In July of 1996, under Roadshow Music, the duo released their debut single I Want You. The single was a hit in Australia and became the year's highest-selling by an Australian artist. The success of the single garnered much interest from many U.S. record labels and in September, Columbia Records won the bidding war to sign the band. In November a second single, To The Moon And Back, was released and was another chart hit—reaching No. 1 in January of the following year.
"I Want You" was released in the United States in February 1997, where it peaked at No. 4 and quickly achieved gold status. Truly Madly Deeply, the band's third Australian single, was released in March and reached No. 1 just before "I Want You" was released across Europe in April. The duo’s debut album, Savage Garden, entered the Australian charts at No. 1 in March and remained at that peak for 17 weeks—it was released around the world two weeks later. At the end of May, “To The Moon And Back” became the most played song on U.S. radio.
In June 1997, a fourth single, Break Me, Shake Me was released in Australia as the band's debut album sat at No. 3 on the U.S. charts and was certified gold by the ARIA. By the end of August, the album was seven-times platinum in Australia, triple-platinum in Canada, and double-platinum in New Zealand and Singapore. At the end of August, Savage Garden received a record 13 ARIA awards nominations. The 10 ARIAs won by them in September was also a record, and one that still stands today. Riding this massive wave of popularity was the release of their fifth Australian single, Universe. By November that year, "Truly Madly Deeply" became their third U.S. release, shooting up the charts to blow Elton John’s "Candle In The Wind 1997" out of its 14-week run at the number-one spot. By the end of 1997, Darren and Daniel had become international stars.
In January 1998, All Around Me, a sixth single, was released just as the band kicked off their worldwide tour in Cairns, Australia. By the end of the year, "Truly Madly Deeply" was the most-played song on U.S. radio and the only one-sided single to spend a full year in the Top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100.
The Animal Song (featured in the Disney film The Other Sister), the first single from the follow-up album Affirmation was released in February 1999 and became a hit in Australia and the US. That September saw the release of a new single previewing their forthcoming album; the smooth, romantic ballad, I Knew I Loved You.
The duo's second album, Affirmation, was released in November 1999 globally. It took a month for it to go platinum in the US, largely due to the success of the single "I Knew I Loved You," which hit #1 on the charts, eventually going platinum and becoming the most-played single on US radio for the year.
Affirmation saw a new turn for Savage Garden; their looks had more similarities to that of mainstream pop and some of their new songs possessed a more adult contemporary sound.
The group finished out the year by winning two Billboard Music Awards: Adult Contemporary Single of the Year and Hot 100 Singles Airplay of the Year.
In February 2000, as Crash and Burn became the third single from their second album, 1997's "Truly Madly Deeply" was amazingly still on the Monitor/Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay Chart, breaking the record for length of time of any single on that chart. It would finally drop off the chart after 123 weeks.
In June, Darren Hayes performed O Sole Mio at Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti's annual charitable benefit concert Pavarotti and Friends. Savage Garden's great success was reflected once again at the Billboard Music Awards, where they won Best Adult Contemporary Video and No. 1 Adult Contemporary Song of the Year, for "I Knew I Loved You", and No. 1 Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year. "I Knew I Loved You" stayed on the Monitor/Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay Chart for 124 weeks – overtaking the duo's own record previously set by "Truly Madly Deeply".
In October 2001, the band split and Darren Hayes went on to enjoy further success with albums Spin (2002), The Tension And The Spark (2004) and This Delicate Thing We've Made (2007).
As of 2005, the band’s debut album had been certified 12-times platinum in Australia, six-times platinum in the United States, and double-platinum in the United Kingdom.
A Thousand Words
Savage Garden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Decaying friendships almost died
And hide behind a mask of lies
We twist and turn and we avoid
All hope and salvage now devoid
I see the truth behind your eyes
So take all this noise to your brain
And send it back againI'll bare the cost shed my skin call
You up and then...
I'll say the words out loud
You could resurrect a thousand
Words to deceive me more and more
A thousand words will give the
Reasons why I don't need you
Anymore
Time manipulates your heart,
Preconceptions torn apart
Begin to doubt my state of mind
But I won't go down on what I said
I won't retract convictions read
I may perplex, but I'm not blind
So take all this noise to your brain
Send it back again
I'll bear the cost shed my skin,
Call you up and then
I'll say the words out loud
You could resurrect a thousand
Words to deceive me more and more
A thousand words will give the
Reasons why I don't needYou anymore
I'll say the words out loud. I'll say
A thousand words or more
Manipulation. Fabricaton.
Conversation. Annihalation.
I'll say a thousand words or more
Domination. Frustration. Elevation.
Procreation.
I'll say a thousand words our more
You could resurrect a thousand
Words to deceive me more and more
A thousand words will give the
Reasons why I don't need you anymore
The lyrics of Savage Garden's song A Thousand Words speak of a tumultuous relationship rife with deceit, manipulation, and lies. The first stanza describes the decay of a friendship and the buildup of lies, leading to the loss of hope and salvage. The singer sees through the mask of lies and is ready to bare the cost, shed their skin, and speak the truth out loud.
The second stanza explores the singer's steadfastness in their convictions and the doubts that arise in their partner's mind. The singer again reiterates their willingness to speak the truth, even if it may perplex others. The chorus warns the partner against using a thousand words to deceive the singer and explains how those words will provide reasons to move on from the relationship.
The last stanza presents a list of various words that the singer is ready to speak, including manipulation, fabrication, conversation, and even procreation. The chorus is repeated, reminding the partner that even a thousand words won't change the singer's mind.
Overall, the song is about the importance of honesty and truthfulness in a relationship and how a lack of these values can lead to a toxic and broken friendship/relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
We stumble in a tangled web
We are stuck in a complex and difficult situation
Decaying friendships almost died
Our friendships were deteriorating and at the brink of ending
And hide behind a mask of lies
We pretend and use deception to cover up the truth
We twist and turn and we avoid
We evade facing our problems and keep changing our approach
All hope and salvage now devoid
We have lost all hope and possibility of saving the situation
I see the truth behind your eyes
I can perceive the reality from looking into your eyes
So take all this noise to your brain
You should process and understand all this chaos in your mind
And send it back again
And respond to it appropriately
I'll bare the cost, shed my skin, call
I will face the consequences, be vulnerable and initiate contact
You up and then...
Reach out to you to talk
I'll say the words out loud
I will speak the truth boldly and openly
You could resurrect a thousand words to deceive me more and more
You could use a lot of words to mislead and trick me even more
A thousand words will give the reasons why I don't need you anymore
Plenty of words will justify why I no longer require your presence or involvement
Time manipulates your heart, preconceptions torn apart
Time can distort your feelings, and new information can challenge old beliefs
Begin to doubt my state of mind, but I won't go down on what I said
You may question my mental state, but I will not retract my previous statements
I won't retract convictions read, I may perplex but I'm not blind
I stand by my previous opinions, and though I may confuse you, I am not ignorant
Manipulation, fabrication. Conversation, annihilation
Communication can include manipulation and lies with a goal of destroying it
I'll say a thousand words or more, domination, frustration, elevation, procreation
I can employ many words, emotions, and motives- domination, frustration, elevation or procreation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DANIEL JONES, DARREN HAYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind