To the Moon and Back (Savage Garden song)

"To the Moon and Back"
Song
B-side	"Memories Are Designed To Fade"

"To the Moon and Back" is a single by Savage Garden from their debut album Savage Garden. One of the band's most popular songs, it deals with feelings of alienation from the modern world and the desire to find romantic love during adolescence. It has been described as one of the band's darkest songs.

Initial success and first release

"To the Moon and Back" was initially released as the album's second single in 1996 in Australia, where it became the band's first number one. After the international success in 1997 of their debut single, "I Want You", there were high expectations for the song as its follow-up. During the song's first charting in the U.S., "To the Moon and Back" entered the Top 40 of the Hot 100 for only one week, peaking at #37 the final week of August 1997. In the UK the single was originally released in late September 1997 and there it failed to chart in the Top 40, stalling at #55 for one week.

Subsequent success and second release

For the band's third single they decided to go with a ballad. "Truly Madly Deeply" became an even bigger hit than their debut, hitting the number one spot in several countries including both the Hot 100 and the Hot Adult Contemporary charts in the United States, where (aided in some part by chart data reformulation and changing record industry practices) it broke the record as the longest-running single to that time on the Adult Contemporary charts.

In the wake of such success, the band and its record company had faith that "To the Moon and Back" had greater potential to become a hit than its first chartings had borne out, and so instead of mining a fourth single off the album as they had for the Australian market, they decided to mix a shorter edit of "To the Moon and Back" and re-release it internationally in 1998. This time the song peaked at #24 in the U.S., an improvement upon its first release yet still not the smash they had hoped it would be. In the UK, however, their faith was rewarded when "To the Moon and Back" debuted at number three, becoming Savage Garden's biggest UK hit. This prompted the UK re-release of their debut single, remixed as "I Want You '98"

The song's UK success and Darren Hayes' continued popularity with his solo career there prompted top Hi-NRG remixers Almighty (who had previously remixed for the duo) to give the song a series of fresh dance mixes released to DJs in 2004.

Music videos

The Australian video clip for "To the Moon and Back" was not used for the U.S. market, where a new video was shot for each of the song's two releases. The original was shot in black and white 4:3 format while the two U.S. versions were in color and in 16:9 format. There were five different music videos shot for the song.

Australian video

Directors: Catherine Caines and Chris Bentley.
Technical specifications: Black & white
Format: 4:3

U.S. video version 1

The first U.S. video is referred to as the "Malibu version" and features Darren with long hair.

Filmed: 17–18 April 1997
Director: Nigel Dick
Director of Photography/Camera: Russell Swanson
Production: Dickfilms [df350] (Nina Dluhy)
Production time: 2 days
Set location: Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA
Technical specifications: Color
Format: 16:9
Sound mix: Stereo
Production designer: Paul Martin (Art Director)
Cutter/Editor: Bruce Ochmanek

U.S. video version 2

The second U.S. video features Darren with short hair.

Set location: New York City, New York, USA
Technical specifications: Color
Format: 16:9

Track listings

Australian single (1996)

1. "To the Moon and Back" (radio edit)
2. "Santa Monica"
3. "Memories Are Designed to Fade"
4. "To the Moon and Back" (album version)

U.S. single (8 July 1997)

1. "To the Moon and Back" (long edit) – 4:32
2. "Memories Are Designed to Fade" – 3:39

U.S. maxi single (15 July 1997)

1. "To the Moon and Back" (Radio edit) – 4:32
2. "To the Moon and Back" (Hani's Num Radio Edit) – 3:57
3. "To the Moon and Back" (Hani's Num Club Mix) – 9:18
4. "To the Moon and Back" (Num Dub) – 5:15
5. "To the Moon and Back" (Escape into Hyper Space) – 4:39

UK single CD1 (1997)

1. "To the Moon and Back" (short edit)
2. "To the Moon and Back" (album version)
3. "To the Moon and Back" (Hani's Num Club Mix)
4. "Memories Are Designed to Fade"

UK single CD2 (1997)

1. "To the Moon and Back" (album version) – 5:42
2. "To the Moon and Back" (Hani's Num Radio Edit) – 3:57
3. "To the Moon and Back" (Escape Into Hyperspace) – 4:39
4. "All Around Me" – 4:11

UK single CD1 (1998)

1. "To the Moon and Back" (radio edit) – 3:44
2. "To the Moon and Back" (Almighty Radio Edit)
3. "Truly Madly Deeply" (karaoke version)

UK single CD2 (1998)

1. "To the Moon and Back" (radio edit) – 3:44
2. "To the Moon and Back" (Almighty Fired Up Mix) – 6:16
3. "To the Moon and Back" (Almighty Definitive Mix) – 6:09

UK DJ Promo Almighty 2004 Remixes CD (2004)

1. "To the Moon and Back" (Almighty Club Class Radio Edit) – 3:52 *
2. "To the Moon and Back" (Almighty Club Class Mix) – 8:06 *
3. "To the Moon and Back" (Almighty Club Class Dub) – 7:09 *
4. "To the Moon and Back" (Almighty Transensual Mix) – 6:12 *
5. "To the Moon and Back" (Almighty Fired Up Mix) – 6:51
6. "To the Moon and Back" (Almighty Definitive Mix) – 6:32
7. "Affirmation" (Almighty 2004 Anthem Mix) – 7:13 *
8. "Affirmation" (Almighty Bangin' Mix) – 10:45
9. "Affirmation" (Almighty Mix) – 8:20
10. "Hold Me" (Almighty Mix) – 9:14 **

Charts

Chart (2007/2008)	Peak position
Australia	1
Latvia	1
USA	3

End of year chart (1997)	Position
Australian ARIA chart	17

Cover versions

"To the Moon and Back" was covered by Polish Eurodance group East Clubbers, appearing in both an album version and an extended remix version on their 2004 album E Quality. It was also covered in 1999 as the a side of Silk Cuts 10 & in 2010 by Liz Kay.