Santa Monica

I love this song, it's so cute! He's right!!! On the telephone line you can be anything. I think it's really cute because he's like a little kid when he sings this, and he has a little lisp while singing it. His voice goes high as it does, in a childish way this time, but it's an Acoustic song, and that's so un-Savage Garden. I get the feeling that he wrote this, sitting on a park bench at the park, during the winter, when the Sakura trees are in full bloom, and for some reason in his To The Moon And Back outfit, and a scarf, with all these skateboarders, inline skaters, and beautiful people, all on their expensive cellphones, and he goes to get some Coffee, walks along the Boulevard, gets knocked down by the skaters, and no-one pays him any attention. So, he gathers up his papers, throws his now-empty coffee cup in the bin and walks back to his hotel, dodging the skaters wisely this time. He gets to his hotel and rings the operator so he can talk to his family back home. He realises, 'This person doesn't know me! For all they know, I am Norman Mailer, or a Caped Crusdaer. I could even be a supermodel!' this cheers him up. The operator takes AGES and AGES to connect him, forever telling him to "hold, please." so he just hangs up.

I love the fact that he has a little lisp in this song, IDK if he has it other songs, but it isn't edited out in here, which just makes this song so cute to me.

For a person who lives long enough at certain place to know its culture and custom, it sucks to feel alone and out of place. Moreover, escaping to digital world is always a tempting recreation

I can't believe no one has commented on this song yet...it is such an amazing and heartfelt song. To me it is about anonymity and being alone in a place full of people. Now that I think about it, it reminds me of the video for Darren's Insatiable...being outside the loop, on the outside looking in. Just thoughts.

well this song is awesome . I love it so much , although there people might say they're faggot . i don't give a shit about it . just listening good songs from whom !

Yah, I don't care what other people say about them. I just love their music- it's not like all that meaningless, disfunctional stuff that's out there now.

this song is so beautiful! I love savage garden and i dont care what anyone says! They were a great band and Truely Madly Deeply was their best album - people just think that they've done boring slushy songs with a high pitched voice but of corse their wrong, surprisingly a lot of their songs are kinda rocky lol, and the best thing is all the songs are deep and meaningful, something that many modern bands lack!

What about a blind date?

This could be the subject of the song.... I mean, he's obviously observing the people around him ("inline skaters"), almost as if he's waiting for something... and then- he sings "Beauty so unavoidable, everywhere you turn it's there. I sit and wonder what am I doing here?" Could this hint at feeling of anxiety? That feeling of 'oh, so-and-so's not gonna like me... i'm so ugly'? Or, 'gee, i feel so out of place here...'

And then the chorus... Maybe the "couple" met each other over the internet (i know that's pushing it as this song is a few yrs old..... but hey? why not?!), or thru letters, thru a friend, i don't know. just obviously not face-to-face. and have only talked on the phone, as if to imply 'hey, look it- i sound one way on the phone, i could be this, this, and this. and u wouldn't know the truth, would u?''

Its like he likes the concept of being "anonymous" or faceless even. no one can truly judge him this way.

I know chances are that this is not at all what this song was written for or about... but i luv how song interpretation is open. I luv how so many lyrics can take on 'double-meanings'.

I think it means that his feeling as an outsider and is meating this person there. A person his met but not face to face and in the phone talking to this person he can pretend to be anyone really. It kinda reminds me of those telephone dating lines that show up on tv. So anyways i think he is meeting this person and his wondering if they will be able to tell 'em apart from the others. I think it means this i could be wrong anyhow.

This song sounds like someone who is very insecure with himself, or his looks. He's sitting in Santa Monica, where apparently all the "beautiful people" are, and they're so athletic and incredibly fit... he wishes to be one of them, to fit it and be one of the beautiful people.

But on the "telephone line" (actual phone/internet) he can be whoever he wants to be. He can be a good-looking, well-liked guy.

And this is where I start thinking this guy is like a phone/net stalker. It's a little creepy. Maybe he keeps setting up blind dates from the phone (probably not the internet, this song is a few years old) but wusses out before he meets them.

Kind of a sad song, if you think about it.

Yup that's right, he's writing about someone who's envious of all the good looking and athletic people, and probably socially inept due to his physical appearance. The guy/girl however performs fine otherwise over the phone when identity is inconscequential. Lyrics aside, this song has a wondeful melody and melancholic tone to it. Nice.