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.
Violet
Savage Garden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be everything you want to be
Would you complain that it came too easy?
Just like the games with you and me
A resolution hard to see
But that's OK 'cause I don't
See things that are plain to see
Exploding like a supernova
I'm gonna crash into your world
And that's no lie
You want to give ecstasy delivered
With certainty
But you're afraid that the pleasure
Won't be needed
In a way, we're the same two people
Looking out to sea
For a wave that would carry all our fantasies
If there's a way to infiltrate you
Sway your mind and complicate you
I'm gonna crash into your world
And that's no lie
Let your body move into the doorway
To the disco inside your head (Violet)
Wear a color that you want to cling to
The color inside your head (Violet)
Contemplate jealousy intermixed
With urgency
A million things take a damned
Good shot at you and me
If there's a way to infiltrate you
Sway your mind and complicate you
I'm gonna crash into your world
And that's no lie
Let your body move into the doorway
To the disco inside your head (Violet)
Wear a color that you want to cling to
The color inside your head (Violet)
I'm gonna take you
I'll do my best to break you
I'm gonna take you higher
And that's no lie
Common sense is a game many
People don't like to play
But give it in and the moment takes
You either way
I've got a dream to take you over
Exploding like a supernova
I'm gonna crash into your world
And that's no lie
Let your body move into the doorway
To the disco inside your head (Violet)
Wear a color that you want to cling to
The color inside your head (Violet)
If there's a way that you could
Be everything you want to be,
Would you complain that it came too easy?
In a way, we're the same two people
Looking out to sea
For a wave that would carry all our fantasies
The lyrics to Savage Garden's song "Violet" speak about the desire to be everything one wants to be, yet the fear of it coming too easily. The song begins with questioning whether one would complain if they could easily be everything they want to be. The idea of complacency is brought up through a metaphor of games that are hard to win, leading to an uncertain resolution. However, the lyrics suggest that this uncertainty is okay because the singer doesn't see things that are plain to see.
The chorus expresses a dream of crashing into the target's world like a supernova and taking them higher. The lyrics are filled with imagery of ecstasy and pleasure being delivered. The singer wonders if they can infiltrate the person's mind to sway and complicate their thoughts. The bridge speaks about contemplating jealousy intermixed with urgency and how there are a million things that take a good shot at them.
The song concludes with the idea of common sense being a game that many people don't like to play. The singer reiterates their dream of taking their partner over and exploding like a supernova. They also encourage the partner to let go of their inhibitions and let their body move into the doorway of the disco inside their head while wearing a color that they want to cling to. The song ends with both people looking out to sea for a wave that would carry all their fantasies.
Line by Line Meaning
If there's a way that you could
Be everything you want to be
Would you complain that it came too easy?
If you were given the opportunity to become your ideal self, would you feel unsatisfied if the process was effortless?
Just like the games with you and me
A resolution hard to see
But that's OK 'cause I don't
See things that are plain to see
Our relationship is like a complicated game, and the outcome is uncertain, but that's fine because I tend to ignore obvious situations.
I've got a dream to take you over
Exploding like a supernova
I'm gonna crash into your world
And that's no lie
I have a bold vision to captivate you with an intense, unstoppable force, and it will happen as promised.
You want to give ecstasy delivered
With certainty
But you're afraid that the pleasure
Won't be needed
You desire to bring joy to me, but you fear that I won't require it.
In a way, we're the same two people
Looking out to sea
For a wave that would carry all our fantasies
We share similar aspirations and await an opportunity for our dreams to come true.
If there's a way to infiltrate you
Sway your mind and complicate you
I'm gonna crash into your world
And that's no lie
If there is a method to infiltrate and influence you, I will relentlessly execute it, and it is not a falsehood.
Let your body move into the doorway
To the disco inside your head (Violet)
Wear a color that you want to cling to
The color inside your head (Violet)
Allow yourself to enter the gateway to your imagination, where a vivid world resides, and allow that euphoric realm to influence you by visualizing your favorite color.
Contemplate jealousy intermixed
With urgency
A million things take a damned
Good shot at you and me
Think about the combination of envy and impatience and acknowledge that countless obstacles can impact our relationship.
I'm gonna take you
I'll do my best to break you
I'm gonna take you higher
And that's no lie
I will lead and challenge you to become better, and I will elevate you to new heights, and I am honest about it.
Common sense is a game many
People don't like to play
But give it in and the moment takes
You either way
Although common sense is essential, many people avoid using it, but eventually, it will prevail and influence you regardless.
If there's a way that you could
Be everything you want to be,
Would you complain that it came too easy?
In a way, we're the same two people
Looking out to sea
For a wave that would carry all our fantasies
Returning to the beginning of the song, if you had the chance to become your ultimate self, would you find the process too simple? In the end, we strive for the same thing and wait for that perfect opportunity to achieve it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DANIEL JONES, DARREN HAYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind