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.
Fire Inside The Man
Savage Garden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Show me the way to the promised land
The fever that burns in my heart
You're the fire inside the man
Yes you are.
Whenever I feel like just giving up
Whenever my dreams just fade away
I just return to my heart 'cause I know that I'll find youThere yes I will.
And when the world is closing in
You come save me once again.
'Cause woman I need your guiding hand
Show me the way to the promised land
The fever that burns in my heart
You're the fire inside the man
Yes you are.
Well, there's never been a boy, who's luckier
There's never been more grateful man
And although I don't show it and I
I know what I've got with you
Yes I do.
'Cause Woman I need your guiding hand,
Show me the way to the promised land
The fever that burns in my heart
You're the fire inside the man
Yes you are.
And if there's a storm that's close at hand
You'll push it away, you'll understand
And I'll do anythingJust to please you
I'll do anything just to know that I can hold on to you.
Whenever I feel like just giving up
Whenever my dreams just fade away
I just return to my heart 'cause I know that I'll find you
There yes I will.
'Cause woman I need it
Woman I need it
Woman I need it
I need it
I need your guiding hand.
Woman I need your guiding hand
Show me the way to the promised land
The fever that burns in my heart
You're the fire inside the man
Yes you are.
'Cause woman I need your guiding hand
Show me the way to the promised land
The fever that burns in my heart
You're the fire inside the man
Yes you are.
You are.
The lyrics to Savage Garden's "Fire Inside The Man" are a declaration of love and appreciation for a woman who is seen as a guide and a source of strength for the singer. He acknowledges that he needs her help to find his way to the "promised land" and that she is the one who keeps him going when his dreams fade away. The chorus repeats the line "woman I need your guiding hand" several times, emphasizing the singer's dependence on this woman.
The metaphor of fire is also used in the lyrics, with the woman being described as the "fire inside the man" that burns in his heart. This could suggest that she is the source of his passion and inspiration, or perhaps that she is able to ignite something within him that he might not be able to ignite on his own.
Line by Line Meaning
Woman I need your guiding hand
I require your help, guidance, and direction in life.
Show me the way to the promised land
Guide me towards a better future, a place where all my dreams come true.
The fever that burns in my heart
The intense passion and desire that I have for you.
You're the fire inside the man
You ignite and fuel the passion and desire inside of me.
Yes you are.
Indeed, it is you who is the fire inside of me.
Whenever I feel like just giving up
When I'm at my lowest point and want to quit trying.
Whenever my dreams just fade away
When my hopes and aspirations appear to be disappearing.
I just return to my heart 'cause I know that I'll find you
I return to the love that we share because I'm confident that I'll find you there.
There yes I will.
In that love and bond that we share, that is where I know I'll find you.
And when the world is closing in
When everything seems to be coming to an end or falling apart.
You come save me once again.
You help me once again, just as you've done countless times before.
'Cause woman I need your guiding hand
Again, I require your aid, direction, and support to get me through tough times.
Well, there's never been a boy, who's luckier
I'm incredibly fortunate to have found someone like you in my life.
There's never been more grateful man
I'm more appreciative and thankful than any other man out there.
And although I don't show it and I
Even though I may not explicitly express my appreciation and gratitude,
I know what I've got with you
I'm extremely aware and conscious of how lucky I am to have you.
Yes I do.
I'm absolutely certain of how blessed I am to have you in my life.
And if there's a storm that's close at hand
If there's some difficulty or hardship looming in the future.
You'll push it away, you'll understand
You'll help me to deal with and overcome it, with empathy, and kindness.
And I'll do anything
I'm willing to do whatever it takes,
Just to please you
Just to make you happy and ensure your comfort and satisfaction.
I'll do anything just to know that I can hold on to you.
I'll do anything just to be sure that I can keep you close to me.
Woman I need it
Again, I need your nurturing and guidance,
I need your guiding hand.
I need your direction, your governance, your leadership.
You are.
Again, it's you I'm referring to, as only you can fulfill all of these needs.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DANIEL JONES, DARREN HAYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind