"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 E<sub>4</sub>–C♯<sub>6</sub>.

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

left|thumb|174x174px|"Insatiable" displaced "[[Hands Clean" by Alanis Morissette (pictured in 2013) when it reached number one in New Zealand.]]

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; 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. "Insatiable" was the 15th-most-successful song of the year in the country. 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."

  1. "Insatiable" (album version)
  2. "Ride" (original demo recording)
  3. "Falling at Your Feet" (original demo recording)

Australian and New Zealand CD single – Remixes

  1. "Insatiable" (album version)
  2. "Insatiable" (Calderone club mix)
  3. "Insatiable" (Pablo Larosa's Funktified mix)
  4. "Insatiable" (Specificus 'Insomniac' mix)
  5. "Insatiable" ('dp versus Darren Hayes' mix)
  6. "Insatiable" (Specificus 'Let It Go' mix)

European CD single

  1. "Insatiable" (album version) – 5:10
  2. "Falling at Your Feet" (original demo recording) – 4:59

UK CD1

  1. "Insatiable" (album version) – 5:10
  2. "Falling at Your Feet" (original demo recording) – 4:54
  3. "Insatiable" (Specificus 'Insomniac' mix) – 6:00
  4. "Insatiable" (video)

UK CD2

  1. "Insatiable" (album version) – 5:10
  2. "Ride" (original demo recording) – 4:46
  3. "Insatiable" (Calderone radio edit) – 6:30

Japanese CD single

  1. "Insatiable" (album version)
  2. "Insatiable" (Specificus 'Insomniac' mix)
  3. "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

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+2002 weekly chart performance for "Insatiable"

!Chart (2002)

!Peak<br/>position

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"|Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)

|11

|-

!scope="row"|Czech Republic (IFPI)

|22

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)

|28

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"|Greece (IFPI)

|4

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"|Latvia (Latvijas Top 40)

|21

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"|Romania (Romanian Top 100)

|5

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"

|-

!scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100

|77

|-

!scope="row"|US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)

|16

|-

!scope="row"|US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)

|33

|-

!scope="row"|US Dance Club Play (Billboard)<br/>

|11

|-

!scope="row"|US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)

|27

|-

!scope="row"|US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records)

|16

|-

!scope="row"|US CHR/Pop (Radio & Records)

|26

|-

!scope="row"|US Hot AC (Radio & Records)

|92

|}

Year-end charts

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+Year-end chart performance for "Insatiable"

!Chart (2002)

!Position

|-

!scope="row"|Australia (ARIA)

|28

|-

!scope="row"|Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)

|107

|-

!scope="row"|New Zealand (RIANZ)

|15

|-

!scope="row"|Sweden (Hitlistan)

|47

|-

!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)

|49

|-

!scope="row"|UK Airplay (Music Week)

|75

|-

!scope="row"|US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)

|46

|-

!scope="row"|US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records)

|43

|-

!scope="row"|US Hot AC (Radio & Records)

|99

|}

Certifications

Release history

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+Release history and formats for "Insatiable"

!scope="col"|Region

!scope="col"|Date

!scope="col"|Format(s)

!scope="col"|Label(s)

!scope="col"|

|-

!scope="row"|Australia

|10 December 2001

|Radio airplay

|

|

|-

|11 January 2002

|Contemporary hit radio

|align="center"|

|-

!scope="row"|Australia

|14 January 2002

|rowspan="2"|CD

|

|align="center"|

|-

!scope="row"|Japan

|6 March 2002

|Sony Int'l

|align="center"|

|-

!scope="row"|United Kingdom

|18 March 2002

|

|Columbia

|align="center"|

|}

References