Through worldwide sales of l1 million of its l997 self-titled debut, Savage Garden has formed a definition of pop music with the most positive connotations, thanks to their hit singles," I What You," " To The Moon And Back," and" Truly Madly Deeply." Australia-bred duo Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones grab people´s hearts with their intelligent lyrics, gloriously accessible melodies and crafty production.
With the release of their emotionally-charged second album "AFFIRMATION," Hayes and Jones are embarking on a brave new journey, more intimate than ever and yet universal via its prevailing themes of love and love lost, despair, and hope and faith. "Musically, lyrically, and performance-wise, we wanted this album to grow out of something natural," says Hayes. "It´s almost beautifully sad, in a kind of bittersweet way. "
Hayes practically forced himself into emotional upheaval by transplanting from his home in Australia and moving to Manhattan for a year in 1998. "I placed myself in very adverse conditions because I was intent on making a record that could be a soundtrack not just to my life, but to everybody´s lives," Hayes says. "I experienced very real things, where I had to make new friends, to miss my family, to carry six bags of groceries from the corner market to my apartment without a car or a trolley--- just the normal day-to-day struggle of being in a new place." Among the tracks on the album is first single "I Knew I Loved You," a sweet ballad. The song glitters with devotion and the joy of true love: "I think I´ve found my best friend / I know that it might sound more than a little crazy but I believe/ I knew l loved you before I met you /I think I dreamed you into life." "It´s a very simple love song," Hayes notes. "Nothing else on the record is as pure as that one, and I think it was essential for this album."
"There was a sense of innocence that was missing between the first album and this one," Jones adds. "We needed to find that place we started from and be able to identify it again. I think it turned out beautifully."
"I think there´s a tendency for sophomore, albums to topically come out as a reaction to success or fame, but I think that´s boring, Hayes says. "What people do relate to is what it´s like to have their hearts broken, to fall in love, or to have that occasional bad day. Those are things that continue to affect all of us every day."
