"Insatiable" is a song by the Australian singer-songwriter Darren Hayes, former lead singer of the Australian duo Savage Garden. It was released as the lead single from his solo debut studio album, Spin (2002). Written by Hayes and Savage Garden collaborator Walter Afanasieff, "Insatiable" received its world premiere on Capital FM London on 26 November 2001, before being released on 10 December 2001 to Australian radio airplay. It was commercially released on 14 January 2002 via Roadshow Music and Sony Music in Australia and Columbia Records internationally later on. When asked if any of his songs, either Savage Garden or solo songs, had a coded gay message prior to his coming out, Hayes named "Insatiable" as one of those songs.
The track proved to be a hit for Hayes in his native Australia, where it debuted and peaked at number three on the ARIA Singles Chart. Internationally, "Insatiable" reached number one in New Zealand and peaked within the top 10 in Denmark, Greece, Norway, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the song stalled at number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which allegedly led to Columbia Records to drop all promotion and press of Spin in the country.
Composition According to the sheet music provided by Sony/ATV Music Publishing on Musicnotes.com, "Insatiable" is played in the key of F♯ minor and is played at a slow tempo of 72 beats per minute. Hayes' vocals range from E4–C♯6.
Critical reception Billboard editor Chuck Taylor wrote about the single positively, saying Hayes "oozes with such sensuality" and that although it does resemble some of Savage Garden's ballads, it is "breathtakingly beautiful". Taylor praised Hayes' falsetto and ended his review naming the track "Grade-A stuff". Manila Standard said the song showed a more "sensuously provocative side" to Hayes. Calling it "sultry and seductive in its attitude," Meriden, CT newspaper Record-Journal predicted the song would break Hayes away from his teenybopper audience. Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión praised the passion in his falsetto.
Chart performance
In Australia, "Insatiable" debuted at number three on the ARIA Singles Chart on the week of 27 January 2002, as well as number one on the Australian Artists chart. It spent six non-consecutive weeks in the top 10 and 19 weeks overall on the chart; "Insatiable" was Australia's 28th-best-selling hit of 2002 and third-best-selling from an Australian act. In neighboring New Zealand, the song debuted at number 47 on the RIANZ Singles Chart on 17 February 2002. It fell and rose on the chart before rising to the number-one position on 21 April 2002, spending a sole week at the top. It fell to number two the following week, having been displaced by the Calling's "Wherever You Will Go". "Insatiable" was the 15th-most-successful song of the year in the country.
Across Europe, "Insatiable" was a hit, rising to number 28 on the Eurochart Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the single debuted and peaked at number eight on 30 March 2002, becoming Hayes' sole top-10 hit in the country as a solo artist. It charted for 19 weeks and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Across Scandinavia, it charted within the top 10 in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and peaked at number 16 on the Finnish Singles Chart. In Germany and the Netherlands, it failed to reach the top 40.
In Canada, "Insatiable" peaked at number 11 on the Nielsen SoundScan chart. In neighboring United States, where Hayes had had two number-one hits as part of Savage Garden, "Insatiable" debuted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of 2 March 2002. During its third week charting, it reached a peak of number 77 and charted for only four more weeks. It remains Hayes' only chart entry as of . It had some success on component Billboard charts, peaking at number 16 on the Adult Contemporary chart and number 11 on the Dance Club Play chart with the aid of remixes.
Music video The music video showcases Hayes looking at videos of an Italian starlet that he is infatuated with. The black-and-white visuals in the music video were based on 1960s Italian romances such as La dolce vita. Hayes is also shown with longer hair that has been dyed blonde, which is his natural hair colour.
Hayes said in a HuffPost piece in 2022 that although US label executives were initially enthusiastic about the song itself, after they were shown a rough cut of the video, they feared Hayes appeared "too gay" for American audiences and wanted to "overhaul" his image "so as not to scare off fans". In a 2022 interview with Billboard, he also added that he did not know that his team had hired a female model for the video: "They secretly cast a female, and filmed her on the days that I wasn't on set. They created a narrative in the edit where this woman was looking for me in a club. When I saw the edit put together, I was just horrified, because I was never trying to portray myself as a straight man."
Track listings
Australian and New Zealand CD single "Insatiable" (album version) "Ride" (original demo recording) "Falling at Your Feet" (original demo recording)
Australian and New Zealand CD single – Remixes "Insatiable" (album version) "Insatiable" (Calderone club mix) "Insatiable" (Pablo Larosa's Funktified mix) "Insatiable" (Specificus 'Insomniac' mix) "Insatiable" ('dp versus Darren Hayes' mix) "Insatiable" (Specificus 'Let It Go' mix)
European CD single "Insatiable" (album version) – 5:10 "Falling at Your Feet" (original demo recording) – 4:59
UK CD1 "Insatiable" (album version) – 5:10 "Falling at Your Feet" (original demo recording) – 4:54 "Insatiable" (Specificus 'Insomniac' mix) – 6:00 "Insatiable" (video)
UK CD2 "Insatiable" (album version) – 5:10 "Ride" (original demo recording) – 4:46 "Insatiable" (Calderone radio edit) – 6:30
Japanese CD single "Insatiable" (album version) "Insatiable" (Specificus 'Insomniac' mix) "Falling at Your Feet"
Credits and personnel Credits are lifted from the Spin album booklet.
Studios Recorded and mixed at Wallyworld Studios (Marin County, California) Orchestra recorded at Ocean Way Recording (Los Angeles) Mastered at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine, US)
Personnel
Darren Hayes – writing, lead and background vocals, co-production Walter Afanasieff – writing, keyboards, bass, drum and rhythm programming, production, arrangement Bruce Dukov – violin Eve Butler – violin Susan Chatman – violin Charlie Everett – violin Gerry Hilera – violin Norm Hughes – violin Peter Kent – violin Jennifer Munday – violin Bob Peterson – violin Michele Richards – violin Bob Sanov – violin Ed Stein – violin John Wittenberg – violin John Hayhurst – viola Karen Elaine – viola Virginia Frazier – viola Andrew Picken – viola Larry Corbett – cello Suzie Katayama – cello, orchestral contracting Paula Hochhalter – cello Dan Smith – cello John Mitchell – contra-alto clarinet David Campbell – orchestral conducting and arrangement David Reitzas – orchestral engineering Robert Conley – programming, recording (vocals) Nick Thomas – engineering Chris Lord-Alge – mixing Bob Ludwig – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts +Chart (2002)Peakpositionscope="row"Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)11Czech Republic (IFPI)22scope="row"Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)28scope="row"scope="row"Greece (IFPI) See LW column.4scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"Latvia (Latvijas Top 40)21scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"Romania (Romanian Top 100)5scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"scope="row"US Billboard Hot 10077US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)16US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)33US Dance Club Play (Billboard)11US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)27US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records)16US CHR/Pop (Radio & Records)26US Hot AC (Radio & Records)28
+Chart (2025)PeakpositionMoldova Airplay (TopHit)92
Year-end charts +Chart (2002)PositionAustralia (ARIA)28Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)107New Zealand (RIANZ)15Sweden (Hitlistan)47UK Singles (OCC)49UK Airplay (Music Week)75US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)46US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records)43US Hot AC (Radio & Records)99
Certifications
Release history +RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Australia10 December 2001Radio airplayUnited States7 January 2002Columbia11 January 2002Contemporary hit radioAustralia14 January 2002CDJapan6 March 2002Sony Int'lUnited Kingdom18 March 2002Columbia
References