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
The Sun Is Always Blinding Me
Darren Hayes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the tip of a dragonfly wing
From the shine of a hood of cab
To a shimmering diamond within on a ring
That was worn through two world wars
From a smile that soars though its old and worn
And two blue eyes forever seem in cold, oh
The sun is always blinding me with her light
The day is always hiding behind the night
And one day everybody will be alright
Go on blinding me with her light, ooh
From the glare of a red traffic light
To the blur of a bicycle wheel
From the flare of a camera lens
To a fluorescent light that ignites and displays
Someone leaving a goodbye note
From a pen made of steel and reflection of hope
And it took some words to stir an aching soul, ooh
The sun is always blinding me with her light
The day is always hiding behind the night
And one day everybody will be alright
Go on blinding me with her light
From a fire that burns in the darkest well of a cave so enslaved
I can hear her yell, I can tell this bird just wants to be free, oh, no, no
So set her free, ooh
Ooh, and if this world should ever leave you cold, ooh
The sun is always blinding me with her light
The day is always hiding behind the night
And one day everybody will be alright
Go on blinding me with her light
The sun is always blinding me with her light
The day is always hiding behind the night
And one day everybody will be alright
Go on blinding me with her light, ooh
It's gonna be alright, oh
In Darren Hayes's song The Sun Is Always Blinding Me, the repetitive use of the phrase "blinding me with her light" seems to be a metaphor for the way the world can be overwhelming and overpowering. The song jumps from place to place and showcases different experiences that are all united by this idea of being blinded. The imagery used is both natural and manmade, such as the top of a church or the glare of a red traffic light. However, in every instance, the overwhelming brightness of the world is being highlighted. The chorus is reassuring, with Hayes singing "one day everybody will be alright". It's almost as if through the blinding light, there is still hope to be found.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was originally written and recorded for Hayes's album Secret Codes and Battleships, but was ultimately cut from the final track listing. However, it was later released as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of the album. Another interesting fact is that the song was used in a commercial for the makeup brand Estée Lauder. In the commercial, model Joan Smalls walks through different scenes while the song plays, ultimately ending up on a rooftop with a beautiful view of the city. The music video for the song features footage of Hayes performing the song live, as well as shots of various beautiful landscapes such as beaches and mountainscapes.
Additionally, The Sun Is Always Blinding Me was co-written by Australian singer-songwriter Andrew Farriss, who is best known for his work as a founding member of the band INXS. The song itself is a departure from much of Hayes's earlier work, which tended to be more pop-oriented. It was a conscious effort on Hayes's part to explore new sounds and styles in his music. Finally, the song was received positively by critics, with one reviewer calling it "an interesting exploration of sound" and praising Hayes's ability to "paint pictures with his words".
Chords: Unfortunately, the chords to The Sun Is Always Blinding Me are currently unavailable.
Line by Line Meaning
From the top of a church on a hill
From the highest point with the greatest view
To the tip of a dragonfly wing
To the tiniest detail that's barely seen
From the shine of a hood of cab
From the reflection of a surface
To a shimmering diamond within on a ring
To something precious and valuable
That was worn through two world wars
That has withstood the test of time and hardship
From a smile that soars though its old and worn
From a happy expression despite feeling tired and beaten
And two blue eyes forever seem in cold, oh
And the eyes that once shone bright now seem lifeless
The sun is always blinding me with her light
The brightness of life sometimes overwhelms me
The day is always hiding behind the night
Sometimes it's hard to see the good in the darkness
And one day everybody will be alright
Despite the hardships, everything will work out in the end
From the glare of a red traffic light
From the harshness of rules and restrictions
To the blur of a bicycle wheel
To the motion of freedom and adventure
From the flare of a camera lens
From capturing life's moments
To a fluorescent light that ignites and displays
To a man-made light that shows us what we need to see
Someone leaving a goodbye note
Someone leaving a message when they depart
From a pen made of steel and reflection of hope
From the power of words to inspire and motivate
And it took some words to stir an aching soul, ooh
And it takes something special to move someone who is hurting
From a fire that burns in the darkest well of a cave so enslaved
From a place of darkness and captivity
I can hear her yell, I can tell this bird just wants to be free, oh, no, no
I can sense the desire for liberty and escape
So set her free, ooh
Allow the bird to fly away
Ooh, and if this world should ever leave you cold, ooh
And when life seems harsh, cruel and uninviting
It's gonna be alright, oh
Everything will get better in time
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Darren Stanley Hayes, Francis Anthony White
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind