The Story of... 'Truly Madly Deeply' by Savage Garden

14 February 2023, 10:26

Savage Garden's 'Truly Madly Deeply' is one of the best love songs of the 1990s, and we still love hearing over 20 years later.

But what inspired the song and who wrote it? Here are all the interesting facts about the gorgeous ballad:

1. Who wrote 'Truly Madly Deeply' and what was its inspiration?

   

   After their breakthrough single 'I Want You', Savage Garden duo Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones were sent to Sydney for eight months to record songs for a debut album.

   For Hayes, this was the first time in his life that he was away from his family and his native Brisbane.

   This longing for his family and his then-wife, inspired him to write a song that would express his feelings.

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   The chorus of the song didn't occur until the very last moment before recording. Jones had doubts over the chorus they had written, as he felt it did not fit with the rest of the song or Savage Garden's other tracks.

   The night before, Hayes had dinner at the Bayswater Brasserie on Bayswater Road, Kings Cross. Here, he came up with the new chorus of "I want to stand with you on a mountain, I want to bathe with you in the sea, I want to lay like this forever until the sky falls down on me."

   The next day, they performed the new chorus for producer Charles Fisher, and recorded it as a trial run. Fisher loved it, and it was later released as a single.

   The song actually started life as a song called 'Magical Kisses', which the pair wrote together long before they began recording their debut album.

2. Where was the video filmed?

   

   Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply (Australian Version) [HD]

   Two music videos were made for the song.

   The original Australian video, which sees Hayes with long hair, features the duo in a white room with other people. Hayes appears on a red sofa singing the song while Daniel performs on the piano.

   However, the video used for Europe sees Hayes with short hair, and was filmed in Paris.

   

   Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply

   This video was directed by Adolfo Doring, and depicts the story of two lovers, a young man and a woman, who have been separated. The woman arrives in Paris in search of her lover, who is also waiting for her.

   He is seen in various places within the Montmartre area, including the Soleil de la Butte restaurant. Hayes is also seen walking around Paris, in locations such as the Place de la Concorde and the Jardin des Tuileries.

3. How did it perform in the charts?

   It was a huge hit in the US, and reached number one for two weeks in January 1998. It stayed around for a full year and became the only song in the chart's history to spend its first 52 weeks inside the top 30.

   It only reached number four in the UK, but was the 10th biggest-selling song of 1998.

   It also topped the charts in their native Australia among other countries.

4. What movie was it used in?

   

   Music From Another Room Trailer 1998

   The song was used as the main theme of the 1998 romantic comedy Music from Another Room, starring Jude Law and Gretchen Mol.

   German Eurodance group Cascada later recorded their own cover of the song, reaching number four in the UK (equalling the original) in 2006.