I Want You (Savage Garden song)

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"I Want You"
Savage-Garden-I-Want-You.jpg
1997 North American and UK cover
Single by Savage Garden
from the album Savage Garden
B-side
Released27 May 1996 (1996-05-27)[1]
GenreSynth-pop
Length3:53
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Savage Garden singles chronology
"I Want You"
(1996) 		"To the Moon and Back"
(1996)
Music video
"I Want You" on YouTube

"I Want You" is a song by Australian pop duo Savage Garden. It was originally released in Australia on 27 May 1996 as the lead single from their eponymous debut album, Savage Garden. The single reached number one in Canada for two weeks and peaked at number four in Australia and on the US Billboard Hot 100. Much of the song's chart success in the US was the result of Rosie O'Donnell playing the song on several episodes of The Rosie O'Donnell Show.[2] The single also peaked at number nine in Iceland and at 11 on the UK Singles Chart. In November 1998, the single was re-released in the United Kingdom following the success of "Truly Madly Deeply" and "To the Moon and Back". This release peaked at number 12.

At the APRA Music Awards of 1998 it won Most Performed Australian Work Overseas.[3] In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, the album version of the song was ranked number 87.[4]

Content[]

The song's lyrics refer to the attraction exerted by a person possessing strong sex appeal. They fascinate the singer and arouse his curiosity, even though he is not sure whether he needs them at all. Singer Darren Hayes described it as a song about "being in love with a male energy", when asked if the song had a coded gay message.[5] The fast-paced, almost rapped vocal style verses is similar to the verses featured in Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me) by Reunion.

In an interview with Apple Music about their debut album, Darren Hayes also said:

"I have such a soft spot for this song and it just keeps coming back. It's based on a dream that I had where I fell in love with a boy. And when I woke up, I missed him. I didn't know how I would ever feel that feeling again. I had this almost beautiful melancholy, romantic grief. I remembered everything about this boy who I'd never met. The smell, the kiss, the feeling, the butterflies in my tummy, all that stuff. And so I spent about a week mourning that feeling. I used to think, 'Maybe if I go to sleep, I'll see him again.'"[6]

Critical reception[]

Larry Flick from Billboard noted that the song "has a jittery synth-pop beat reminiscent of such '80s-era Brit-pop heroes as Duran Duran." He added, "Partners Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones are quite the harmonious pair, and they are photogenic enough to ensure instant teen-idol status. Top 40 programmers should waste no time in slammin' this one on the air."[7]

Music videos[]

Two music videos were released for the song. Both videos present Darren Hayes with long black hair.

The first video is a low-budget version released in 1996 for Australian markets. It showed the band performing in a room full of disco lights and Darren Hayes singing on the back of a moving vehicle.

The second video is a higher-budget version directed by Nigel Dick and premiered in 1997 for international markets in conjunction with the single's international release. It features the band in a stylised futuristic warehouse and recording studio. The international version was featured on the band's compilation Truly Madly Completely: The Best of Savage Garden (2005), while the Australian version was not available until the release of the compilation The Singles (2015).

Track listings[]

Charts and certifications[]

Release history[]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
Australia 27 May 1996 (1996-05-27)
  • CD
  • cassette
 Roadshow [1]
United States 11 February 1997 (1997-02-11) Columbia [45][46]
Contemporary hit radio [47]
United Kingdom 2 June 1997 (1997-06-02)
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [48]
United Kingdom (re-release) 30 November 1998 (1998-11-30)
  • CD
  • cassette
 [49]

In popular culture[]

The song was used in Australian TV series Heartbreak High, during a dance sequence in an episode in which Katerina Ioannou (Ada Nicodemou) falls for her married dance partner.

The song is also used as the ending theme of the anime adaptation of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, during its Diamond Is Unbreakable arc.

This song would later be featured on The CW drama series, Supernatural, during the opening scene of their thirteenth episode of their final season, "Destiny's Child" when an alternate universe version of protagonists Sam and Dean Winchester unexpectedly arrive.

The song is played at the school dance in Dawson's Creek in the second episode of Season One.

References[]

  1. ^ a b "New Release Summary – Product Available from: 27/5/96 (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 327)". ARIA. Retrieved 2 April 2017 – via Imgur.
  2. ^ Shuster, Fred (20 July 1997). "Australian Duo Savage Garden Earning International Success". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  3. ^ "1998 Winners - APRA Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). Archived from the original on 18 September 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Savage Garden's Darren Hayes on Behind-The-Scenes Reactions to His Coming Out, Admiring Michael Jackson & Adam Lambert". Billboard. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  6. ^ "Savage Garden by Savage Garden on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  7. ^ Flick, Larry (22 February 1997). "Reviews & Previews: Singles – New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 8. p. 81. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Savage Garden – I Want You". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  9. ^ "Savage Garden – I Want You" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  10. ^ "Savage Garden – I Want You" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  11. ^ "Savage Garden – I Want You" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3231." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3218." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 3226." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  15. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 26. 28 June 1997. p. 18. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Savage Garden – I Want You" (in French). Les classement single.
  17. ^ "Savage Garden – I Want You" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  18. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 29. 19 July 1997. p. 14. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  19. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 219 Vikuna 1.5. '97 – 7.5. '97)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 May 1997. p. 20. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  20. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Savage Garden". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  21. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Savage Garden" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  22. ^ "Savage Garden – I Want You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  23. ^ "Savage Garden – I Want You". Top 40 Singles.
  24. ^ "Major Market Airplay – Week 21/1997" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 21. 24 May 1997. p. 23. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  26. ^ "Savage Garden – I Want You". Singles Top 100.
  27. ^ "Savage Garden – I Want You". Swiss Singles Chart.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  29. ^ "Savage Garden Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  30. ^ "Savage Garden Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  31. ^ "Savage Garden Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  32. ^ "Savage Garden Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  33. ^ "Savage Garden Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  34. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  35. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  36. ^ a b "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1996". ARIA. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  37. ^ "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  38. ^ "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  39. ^ "RPM '97 Year End Top 50 Dance Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  40. ^ "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 1997" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  41. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1997" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  42. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1997". Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
  43. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1997". Billboard. BPI Communications Inc. 110 (5): 76. 31 January 1998. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  44. ^ "American single certifications – Savage Garden – I Want You". Recording Industry Association of America.
  45. ^ "I Want You / Tears of Pearls". Amazon. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  46. ^ "I Want You". Amazon. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  47. ^ "New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1183. 7 February 1997. p. 39. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  48. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 31 May 1997. p. 33. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  49. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 28 November 1998. p. 28. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
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