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.
Last Christmas
Savage Garden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the very next day, you gave it away.
This year, to save me from tears,
I'll give it to someone special.
Last Christmas I gave you my heart,
But the very next day, you gave it away.
This year, to save me from tears,
I'll give it someone,
Special
Someone... oooh...
Once bitten, and twice shy,
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye.
Tell me, baby,
Do you recognize me?
Well, it's been a year,
It doesn't surprise me.
Happy Christmas.
I wrapped it up and sent it,
With a letter,
Saying "I love you", I meant it.
Now I know,
What I fool I've been.
But if you kiss me now,
I know you'll fool me again.
Last Christmas I gave you my heart,
But the very next day, you gave it away.
This year, to save me from tears,
I'll give it to someone special.
Last Christmas I gave you my heart,
But the very next day, you gave it away.
This year, to save me from tears,
I'll give it to someone special. (special) Special! Someone!
A crowded room,
Friends with tired eyes.
I'm hiding from you,
And your soul of ice.
My God, I thought you were someone to rely on,
Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on.
A face on a lover,
With a fire in his heart.
A man undercover,
But you tore me apart.
Oooh.. now I've found a real love,
You'll never fool me again
Last Christmas I gave you my heart,
But the very next day, you gave it away.
This year, to save me from tears,
I'll give it to someone special. x 2
Someone!
Guilty feet have got no rythm,
Guilty feet have got no rythm,
No no! Ooh-ooh.
Now I found a real love will never fool Me again!
Someone!
The song begins with the singer talking about how they gave their heart to someone last Christmas, but unfortunately, they gave it away the very next day. The singer then explains that they will give their heart to someone special this year to save themselves from tears. The repeated chorus emphasizes the importance of giving their heart to someone special to avoid heartbreak.
The next verse talks about how the singer is cautious around the person because they've been burned once before. They wonder if the person recognizes them after a year of time has passed. The third verse deals with the singer confessing their love to the person in the form of a letter, but they now realize that they were a fool for doing so. However, if the person were to kiss the singer now, they know that they would be fooled again.
The bridge talks about the crowded atmosphere of a party or gathering and how the singer is hiding from the person because they have a "soul of ice". The chorus repeats once more, reinforcing the idea of not making the same mistake they did last Christmas. Finally, the song concludes with the singer declaring they've found a real love and the person they previously loved will never fool them again.
Line by Line Meaning
Last Christmas I gave you my heart,
Last year, during Christmas, I gave you my utmost love and passion,
But the very next day, you gave it away.
But you broke my heart almost immediately after I gave you my love.
This year, to save me from tears,
But to avoid heartbreak and sadness this year,
I'll give it to someone special.
I will give my love and passion to someone special and deserving.
Once bitten, and twice shy,
After being hurt once, I cautious and reluctant to put myself in that vulnerable position again.
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye.
Even though, I try to avoid or ignore you, I am still drawn towards you.
Tell me, baby, do you recognize me? Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me.
I wonder if you remember me and the love I gave you, but it's been a year, so I expect you to forget.
Happy Christmas. I wrapped it up and sent it, with a letter, saying "I love you", I meant it.
Merry Christmas! I sent you a present and a letter expressing my love, and I truly meant every word.
Now I know, what a fool I've been. But if you kiss me now, I know you'll fool me again.
Now I realize how foolish I was to give you my heart. But even if you kiss me now, I know you will break my heart again.
A crowded room, friends with tired eyes. I'm hiding from you, and your soul of ice.
In a room full of people, with all my friends tired from partying, I'm avoiding you and your cold, unfeeling personality.
My God, I thought you were someone to rely on, me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on.
Oh my God, I had faith in you and thought I could rely on you. But instead, I ended up comforting you when you cried on my shoulder.
A face on a lover, with a fire in his heart. A man undercover, but you tore me apart.
You appeared to be a passionate lover, but in reality, you were hiding something. And eventually, you broke my heart.
Now I've found a real love, you'll never fool me again.
But now, I've found true, genuine love, and I won't let you trick or deceive me again.
Guilty feet have got no rhythm, guilty feet have got no rhythm, no no! Ooh-ooh.
People who are dishonest or unfaithful cannot maintain a steady, truthful beat, no no!
Last Christmas I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special.
Repeating the same lines again to emphasize the heartbreaking and bittersweet experience of love and loss during the holiday season.
Contributed by Owen W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Chris Pena
My all time favorite version of Last Christmas!!!!
Iris Edmondson
Nobody could cover a wham song better then Darren Hayes .
yuan wang
So true
Jennifer Rowley
I LOVE IT
Iris Edmondson
How can anyone not like this version of last Christmas be Darren Hayes and savage garden
Athena Starshine
THEY PLAY THIS AT WORK ALL THE TIME AND I WAS LIKE THIS HAS TO BE SAVAGE GARDEN AND I WAS RIGHT OMFG
Shrikant Gadge
This is the best version ever. Better than original
Pearly Sutton
I love last Christmas song by George Michael but to me Savage garden sings it a lot better thank you YouTube for posting this brilliant and most played song at Christmas time Merry Christmas Savage garden and thank you for singing last Christmas amen
Jennifer Rowley
MY FAVORITE MUSIC
Jennifer Rowley
I LIKE IT