DREAMY
Savage
Garden
DUO
One of the most astonishing success stories of the past year
has been the impact Australians Darren Hayes, 26, and Daniel Jones, 25, have
had on the American pop charts. They're better known as Savage Garden,
and they were the ones who dislodged Elton John's "Candle in the Wind '97"
from the #1 spot with their Dawson's Creek-fueled "Truly Madly
Deeply."
Of course, success isn't a new idea for the duo, who had already
conquered their native continent with a series of #1 hits and
enthusiastically received concerts.
Singer Darren and "multi-instrumentalist" Daniel describe
themselves as musical soulmates who met when Daniel, already in a band,
advertised in a trade publication for a lead singer. When Darren replied
and the pair realized how similar their goals were, they took off on their
own.
"We connected right from the start," Darren has said. "We
were both so determined, so ambitious, that meeting seemed almost like coming
home."
Originally, they had trouble thinking of a good name. They
even went so far as to buy a name to use: Crush. Unfortunately,
a British band with the same name had a hit soon after with a now-forgotten
song called "Jellyhead," so D&D had to rethink their identity.
Rechristened Savage Garden after a passage in an Anne Rice
vampire novel, the pair collaborated in earnest, with Darren writing lyrics
and melodies and Daniel making the music. The response from record
companies was unusually fast and positive--a bidding war erupted that led
to a recording contract overnight.
Despite the meteoric pace their venture had taken so far, the
guys took their time recording their self-titled debut. They spent
eight months writing, recording and editing their first disc.
Darren's approach to songwriting is unique--he often tries
to deconstruct what makes another song work artistically, then applies that
principle to one of his own. He did that with Prince's old hit "The
Most Beautiful Girl in the World," deciding that the key factor was unblinking
sincerity. He kept that in mind as he wrote a song called "Magic Kisses"
in a cafe late one night. He wrote the song during a period when he
was apart from his wife due to their separate career demands, and that yearning
seemed to shine through. Savage Garden originally recorded it as an
uptempo number, but once they slowed it down, it became an aching love song.
They decided to rename it "Truly Madly Deeply" after a British film
of the same title about a woman whose lover dies then mysteriously
reappears.
As lovely as it is, the song was almost rejected for inclusion
on Savage Garden, until record company execs heard it and demanded
that it stay. The guys were to close to the song to see its
potential.
Savage Garden became the fastest-selling debut in Australian
history and one of the best-selling CDs of all-time there.
Here in America, the CD received a huge boost when daytime
talk show queen Rosie O'Donnell fell for the lead single, "I Want You," with
its infectious, nonsensical chorus and played it incessantly on the air.
Along with her "Tommy," she wanted her Savage Garden.
"I Want You" hit #4 here, followed by a lackluster #37 peak
for the melancholic "To The Moon And Back." After the second single
fizzled, it was possible that the record company would decline to release
another. Darren and Daniel crossed their fingers and were relieved
when "Truly Madly Deeply" was not only released, but was also chosen as the
love theme for Dawson's Creek. That weekly exposure helped shoot
the song straight to the top.
Now, the guys are working on their follow-up CD after touring
the world all summer.
At least one of them isn't concerned about matching the success
of their virgin release.
"Music is essentially fashion and comes from a street level.
I don't think you can predict that," Hayes has said.
If that's true, then Savage Garden is the equivalent of basic
black--always in style.
Links
www.savagegarden.com
Savage Garden Fan Club
c/o Atlas/Third Rail Management
9169 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90069 USA