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.
Tears of Pearls
Savage Garden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like victims in the grind
Probing all the weakness and
Hurt still left behind and we cry
The tears of pearls
We do it. Oh we do it.
Is love really the tragedy the way youMight describe?
Or would a thousand lovers
Still leave you cold inside?
Make you cry
These tears of pearls
All these mixed emotions
We keep locked away like stolen pearls
Stolen pearl devotions we
Keep locked away from all the world
Your kisses are like pearls,
So different and so rare
But anger stole the jewels away
And love has left you bare,
Made you cry
These tears of pearls
Well I could be the tired joker
Pour my heart to get you in
Sacrifice my happiness just so I could win
Maybe cry
These tears of pearls
All these mixed emotions
We keep locked away like stolen pearlsStolen pearl devotions we
Keep locked away from all the world
We twist and turn where angels burn
Like fallen soldiers we will learn
Once forgotten, twice removed
Love will be the death
The death of you
All these mixed emotions
We keep locked away like stolen pearls
Stolen pearl devotions we
Keep locked away from all the world
The lyrics of "Tears of Pearls" by Savage Garden describe a relationship marked by hurt and vulnerability. The lovers stare each other down, probing each other's weaknesses and the hurts that still linger. These emotions are so intense that they are compared to tears of pearls. The lines "Is love really the tragedy the way you might describe? / Or would a thousand lovers still leave you cold inside?" suggest that despite the intensity of their emotions, they are struggling to find a love that can truly satisfy them.
The song continues with descriptions of emotions that are kept hidden from the world, like stolen pearls. The imagery of pearls is used here to suggest that these emotions are valuable, but also vulnerable to being stolen or lost. The chorus repeats, with the lovers crying tears of pearls and questioning whether love is worth the pain it causes. The lines "Your kisses are like pearls, / So different and so rare / But anger stole the jewels away / And love has left you bare" suggest that even though love can be precious like pearls, it can also be taken away just as easily.
The song concludes with the lines "We twist and turn where angels burn / Like fallen soldiers we will learn / Once forgotten, twice removed / Love will be the death / The death of you." These metaphors suggest that love can be a struggle and that it can bring pain and even cause one's own downfall. The use of the image of pearls throughout the lyrics adds a layer of metaphorical complexity to an already emotionally charged song.
Line by Line Meaning
And we stare each other down
We look into each other's eyes, searching for any sign of weakness.
Like victims in the grind
Our relationship often feels like it is struggling to survive.
Probing all the weakness and
We explore each other's vulnerabilities because we're both hurt.
Hurt still left behind and we cry
We are both still in pain and we can't help but cry.
The tears of pearls
Our tears are like precious pearls.
We do it. Oh we do it.
We can't help but cry, we do it a lot.
Is love really the tragedy the way you
Love can be considered a tragedy if you frame it that way.
Might describe?
Or would a thousand lovers
Having many lovers may not be enough to fill an emotional gap.
Still leave you cold inside?
It's possible to still feel empty even if you have many lovers.
Make you cry
It can still hurt, even with many lovers.
These tears of pearls
We still cry tears that are like precious pearls.
All these mixed emotions
We have many different feelings and they are often conflicting.
We keep locked away like stolen pearls
We keep our emotions hidden away and protected, like stolen pearls.
Stolen pearl devotions we
Our devotion to each other is like stolen pearls.
Keep locked away from all the world
We keep our love hidden from others, and we keep it to ourselves.
Your kisses are like pearls,
Your kisses are rare and precious.
So different and so rare
Your kisses are unique and very special.
But anger stole the jewels away
But anger and hurt have taken away the precious parts of our relationship.
And love has left you bare,
Our love has left us feeling exposed and vulnerable.
Made you cry
Our love has made us cry.
These tears of pearls
Our tears are like precious pearls.
Well I could be the tired joker
I could put on a facade of being happy, even though I am exhausted.
Pour my heart to get you in
I could open up and pour out my heart to try and win you over.
Sacrifice my happiness just so I could win
I would give up my own happiness to try to make our relationship work.
Maybe cry
I might end up crying regardless.
These tears of pearls
Our tears are like precious pearls.
We twist and turn where angels burn
Our relationship feels like it is in chaos, where even angels may struggle.
Like fallen soldiers we will learn
As our relationship struggles, we will learn from the mistakes and the hardships that we face.
Once forgotten, twice removed
We may forget our love for each other, but only time will tell.
Love will be the death
Our love may be the downfall of our relationship.
The death of you
Our love will lead to the loss of you from my life.
All these mixed emotions
We have many different feelings and they are often conflicting.
We keep locked away like stolen pearls
We keep our emotions hidden away, as if they are precious pearls that need protecting.
Stolen pearl devotions we
Our devotion to each other is like stolen pearls.
Keep locked away from all the world
We keep our love hidden from others and only between us.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DANIEL JONES, DARREN HAYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind