SAVAGE GARDEN - SAVAGE GARDEN

Savage Garden was an Australian pop duo consisting of Darren Hayes on vocals and Daniel Jones on guitar, keyboards, and vocals. Formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1993, the group was managed by John Woodruff and signed to Roadshow Music/Warner Music. They achieved international success with the singles "I Want You", "To the Moon and Back" (both 1996), "Truly Madly Deeply" (1997), and "I Knew I Loved You" (1999). The duo released two studio albums, "Savage Garden" (1997) and "Affirmation" (1999), both of which reached number one in Australia and Sweden and the top ten in the United Kingdom and the United States. Combined sales of the albums have been reported at approximately 23 million copies worldwide. The group won ten ARIA Music Awards in 1997 for material from their debut album. Savage Garden disbanded in 2001, after which Hayes pursued a solo career while Jones moved into production work and later real estate. Savage Garden originated from the Brisbane-based cover band Red Edge, formed in 1992 by Daniel Jones on keyboards and rhythm guitar alongside Oliver Jones, Jamie Sullivan, and Scott Sullivan. In 1993, Jones placed an advertisement seeking a vocalist, which led to Darren Hayes joining the group after auditioning. The band performed covers in venues across Queensland and northern New South Wales while beginning to write original material. In 1994, Jones and Hayes left Red Edge to form a duo initially called Crush, later renamed Bliss. After recording a demo tape and distributing it to record labels, they adopted the name Savage Garden, inspired by a phrase from Anne Rice's "The Vampire Chronicles". They were subsequently signed by manager John Woodruff, who secured a recording contract with Warner Music. Their debut album was recorded in 1995 with producer Charles Fisher, with Woodruff personally financing early recording costs. The duo released their debut single "I Want You" in 1996, which reached number four on the Australian ARIA charts. Their follow-up single "To the Moon and Back" reached number one in Australia in 1997. International success followed in early 1997 when "I Want You" reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and received gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. "Truly Madly Deeply" became a major global hit, reaching number one in Australia and the United States and becoming the group's signature song. The album "Savage Garden" debuted at number one in Australia and remained in the chart's top position for 19 non-consecutive weeks. The album was released internationally in March 1997 and achieved strong chart positions in Europe and North America. A fourth single, "Break Me Shake Me", was released in Australia, while the album reached number three on the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold in the United States. Critics noted the influence of 1980s pop and rock styles in the duo's songwriting and production. At the ARIA Music Awards in 1997, Savage Garden received ten awards, including Album of the Year and Single of the Year categories for material from "Savage Garden" and its singles. Later singles from the album included "Universe", "All Around Me", and "Santa Monica", the latter released exclusively in Japan. By the mid-2000s, the album had achieved multi-platinum certifications in Australia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Their second album, "Affirmation", was released in 1999 and produced by Walter Afanasieff. It was largely written while the members were based in different countries, with Hayes in New York and Jones in Australia. The album's lead single, "The Animal Song", was featured in the film "The Other Sister" and charted in multiple countries. The single "I Knew I Loved You" became another major international hit, reaching number one in Australia, the United States, and Canada. "Affirmation" continued the duo's shift towards mainstream pop and adult contemporary music. The single "Crash and Burn" was released in 2000 and charted in several countries. The album and its singles received several Billboard Music Awards, and the track "I Knew I Loved You" remained on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay Chart for over 120 weeks. The duo performed at several high-profile events, including the closing ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics. Darren Hayes also participated in charitable performances such as Luciano Pavarotti's benefit concert series. In October 2001, Savage Garden officially disbanded. Hayes later stated that Jones was uncomfortable with the pressures of fame and wished to step away from the music industry, while Hayes pursued a solo career. Hayes released his debut solo album "Spin" in 2002, followed by further solo albums including "The Tension and the Spark" (2004), "This Delicate Thing We've Made" (2007), "Secret Codes and Battleships" (2011), and "Homosexual" (2022). Jones founded a production company, Meridien Musik, and worked with emerging Australian artists. Following their split, compilation albums were released, including "Truly Madly Completely: The Best of Savage Garden" in 2005 and "Savage Garden: The Singles" in 2015, the latter including previously unreleased material and accompanying video collections. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Garden Studio albums Savage Garden (1997) Affirmation (1999) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.