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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The Lover After Me
Darren Hayes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wouldn't think of you today
It's been seven months and counting
You've moved on
I still feel exactly the same
It's just the that everywhere I go
All the buildings know your name like
Photographs and memories of love
The city calls your name and I can't move on
Ever since you've been gone
The lights go out the same
The only difference is
You call another name
To your love
To your lover now
To your love
Am I all alone in the universe?
There's no love on these streets
I have given mine away to a world
That didn't want it anyway
So this is my new freedom
It's funny, but I don't remember being chained
But nothing seems to make sense anymore
Without you I'm always twenty minutes late
Ever since you've been gone
The lights go out the same
The only difference is
You call another name
To your love
To your lover now
To your love
And time goes by so slowly
The nights are cold and lonely
I shouldn't be holding on
But I'm still holding on for you
Here I go again, I promised myself
I wouldn't think of you today
But I'm standing at your doorway
I'm calling out your name 'cause I can't move on
Ever since you've been gone
The lights go out the same
The only difference is
You call another name
To your love
To your lover now
To your love
"The Lover After Me" by Darren Hayes is a melancholic ballad about a man who is struggling to move on after a break-up. The singer promises himself he would try to forget her and move on, but he still thinks about her every day, even though she has already moved on to someone else. The city holds too many memories of her; every building triggers memories of their past love. The singer also questions whether he is alone in the universe and wonders why he has given his love away to a world that didn't want it anyway. Even though he knows it's time to let go of his past lover, he finds it hard to move on and is still holding on to her.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I go again, I promised myself
The singer is struggling to move on from a past lover.
I wouldn't think of you today
Despite the promise not to think of their ex-lover, they are currently having a hard time moving on.
It's been seven months and counting
Seven months have passed since the relationship ended.
You've moved on
The ex-lover has already started a new relationship.
I still feel exactly the same
The singer's feelings for their ex-lover haven't changed since the break-up.
It's just that everywhere I go
The singer is reminded of their ex-lover wherever they go.
All the buildings know your name like
Everywhere the singer goes, they see things that remind them of their ex-lover.
Photographs and memories of love
The singer is surrounded by things that remind them of their past relationship.
Steel and granite reminders
Even the buildings and structures around them hold memories of their past love.
The city calls your name and I can't move on
The city itself reminds the singer of their ex-lover, making it difficult for them to move on.
To your love, to your lover now, to your love
The singer is aware that their ex-lover has moved on to someone new.
Am I all alone in the universe?
The singer is feeling alone and lost after the break-up.
There's no love on these streets
The singer feels like there is no love or hope left in the world.
I have given mine away to a world that didn't want it anyway
The singer feels like they have given their love to the wrong person or to a world that doesn't appreciate it.
So this is my new freedom
Although the singer is alone now, they are trying to find joy in their newfound freedom.
It's funny, but I don't remember being chained
The singer didn't realize they were trapped in a loveless relationship until after it ended.
But nothing seems to make sense anymore
The singer is struggling to make sense of life after the break-up.
Without you I'm always twenty minutes late
The singer is having a difficult time adjusting to life without their ex-lover and is constantly running behind schedule.
And time goes by so slowly
The singer feels like time is moving too slowly since the break-up.
The nights are cold and lonely
The singer feels lonely and isolated at night.
I shouldn't be holding on
The singer knows they shouldn't be holding onto the past, but they can't help it.
But I'm still holding on for you
Despite knowing it's not healthy, the singer is still holding onto their feelings for their ex-lover.
But I'm standing at your doorway
The singer is at their ex-lover's doorstep, unwilling to let go.
I'm calling out your name 'cause I can't move on
The singer is still struggling to move on and is hoping for reconciliation with their ex-lover.
Writer(s): Daniel Jones, Darren Hayes
Contributed by Jack N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.