Prior to his success as Aqualung, Hales was known as the lead singer of mid-1990s, London-based Britpop band Ruth. Ruth had a string of moderately successful hit singles, including "I Don't Know," "Valentine's Day," and "Fear of Flying," and one album, "Harrison," before changing their name in 2001 to The 45's. As The 45s, the band released two more singles and one posthumous album to little attention before splitting so Hales could focus on his new endeavor as Aqualung. Almost immediately after the band's split, "Strange and Beautiful" began climbing the British charts and gaining massive amounts of attention--a dramatic turnabout from the previous year. In 2005, Aqualung would even achieve elusive success in the United States, where they are best known for the song "Brighter Than Sunshine", which had considerable airplay and was used in the film A Lot Like Love and various television spots. He's also known to some for his song, "Easier to Lie", which was featured on the hit television show, Scrubs. His music also went on to feature in another hit television show the OC. His song, "Strange and Beautiful" was also featured on the hit show CSI. Later, the song "Something To Believe In" was also featured at the ending of an episode of CSI: Miami. It was also featured in the movie "Wicker Park". "The Lake" was also featured on the wildly popular television show Grey's Anatomy. Aqualung has also had songs featured on One Tree Hill in various seasons. In 2009, his song "Easier to Lie" was again featured on a television show, this time Lie To Me.
It has been written that Hales took the name "Aqualung" from a Jethro Tull album of the same name. However, he himself says he was not aware of this album, and that it was descriptive of the underwater feeling he felt listening to his debut album.
His debut single, "Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put a spell on You)", was released in the UK on the B-Unique label on September 16, 2002, and reached number 7 in the UK Top 40 and was used in the film Wicker Park.
The song "Something To Believe In" from the album "Memory Man" was used during the ending of the former ABC show Eli Stone premiered on Jan 31, 2008.
The song "Good Times Gonna Come" has recently been used on the show Skins on the British channel E4.
On April 20th, 2010 Aqualung released his 6th studio album Magnetic North (2010). The first single released is a song called "Fingertip".
Garden Of Love
Aqualung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A moment of sun in her eye
And everything was quiet
In the garden of love I saw
Starlight sigh and shadow move
Faltering, no faltering, faltering
A few words for your heart
Before you turn
Something to ponder in your heart as you go
In our garden of love we grew
Roses so red our hearts were busted open
All feeding on the dream we made
The bright and beautiful parade
That bloom by bloom began to fade
And blow by blow, oh
Before you go
A few words for your heart
Before you turn
Something to ponder in your heart as you go
How we tried to make everything right
How we fought and we talked through the night
How we nearly, we made it
In the garden of love I saw
A moment of sun in her eye
And everything was quiet
Stepping out into the light other side of the window
Blinking and blind in the light other side of the window
Falter, no faltering now, other side of the window
Falter, no faltering now, that journey is over, over
There's only so much that our heart can grow
Then everything else starts to overflow
But you're young and in love
Back then there was no way of knowing
So we pushed and we pulled with our nerves of steel
You had the pedals and I had the wheel
And the terrible truth
Is we never knew where we were going
There's only so much that our heart can grow
Then everything else starts to overflow
But you're young and in love
Back then there was no way of knowing
The lyrics of Aqualung's song "Garden of Love" depict both the beauty and fragility of love. The singer describes the garden of love as a place where one can experience a moment of sun in someone's eye and where everything is quiet amid the starlight and shadow that move. The song then shifts to a reflection on a past relationship and how the love between the two people had grown like roses. However, as time passed, the roses faded bloom by bloom, and the bright and beautiful parade that was their love began to falter.
Despite the effort to make everything right, the two lovers never knew where they were going, like they were both in a car with one having the pedals and the other having the wheel, but they were not entirely sure about the destination. The song suggests that even though we can try to make everything perfect, there are still limitations to what our heart can handle, and at some point, everything else starts to overflow. The singer advises the listener to ponder something in their heart before they leave, implying that it's essential to learn from past experiences.
The song has a profound message about love and relationships. It tells us that even though love can be beautiful, it is not permanent, and at some point, it can begin to falter, and there are no guarantees, just like in a journey with no destination. It also tells the listener to take time to reflect and learn from their experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
In the garden of love I saw
The singer is reflecting on a memory of being in a place called the garden of love
A moment of sun in her eye
During this memory, the singer saw a brief glimmer of hope or happiness in someone's eye
And everything was quiet
The atmosphere in the garden was still and peaceful
Starlight sigh and shadow move
In the garden, the artist witnessed the natural movement of light and shadow
Faltering, no faltering, faltering
The exact meaning of this line is unclear, but it likely represents the artist's own faltering or hesitation in the garden despite their surroundings remaining constant
Before you go
The singer is addressing someone who is about to leave
A few words for your heart
The singer is offering some words of wisdom or advice before the other person departs
Before you turn
The artist is emphasizing the importance of considering something before making a decision or taking a turn in life
Something to ponder in your heart as you go
The artist is encouraging the other person to reflect on their feelings and thoughts as they move forward in life
In our garden of love we grew
The artist is referring to a shared experience of growth and love with someone else
Roses so red our hearts were busted open
The singer describes a moment of overpowering love and emotion
All feeding on the dream we made
The artist is describing their life as being built on a shared dream or vision
The bright and beautiful parade
The singer is referring to the happy and colorful moments of their past
That bloom by bloom began to fade
The singer is reflecting on how the vivid moments of their past slowly faded away over time
And blow by blow, oh
The singer is describing how the happy times and memories slowly disappeared one by one
Stepping out into the light other side of the window
The artist is describing themselves moving on from the old memories and stepping into a new phase of life
Blinking and blind in the light other side of the window
The artist is describing how they may be overwhelmed by the new experiences and feeling unsure of themselves
Falter, no faltering now, other side of the window
The singer is encouraging themselves to move forward without giving in to doubt or hesitation
Falter, no faltering now, that journey is over, over
The singer is acknowledging that the old journey and memories are now behind them, and it's time to move forward confidently
There's only so much that our heart can grow
The artist is acknowledging that love can only take us so far before it becomes overwhelming or all-consuming
Then everything else starts to overflow
The artist is describing how love can begin infiltrating other areas of life and relationships, causing everything else to become unbalanced
But you're young and in love
The artist is addressing someone who is currently experiencing the overwhelming feelings of being young and in love
Back then there was no way of knowing
The singer is acknowledging that in the past, they themselves were once unaware of the impact that love would have on their lives
How we tried to make everything right
The artist is reflecting on their past attempts to keep their relationship and other aspects of their lives in harmony
How we fought and we talked through the night
The singer is likely describing how they and their partner had to work through difficulties and disagreements
How we nearly, we made it
The singer is acknowledging the progress and almost-successes of their relationship and shared dreams
And the terrible truth
The singer is acknowledging that there is a sad, painful reality that they must confront
Is we never knew where we were going
Despite their best efforts, the artist and their partner were unaware of where their relationship was ultimately heading
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MATTHEW HALES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind