Hayes' first solo album Spin was released in 2002, carrying on in the same musical vein as Savage Garden, with a less soft rock sound and more edgy R&B vibe, although the first single Insatiable was a ballad, reaching Number 3 in Australia. Other singles "Strange Relationship", "Crush (1980 Me)" and "I Miss You" also performed well in charts.
Hayes spent two years working on his second solo album, The Tension And The Spark. Other than the track "I Forgive You" which was produced with Madonna collaborator Marius De Vries, the entire album was produced by Darren himself and Robert Conley (with whom he had previously toured and recorded Crush (1980 Me) for Spin). The album marked a bold change of direction from Hayes. Conley's production was almost entirely electronic, with acoustic instruments buried under walls of sequenced sounds. Although artistically this was a huge step forward and earned Hayes the strongest praise of his career, it seemed to alienate a large portion of his audience who were expecting another album of radio friendly pop songs. The first single Pop!ular was released on July 12, 2004. This single reached Number One on the US Dance Charts, and fared well in the UK. His follow up single, Darkness, failed to chart, leaving Dublin Sky - the planned third release - in limbo. Ironically, "Dublin Sky" was considered by many to be one of the strongest and most accessible songs on the album and the most likely to be a hit.
Truly Madly Completely, Savage Gardens greatest hits album was released in late 2005 and featured two new songs - So Beautiful and California. The tour, 'A Big Night In with Darren Hayes' followed in 2006. In July 2006, Hayes announced that he had married his boyfriend of two years, Richard Cullen, in a Civil Partnership Ceremony.
Hayes released a double album, This Delicate Thing We've Made, on 20 August 2007 on his newly formed independent label ''Powdered Sugar''. "The record features 25 songs recorded with the help of a Vintage 1983 Fairlight CMI syth - a cinematic, theatrical and epic Pop Opus." The first single to come from Hayes' third album was On the Verge of Something Wonderful to be followed by Me, Myself and (I) later in 2007.
In mid 2010, Hayes announced the completion of this fourth solo album. It is being mixed by Robert Orton. The album will be released in 2011.
The first single from Darren's new album Secret Codes and Battleships is called 'Talk Talk Talk' and will be released on iTunes worldwide on June 24 the same day it is delivered to radio and the music video is released online and debuts on T.V.
Darren wrote and recorded the song in Sweden with producer Carl Falk - it was mixed by Robert Orton and mastered by Bob Ludwig.
On iTunes there'll also be a b-side - Darren's cover version of Madonna's 'Angel'.
2022: Do You Remember?
On 26 January 2022, Hayes released a new single, "Let's Try Being in Love". A music video for the song was released the same day, starring Hayes and featuring actor Scott Evans. The video was directed by Andrew Putschoegl.[20] Referred to as a "queer anthem"[21] by NME, in promotional interviews, Hayes explained “I’ve been married to Richard [Cullen] for almost 17 years, [and] I’m in this really comfortable place in my life. But at the same time at mid-life I’m grieving the fact I never got to celebrate who I really was at the period of my life where I was most famous. I look at this world we live in now where someone like Lil Nas X can push forward his true self, full of pride and self-love and have the chance to be loved for who he truly is [...] A lot of the time I was my most famous, I was deeply sad.” Less than 24 hours of release, "Let's Try Being in Love" debuted at number 96 on the Official UK Singles Download Chart Top 100 and at number 98 on the Official UK Singles Sales Chart Top 100.[22][23] “I wanted to show I love the feminine in me, be proud of the gay me. There’s a dance scene that is so passionate, everything’s alive and thriving and blooming. That’s how I feel in general about music. And that’s a hugely sharp contrast to how I felt 10 years ago.”
On 27 January 2022, Hayes announced he would be headlining the 2022 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade and would be performing on 5 March 2022.[24] Hayes performed "The Animal Song", "I Want You", "Affirmation" plus, live for the very first time, "Let's Try Being in Love".[25][26][27]
Since 2013, Hayes stopped his music career and tried to build stand-up comedy career. At the same time, he kept creating short singing videos in his social media accounts for his fans. In 2018 Hayes briefly returned on stage with one-off performance of two songs, including "I Knew I Loved You". In 2019, Hayes featured on Cub Sport’s single “I Never Cried So Much in My Whole Life”. He did not appear in the official video. In 2020 he recorded a new version of "Truly Madly Deeply" with slightly modified lyrics. The video of his studio performance was released on YouTube on 24 April.
On 2 March 2022, Hayes announced the "Do You Remember?" Tour that would be performed in six Australian cities between January and February 2023 and would feature songs from his musical career as part of Savage Garden and as a solo artist. On 10 March 2022, Hayes released the single "Do You Remember?",[28][29][30] following with the official video on 16 March 2022.[31]
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darren_Hayes
Step Into The Light
Darren Hayes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I am godless
A wasteland of poison
A hidden fortress
I have blackened out the stars
And hidden frequencies
I have silenced all the waves
And forbidden secrecies
So step into your light
This dog doesn't bite, oh
I just wanna be your friend
You know, I've never been in love before
I've never been in love before
There is nothing of you now
No ghost, no not a trace
No flower, not a seed
Nor perfume in your place
I have searched amidst
A barren plane of emptiness
I am worthless, It is futile
You're invisible, I am infantile
So step into your light, oh
This dog doesn't bite, oh
I just wanna be your friend
You know, I've never been in love before
I've never been in love before
I have murdered the divine in me
Set the goodness free
I have squandered it all
I am less than the sum
I am parts of the whole
There is something missing
There is something I stole
(There is something I stole)
(There is something I stole)
(There is something I stole)
(There is something I stole)
Why have you forsaken me?
Where do you hide?
I feel the betrayal
Simmers, it blisters
It digs down and burrows
Deeper inside, more than a try
(I've never been in love before)
I cannot deny
(I've never been in love before)
That it
(I've never been in love before)
It feels like
It feels like
It feels like
It feels like
It feels like
It feels like
(I've never been in love before)
(I've never been in love before)
(I've never been in love before)
(I've never been in love before)
(I've never been in love before)
(I've never been in love before)
Love
So step into the light, oh
This dog doesn't bite, oh
I just wanna be your friend
You know that I've never been in love before
I've never been in love before
So step into the light, oh
You know this dog doesn't bite, oh
They caught up our hands
You know, I've never been in love before
Darren Hayes' song "Step Into The Light" is a melancholic and introspective piece, wherein the singer is coming to terms with his inner demons and the lack of love and connection in his life. The lyrics describe a state of emotional barrenness and emptiness, where the singer has turned away from the divine, from love, and from himself, creating a wasteland of poison and silence. The singer then implores the listener to step out of their own darkness and into their own light, and to allow the singer to be their friend.
The second verse describes the singer's desperation and his search for something he has lost or stolen, as he feels the betrayal of being forsaken. Despite his attempts to murder and squander the goodness within him, he realizes there is still something missing, something he cannot quite put his finger on. The repetition of "I've never been in love before" reinforces the idea that the singer is lost and has never experienced that kind of connection.
Overall, "Step Into The Light" is a powerful and evocative song that delves into the depths of despair and the possibility of finding light and connection in a world that is often barren and devoid of love.
Line by Line Meaning
I have turned away from you
I have distanced myself from you
And I am godless
I have abandoned my faith
A wasteland of poison
I have become a toxic environment
A hidden fortress
I have isolated myself
I have blackened out the stars
I have lost sight of hope
And hidden frequencies
I have shut myself off from the world
I have silenced all the waves
I have tuned out meaningful communication
And forbidden secrecies
I have prevented sharing and vulnerability
So step into your light
Embrace your true self
This dog doesn't bite, oh
I mean no harm
I just wanna be your friend
I desire companionship
You know, I've never been in love before
I have never experienced romantic love
There is nothing of you now
You are absent
No ghost, no not a trace
You have disappeared completely
No flower, not a seed
No hope or growth toward the future
Nor perfume in your place
No lingering essence or memory
I have searched amidst
I have scoured through
A barren plane of emptiness
A desolate and hollow landscape
I am worthless, It is futile
I feel insignificant and useless
You're invisible, I am infantile
You are unseen, while I am immature and underdeveloped
I have murdered the divine in me
I have extinguished my goodness and spirituality
Set the goodness free
Release my inner goodness
I have squandered it all
I have wasted everything
I am less than the sum
I am worth less than my parts
I am parts of the whole
I am a small part of a larger universe
There is something missing
Something is lacking
There is something I stole
I have taken something that wasn't mine
Why have you forsaken me?
Why have you abandoned me?
Where do you hide?
Where have you gone?
I feel the betrayal
I sense a broken trust
Simmers, it blisters
It eats away at me
It digs down and burrows
It penetrates deep within me
Deeper inside, more than a try
Much more than a surface-level effort
Love
An overwhelming feeling of affection and connection
They caught up our hands
Our hands are interlocked
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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