When I first heard "I Want You," it was instantly one of my favorite songs. But, to be quite honest with you , I didn't think much of the group. Nor, did I even know who the group WAS!!!!!! Then, one day, I came home from school and turned on Rosie O'Donnell, as I tend to do, and on her funky little sound board thingie, she pushed a button and on came "I Want You." I thought, "Hey, this is cool. Now I know Savage Garden sings it, and I can probably expect them on Rosie soon." Well, they didn't come on until May, but a couple weeks later, I was flipping around the music channels, and I caught the video of "I Want You" from the beginning!!!!!! My jaw dropped and the wind was knocked out of me. Yes, of course I instantly fell for Darren, but that's not what prompted my reaction. The reason was at that very instant, just by looking at them, I could tell they were not headed for a Rhino record like the Spice Girls and Hanson, but for the Rock-And-Roll Hall-of-Fame!!!!!!! Darren and Daniel have immense talents, and "I Want You," the song and the video, are evidence of this. So now, I present you with Darren's thoughts on the album tracks, followed by mine and what they mean to me.
Darren Sez: This was one of the first songs Daniel and I wrote together. It was a beautiful, space-like instrumental that Daniel had been working on for quite a while. He showed it to me and I took it away to work on melody and lyrics. The song came together very quickly. We recorded the song and included it on our first demo tape. Thank God we did because it is probably the reason why we got the record deal.
Most people seemed to zero in on this song. It is inspired by the life of a mutual friend. Recording for the album was a real challenge as we had become so attached to the original version that it was hard to be objective. The album version features members of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the outro sections.
Casey Sez: By the time "To the Moon & Back" came out, I was head over heels for Darren, and squirming in my chair for Daniel's melodies. Actually, it was the video I saw before I heard the song. The chorus rang in my head until I FINALLY got the album. In the video, I feel like Darren is looking at and speaking directly to me, becuase my life is basically the life of the girl he is singing about, and there is someone I would fly "To the Moon & Back" to have for my own.
Darren Sez: This song was always a wild card. The original idea was very simple: to use the voice as a rhythm instrument - cramming in as many syllables as possible into one phrase. Prior to recording the album we had about 40 songs to choose from. We narrowed down the list to record and came up with 15 tracks. "I Want You" was on that list but because it existed in a simple rough demo, it was not an obvious choice.
The recording process really brought the song alive. The simple vocal in the chorus became a bed of 12 voices. Six of Darren and six of session singers that we sank very low in the mix to give the thick layer of vocals that you hear. When we finished recording, this song just jumped out as our debut single. Lyrically one of the more frantic and nonsensical things we have ever written, this song is based on a recurring dream.
Casey Sez: Wow...just...wow. I honestly don't think Savage Garden could have chosen a better song for their debut. I really don't. It's just...perfect. The way the want for a love is described in this song is just amazing. Plus...you can dance to it!!!!!
Darren Sez: A love song in it's purest essence. This track was actually written in the last few weeks of recording and was originally intended to be a subtle, low-key ending to the album. Charles Fisher's producing and Chris Lord-Alge's mix really made the song a much stronger statement. Definitely a pleasant surprise for us. One of the few songs that ended up exactly how we imagined it would.
Casey Sez: To me, this song describes the deep emotional attachment you feel when you are "truly, madly, deeply" in love with someone.There are 2 people in the world I would love to tell this to, and I'm sure this will become many people's "song" for years to come. A personal favorite part of mine is that softly whispered "I love you" right before Darren starts the second to last chorus. Makes me MELT!!!!!!!
Darren Sez: A bittersweet take on the masks and illusions within relationships - the games we play and the emotions we hide. Originally the song was influenced by Seal, but the sound soon changed during the recording process. Now it is a hybrid of influences. If you listen closely you will hear string arrangements like old Diana Ross & The Supremes records - layered amidst the throbbing bass and anchored by the almost-dance beat.
Casey Sez: I had to listen to this song a couple of times before I could even begin to fathom what it could mean. When I finally figured it out, I decided it was about how horrible relationships can be. The peple involved are lying, keeping things from each other, and are all around forgetting what brought them together in the first place. The underlying meaning, in my opinion, is that "love will be the death of you."
Darren Sez: During the writing process this song was originally an instrumental track possibly suited to guitar. We tinkered with it and added a Mowtown-influenced melody and the track seems to have taken on a Smokey Robinson feel, worlds away from where it began, but frimly rooted in the original structure. A sexy groove cemented by a fantastic mix by Mike Pela.
Casey Sez: I didn't really like this song all that much when I first heard it. I didn't take the time to really listen to the lyrics and try to decipher the meaning. Now that I have listened to it more, it is one of my favorites. It's got a sexy side to it and describes the physical aspects of the relationship and how sensitve this guy can be to his girl's needs. Yet, the chorus hints to thae fact that she may not be completely happy with things, and he loves her too much to put her through the heartache that figuring things out can be, so he lets her go.
Darren Sez: The scene is just
before midnight...a full moon at a masquerade ball...avant-garde
strings, timpani and even castanets create the gothic feel of
the song, inspired by Anne Rice's vampire chronicles. The feel
is grandiose and theatrical. We feel this song has a definite
sound that we like to think of as our own. We see this feel creeping
up a lot in our new work.
Casey Sez: This is such a great song!!!! It's got a dark side to it that I think perfectly desribes those Anne Rice novels. If I lay down and close my eyes, I am transported to a world of grand parties, passionate lovers, and dancing with a suave man who'll steal my heart and touch my soul. I feel like "moving all night" whenever I hear it!
Darren Sez: A track which took
on another identity during the recording process. The thick double
fuzz bass throughout combined with Rex Goh's funk/blues guitars
give the song an almost Prince-like vibe. Lyrically a trance-like
ranting describing a state of mind we would all like to get at
some point...the disco inside your head!
Casey Sez: This song puts me in the mindset of arriving at a wild party where anyone who's anyone will be. Suddenly, two eyes meet from across the crowded and smoky room. The people are both trying to seduce each other, trying with all their might to "crash into" each other's worlds. The lighting, of course, is that of a hazy purple.
Darren Sez: Once again dealing
with conflict, this track is schizophrenic. The slick moody bassline
and held-back vocal in the verses are in direct opposition to
the intense anger and release of the chorus. Turbulent mood swings
and angry guitar hooks dominate throughout. When Rex Goh played
the solo we were jumping out of our skins. Even though it goes
all over the place we felt that the solo was perfect. It was a
single take and was so angry we just had to keep it.
Casey Sez: By far my favorite song on the album. I haven't been to lucky in love, (yes, I know I'm young), and there is one person I'd love to scream all this to, becuase he unknowingly "moved me in a way that I've never known." This loud, angry song makes me wanna pretend I am actually telling him. Whenever I'm singing it, all the anger and crap I've had to put up with boils over. My voice cracks with the intensity that I'm singing it, and I once drained myself so much that after the last "break me" I fell on the floor in a heap of exaustion. Beleive it or not, there's a theraputic quality to it!
Darren Sez: One of two songs about conflict in relationships. This track is a very personal snapshot of a real-life argument and a play on linguistics and twisted meanings. The rhythm section of Terepie Richmond and Alex Hewitson take the track beyond its original Manchester feel and make it alive, grunting and believable.
Casey Sez: This most definately about a crumbling relationship. The people involved don't even get along anymore. They've lied to each other and are now to the point where they are just being polite. There are so many things wrong that "a thousand words will give the reasons why" the relationship is definately NOT worth saving.
Darren Sez: I was not able to get ahold of anything that Darren or Daniel have said about this song. I'll put anything up that I may ever find, though.
Casey Sez: It seems to me that this is a story about a guy who has really had it rough and is reluctant to trust anyone. He has heard so many unfulfilled promises that he isn't sure if he wants to jump into another relationship and do it all over again.
Darren Sez: This track appeared as a bonus track on the "To The Moon & Back" single. When we released "Moon" we felt that the song had more potential than we had at first thought. Then when we went to America, the company fell in love with the track. It really was written about Santa Monica, about feeling so out of place in a new city but seeking comfort behind the mask of a telephone. We were just getting into the Internet and we found it interesting how in cyberspace you are only as interesting as your mind. You can be anything you want to be. So sitting in a cafe in Santa Monica, this strange thought came into being.
Casey Sez: This is a fish out of water story. A person realizes while sitting at one of those chic little streatside cafes in Santa Monica that in the grand scheme of things, he is so diffrent from all the people that surround him. He is so lonely and has nothing to hold on to. Yet, if he's on the telephone talking to someone he's never met before, he could be someone completely different, because they "wouldn't know the difference."
Darren Sez: The most obscure track on the record. A quirky fantasy inspired by Daniel's obsession with Meg Ryan. Features a high camp rap overflowing with design references and Absolutely Fabulous undertones. Definitely the shock track on the album. We will have a lot of fun doing this one live.
Casey Sez: I love this song! That high-speed rap thingamajig is the cooles, funniest, most unpredictable thing I've ever heard! It's all good!!!!
Darren Sez: This is also one of the first tracks we ever wrote. This song is about delay. Every instrument is cycling through a delay in it's own time, creating a swirling continuous swell that culminates in the instruments finally locking together. Lyrically based around the notion of desire so strong yet completely unobtainable.
Casey Sez: Oh my God. This is absolutely one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard in my entire existance. One of the lyrics, "I wonder if you know the pain to want the one thing that you haven't got," has stuck with me. That lyric seems to me to be the core of the entire song. It speaks to me perfectly at this time of my life. Definately one of my favorite songs.
O.K. sports fans! Here's the deal: I have not come across any info from Darren or Daniel on the following songs. So, until I do, here's what I think. Oh, and if you do happen to spot interpretations by either guy, e-mail me!!!
Casey Sez: This is a really funky song! It jumps from calm and serene to uptempo and energetic! So cool! The lyrics are primo examples of what these boys are capable of!! Great dancing tune!
Casey Sez: This song is really cool. It's about Jesus Christ, and it really makes me think about what He was like when He was here. A thought provoker!!!
Casey Sez: A song of devotion from a man to a woman. What girl doesn't want to hear that she's the "fever that burns in" his heart!!!!! So sweet and sensitive!!!!
Casey Sez: Reminds me of "Universe" - EXCEPT A MILLION TIMES COOLER!!! I don't know what it is about this song...but at the moment it is my all-time Savage Garden Favorite.
Casey Sez: Ah...New York City. The Taxis! The Subway! The Lights! The People! I can see why Darren and Daniel would choose to write a song about it.