Adventure #13: Meeting the "Pop Perfection" of Darren Hayes

Remember Savage Garden? Did you know their former frontman, Australian singer/songwriter Darren Hayes, has released four solo albums in the last ten years? ...Yeah, it took me a bit to catch up with that, too, being American and all, but he's been a new candy for me. Well, he’s not exactly new for me. I have flavored some of his music before but didn’t take a leap for him until recently.

HISTORY

Let’s take a (dry) rundown of my discovery of him nearly two years ago:

• Hear “I Knew I Loved You” again on radio (it eventually becomes my favorite Savage Garden song; plus, gorgeous Kirsten Dunst is featured in the music vid)
• Remember/Renew curiosity of Savage Garden
• (Wikipedia) Research Savage Garden
• Come across name “Darren Hayes” and research
• Discover 2004 tongue-in-cheek single “Pop!ular” reached #1 on U.S. Dance/Club Play chart
• Like “Pop!ular” but have interest in little else
• Use gift card to get Savage Garden Affirmation, which contains “I Knew I Loved You”

Last summer, I had some free music downloads, part of which I used to get “Pop!ular” and a few tracks off the album it’s from, The Tension and the Spark (Darren’s second album). About eight months later, I listened to his first and fourth albums, respectively, Spin and Secret Codes and Battleships on Spotify, generally liking them and occasionally listening to them more often.

DARREN & ME

Then, I moseyed along until May of this year (two months ago) when I realized a similarity in the songs he writes to the songs I write (and consequently, completed my collection of his music by ordering physical copies of his albums). This was HUGE! When I had thought about my songs, they seemed to be about...nothing...or, at least, nothing I could give a synopsis of, I felt. They're driven by feelings. Most songs are inspired by feelings and fused with emotion, but I've seen that the focus of my songs is completely about subconscious feelings becoming manifest. Darren's and mine don't exactly sound the same, but the focus and drive are similar. We each have our own separate patterns of addressing similar motives that are influenced by our own musical paths. Still, our songs seem to rest in an intuitive space (hence the mention of mine seeming "to be about...nothing;" the images we typically use aren't exactly tangible).

I had been looking at the current pop scene, especially Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, as well as other songs, but I couldn’t find many that I would say my songs were like. Darren’s have come the closest. When I figured this out, so many things in his songs opened up to me, and I could not believe what I was experiencing while listening to his music. Everything he sang made sense. There was no deciphering the metaphors or translation of events in my life to make them applicable to the song. Everything fit perfectly, like I could be saying those lyrics. It was one of those connections you have with someone and you just sense and feel that, “I need to know this person better,” or, “I want to meet this person.” It’d be awesome to meet him and chat about songs and ideas—perhaps, someday, if our lives cross. His songs are so honest to me. Perhaps, they are even too honest…

THE DOWNSIDE

Something he has been prized for is that, often, rather than taking a more commercial pop route, he musically and lyrically tends to take a more sophisticated, intellectual journey, which is a great aspect that I like (and makes me feel smart). But, his music is very artful and somber to the point that it can be depressing for me. At the same time, I love his music, because, like I said, my connection is so close; but it is easily depressing for me, because I don’t have to work to connect. His music naturally recalls emotional places I’ve been by just hearing those words and, especially, singing them.

HIS MUSIC

He does have light and positive songs but mostly on Spin, from which my favorite track is “I Can't Ever Get Enough of You.” His transition to heavier subjects is sampled on Spin’s title track but was also previewed in 1999 with the opening and title track of Savage Garden’s Affirmation. The music of these songs is still upbeat and fun, but the discussion is thoughtful.

His darkest album is The Tension and the Spark, where he explores themes of dark and light with, even, track titles as “Darkness” and “Light.” The Tension and the Spark is an amazing album, overall, despite its dark themes. It is brilliantly crafted with genius electronic production, and, honestly, deserves every one of the four stars Allmusic gave it (I tend to agree with Allmusic). “Darkness,” especially, is a song that surprised me how closely I connected with it when I really listened. I felt like someone had been watching me from my window… Other songs I most connected with from the album, whether emotionally or hearing my own thoughts in someone’s song, were “I Like the Way,” “Hero,” “Unlovable,” and “Love and Attraction,” but really, I side with the whole album.

His third release, the highly experimental and personal double album This Delicate Thing We've Made, continues a somber approach but has a more intellectual feel. The album fits together almost like a story with most of the songs leading up to the next, though they are strong enough to stand alone (not that they're mixed together but that they're like chapters in a novel). Overall, the entire album is incredibly elegant. My favorite track is the beautiful single “Casey” (which the last minute and a half of the album version is gorgeous but, sadly, was taken out to make it appropriate as a single, even though it emphasizes, what I believe to be, the main point of the song: “I wanna be someone”), which he wrote about his sister Tracey (rhymes with Casey; ooooooh, clever boy). Other tracks that especially stand out to me are “A Fear of Falling Under,” “Listen All You People,” “Neverland,” “Words,” and “The Tuning of Violins.” The whole album is wonderful, though.

His latest album, Secret Codes and Battleships, released autumn of last year, brings him back to commercial pop senses but without losing lyrical merit. I, especially, have taken a liking to “Don’t Give Up” and “Black Out the Sun,” which is another one that encapsulates emotions I have felt and instantly recalls them (and vocally, it’s fun to sing). He originally wrote “Black Out the Sun” for Leona Lewis but kept it for himself. Lead single “Talk Talk Talk” sounds like a sequel to “Words.” When I watched the music video for “Bloodstained Heart,” I cried at the end, and then I watched it again, crying throughout from understanding deeper the symbolism. I get choked singing it or even when I explain the song and video to others.

THE UPSIDE

I’ve learned several things from Darren, though. One thing I’ve understood is that this connection I’ve had is only one part of me, and it is good to have someone to connect to, even with my darker experiences. I connect with lots of artists, but my favorites tend to be The Corrs and Kylie Minogue. I’ve often thought myself the male version of Andrea Corr, lead singer and lyricist for The Corrs, and still, I see myself more in her personality than I do Darren’s. Both Darren and The Corrs appeal to the dreaminess of hopeless romantics. Andrea’s solo lyrics and her lyrics with The Corrs, I have felt, are words I could have written myself and that speak for me, just as with Darren’s. I think why I may find Darren's lyrics particularly special is that he is male, and there is an inherent part of me, perhaps initially subconscious, that recognizes and connects with this. The difference between The Corrs and Darren is that while The Corrs (and Andrea; I do like Sharon Corr’s solo work, as well) are willing to go to the dark places that Darren goes, they offer a glimmer of hope, whereas Darren goes there to reveal and explore but doesn’t always offer a way out. He takes you there to experience it with him (but it is fair to say that when you are in those dark places, sometimes hope is forgotten or not desired because of the pain in the letdown of what was once hoped).

I enjoy all of Kylie’s songs, but I most connect with the ones she writes herself, especially “No More Rain” and “Looking for an Angel” (both metaphors; *gasp* intriguing). She goes to dark places on 1997’s introspective Impossible Princess, in which she wrote or co-wrote all the songs, but, like The Corrs, she offers a way out, even if it is just a cry for deliverance. Mostly, Kylie appeals to my fun side. From having seen her live and what I’ve seen of her in interviews, Kylie is pure fun, as also found in her choice to release bubbly, danceable songs. Understandably, she's been referred to as a dance force of light (interestingly, Darren's idol, Madonna, compared to Kylie, has been seen as a dark force; I also like Madonna but more to get groovy with). Through it all, Kylie still is able to express love and its vulnerability (see my paper on that here).

Basically, in general (and for me), Kylie presents the fun and vulnerabilities of love, The Corrs the reassurances of love, and Darren the fears in love. Darren doesn’t really seem far off from The Corrs and Kylie. All three of these artists explore romance and art with class that appeals to me, reassuring what I’ve evaluated about my interests (as described here).

One thing I speculate about Darren from his songs is that he holds things very precious. This is even suggested in the album title This Delicate Thing We've Made and is something I relate to. It makes him a true lover and is a characteristic I'm attracted to to add him to my collection of favorite artists. But while I do like his more darker themes for their own sake, I wish for more of the songs about the positive aspects of love, like he does in “I Can't Ever Get Enough Of You” and “I Knew I Loved You,” but I'll appreciate whatever he turns out.

Of Darren himself, his voice is very beautiful. He uses falsetto a lot, and it is equally pleasing. His voice has a soft, youthful timbre (as do Kylie and Andrea), as does mine, I’ve been told. Last year, I sang “Ten Minutes Ago” from the musical Cinderella for a voice lesson. My teacher said I sounded great, but the only problem with my performance was that I sounded sixteen and the character needed to be old enough that his parents were irritated he wasn’t married yet (so, at least ten years older...hmm).

Darren’s vocal range is very similar to mine, making him fun and comfortable to sing along with. I had previously been introduced to Mika, who also sings high into his falsetto range, but his isn’t always nice sounding. Hearing that falsetto made me afraid to use my own, but Darren’s has given me confidence to use it, as I have heard that my voice and falsetto are “pretty,” as well. When I have sang some of Darren’s and Savage Garden’s songs to others and then later showed them the recording, my audiences have mentioned similar pleasing qualities in my voice and his, though we each have our own value and sound like ourselves. Also, we have similar impulses on forming words when singing; that is, we naturally tend to emphasize the same letter sounds in pronunciation.

If anything, Darren has helped me reach another level of acceptance for my voice. It is what it is, and it can have a place as I find where to use it. It is okay for it to sound pretty and soft and young...or “unique.” And, like I said about his songs’ similarity to mine, it is okay for my songs to be what they are. The sound of Darren's “Unlovable” gave me faith in the few of my songs that lean to the experimental. “Unlovable” is done in a way that makes the song work, despite often possessing an almost disjointed melody, as a few of mine do. When I wrote them, I wasn't sure if they would work but completed them, anyway. Now, I see that as they are explored, an appropriate way of expressing them can be found, just as it was with “Unlovable.” I know some of my apprehension about my songs comes from a fear of revealing self-qualities expressed in the song. Tsk tsk. Courage, now. I'm sure as I embrace them their performance will smooth out and become whole, making them a treasure. They have a place, as what has been reiterated to me a lot this past year (not even an exaggeration; everywhere I turn, this comes up)—to quit hiding and offer what I have. And, honestly, I have been feeling more ready to share what I have with songs, poetry, acting, stories, my novels. Perhaps, finishing college soon has brought this to my mind, also, and given me the realization that I need to come forward in order for anything to happen, rather than hiding in the educational world. In all, Darren has brought it up for me, again.

So, if you don’t know much about Darren, check him out! It’s a shame his music is as rare as it is. He is a gem! You never know what you may find in store to experience with him, and you can see why critics call him genius and his work “pop perfection.”