hayes' own record label, Powdered Sugar. Jones started his own production company, Meridien Musik, and built a recording studio, Level 7 Studios, to record young Australian artists including
Aneiki Aneiki is an Australian pop duo from Brisbane, Queensland made up of Jennifer Waite and Grant Wallis. The duo was originally called Halogen, but were forced to change their name after a Perth-based Halogen (band) established sole rights to the ...
and Bachelor Girl. In August 2007, Hayes was asked by ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...
'' if he and Jones would ever consider a reunion. He replied abruptly, "No, never. I once said I'd only do it if it cured cancer, and that's still how I feel."


2005: ''Truly Madly Completely''

The greatest hits package '' Truly Madly Completely: The Best of Savage Garden'' was released on 7 November 2005 – with a US release following in early 2006 – and included a new single by Darren Hayes entitled " So Beautiful". Several variations of the release also included a bonus DVD featuring several music video clips, as well as the ''Parallel Lives'' documentary, which was earlier released as a bonus feature of the '' Superstars and Cannonballs'' DVD/VHS.


2015: ''Savage Garden: The Singles''

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band's formation, a new compilation titled '' Savage Garden: The Singles'' was released on 12 June, and features a previously unheard demo from 1994, entitled "She". Hayes said of the recording; "It's a long time ago, but my recollection is I was writing about the relationship that I have, and continue to have, with the women in my life. From my sister to my mother and all the friends and the wonderful female relationships in my life. I know I'm indebted to these incredibly strong women who loved me and taught me what it was like to be strong and succeed in a world where you sometimes feel underestimated." The album also includes a bonus DVD of Australian and international music video releases. It accompanies a major re-release of their two studio albums with bonus tracks and live performances, the first time their catalogue has received such treatment.


Tours


The Future of Earthly Delites

The Future of Earthly Delites Tour was called the To the Moon and Back Tour in the US. Some footage from this tour can be seen in the international music video for "Break Me Shake Me", as well as the music video for "Tears of Pearls".


Affirmation World Tour

The Affirmation World Tour played 80 shows in Australia, North America, Europe, and the Far East through 2000. The show was the beginning of Hayes's collaboration with Willie Williams, having a stage set consisting of a gameshow-like backdrop of multicoloured neon lights. The international music video for the song "Affirmation", as well as the music videos for "Chained to You" and "The Best Thing", were filmed during this tour. During the Australian leg of the tour, a camera crew also filmed both onstage and backstage for what would later be the ''Superstars and Cannonballs'' DVD/VHS.


Discography

* '' Savage Garden'' (1997) * ''
Affirmation Affirmation or affirm may refer to: Logic * Affirmation, a declaration that something is true * In logic, the union of the subject and predicate of a proposition Law * Affirmation (law), a declaration made by and allowed to those who conscienti ...
'' (1999)


Awards and nominations

In 2009, as part of the
Q150 Q150 was the sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859. Separation established the Colony of Queensland which became the State of Queensland in 1901 as part of the Federation of Australia. ...
celebrations, Savage Garden was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as an "Influential Artists". In December 2020, Savage Garden was listed at number 28 in ''Rolling Stone Australia''s "50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time" issue.


References


Citations


Sources

* Note: Archived n-linecopy has limited functionality. *


External links

*
Timeline of Savage Garden

Savage Garden Discography
* {{Authority control 1993 establishments in Australia 2001 disestablishments in Australia APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Australian musical duos Australian pop music groups Australian pop rock groups Australian soft rock music groups Artists from Brisbane Pop music duos Columbia Records artists Musical groups disestablished in 2001 Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups from Brisbane World Music Awards winners Male musical duos Soft rock duos