Under the Milky Way

Today's edition of Retro Friday features the band The Church, and the song "Under the Milky Way."

The band The Church is an Australian rock band that was formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially they were associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, but their later music became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay. The founding members are Steve Kilbey on lead vocals and bass guitar, and Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper on guitars, while Tim Powles has played on drums since 1994.

The Church's debut album, Of Skins and Heart (1981), produced their first radio hit "The Unguarded Moment". Following this debut, they were signed to major labels in Australia, Europe and the United States. However, the US label was dissatisfied with their second album and dropped the band before it was even released. This put a big dent in their international success, but they did return to the charts in 1988, with the album Starfish and the US Top 40 hit "Under the Milky Way". Subsequent commercial success proved elusive, and in addition to that, the band weathered several line-up changes in the early 1990s.

My favorite song from The Church, is their late 80's hit, "Under the Milky Way."

"Under the Milky Way" was written by bass guitarist and vocalist Steve Kilbey and his then-girlfriend, Karin Jansson. It charted in the Top 30 on the Australian Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, reaching #24, and won an ARIA Award in 1989 for 'Single of the Year'.

Under the Milky Way" featured a 12-string acoustic guitar melody along with a solo composed with an EBow on a Fender Jazzmaster, leading to a sound very similar to bagpipes. According to a press release issued with Starfish, the song was written about an Amsterdam music and cultural venue called Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way"), which Kilbey used to frequent.

I just love the lyrics for this song, beautiful and haunting.



UNDER THE MILKY WAY
The Church

Sometimes when this place gets kind of empty
Sound of their breath fades with the light
I think about the loveless fascination
Under the Milky Way tonight

Lower the curtain down on Memphis
Lower the curtain down all right
I got no time for private consultation
Under the Milky Way tonight

Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find
Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find

And it's something quite peculiar
Something shimmering and white
Leads you here despite your destination
Under the Milky Way tonight

Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find
Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find

Under the Milky Way tonight...


And here it is, for your listening pleasure, "Under the Milky Way."


Cheers!