After signing to Arista in 1988, they saw their largest international success with the album Starfish and the American Top 40 hit "Under The Milky Way" which resurfaced on the soundtrack of the cult movie "Donnie Darko". Whilst the band remain feted by their peers, subsequent commercial success proved elusive: 1990s follow-up album "Gold Afternoon Fix" failed to capitalise on their success, and the band weathered several line-up changes after its release, first losing long-term drummer Richard Ploog, then Peter Koppes following 1992s "Priest = Aura". That album baffled and confused many fans upon its release as to what band The Church was considered to be, but is now considered a seminal album and one of the most revered by Church connoisseurs. The vacant drum-stool on Priest=Aura being occupied by Jay Dee Daugherty of Arista labelmate Patti Smiths group, and it was produced by Gavin MacKillop of Moose.
Reduced to a two-piece, Kilbey & Willson-Piper re-grouped with the assistance of drummer/producer Tim Powles to record 1994's "Sometime Anywhere", concluding their obligations to the Arista and Mushroom labels. The commercial decline, combined with the Church being ignored again by a music press more focused on the Nineties' music trends, could have brought about the demise of the band, had it not coincided with the breakthrough of the internet, thus enabling direct communication from the band to its passionate cult fanbase.
This brought about a new beginning for The Church, with Peter Koppes rejoining the band for recording 1996s "Magician Among The Spirits". The band (with Koppes back into the fold, and Powles now as the permanent drummer ), hit a re-newed creative surge and with regained selfconfidence, released "Hologram Of Baal" 2 years later, and toured Australia, the USA and Europe.
The first decade of the 21st century found the band releasing severeal highly critically acclaimed albums, like 2002's aptly named "After Everything Now this" and 2003's "Forget Yourself", the latter breaking new ground with bandmembers swapping instruments in the recording process. Live performances stray from high profile events like the 03 concerts at Sydney Opera House and the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, to low-profile gigs for smaller audiences, often confusing old 80s fans, surprised to find the band still playing, wrongly assuming the band just being one in the never-ending string of reunion acts.
2009's album "Untitled#23" marked yet another highlight.. its essence represented in just 10 songs, and with a strong less-is-more approach, the albums core identity being on par with Starfish, it also finds Steve Kilbey breaking new ground as a vocalist.
2010 saw their 30th anniversary, with extensive touring in the US and Australia. Their unique position and importance in the australian music scene was recognized with an ARIA award.
Their album, "Further Deeper", was released in 2014, and "man woman life death infinity" in 2017.
Already Yesterday
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard the sirens play just like an orchestra
Mechanical bird of prey sing for your emperor
Last broken flash of love still in the camera
We don't feel those locks and chains
We won't listen to the lizard part of our brains
Giving the orders
Another morning we'll be gone
And maybe Avalon, across the water
It's already yesterday and nobody's answering
Disconncted, drift away, nobody's questioning
Head silver, feet of clay, who is surrendering
They fall in our heyday, I am remembering
(Chorus)
We can't feel those aches and pains
We won't listen to the voices in the city rain
Giving the orders
Another morning I'll be gone
I start the car for Violet Town
And then to Babylon, over the border
The lyrics to The Church's Already Yesterday seem to be about the passage of time and the inherently transient nature of life. The opening line "It's already yesterday, we're off the calendar" suggests that time is moving quickly and that the singer may be feeling some sense of disorientation or confusion in trying to keep up with it all. The reference to the sirens playing "just like an orchestra" may suggest a chaotic or frenzied quality to life in the contemporary world.
The subsequent lines introduce a series of images that speak to the fleeting nature of existence. The "mechanical bird of prey" and the "last broken flash of love still in the camera" both suggest a sense of impermanence, as things that were once vital and alive are reduced to inanimate objects. The repetition of the refrain "we don't feel those locks and chains / we won't listen to the lizard part of our brains / giving the orders" suggests that the singer is rejecting a sense of constraint or conformity, instead choosing to follow their own instincts and desires.
The final lines speak of a journey beyond the boundaries of the singer's current reality: "I start the car for Ten Mile Beach / and maybe Avalon, across the water / I start the car for Violet Town / and then to Babylon, over the border." These destinations may represent a sense of possibility or escape, a way to break free from the constraints of time and place and explore new horizons.
Overall, the lyrics to Already Yesterday suggest a complex set of emotions and ideas about life in the contemporary world, and about the ways in which we navigate the complexities of time and change. The references to chemical birds and broken flashes of love underscore the impermanence of existence, while the refrain about rejecting the lizard brain and following one's own desires suggests a willingness to embrace the mysteries of life and explore new territory.
Line by Line Meaning
It's already yesterday, we're off the calendar
Time flies by so fast that we feel disconnected from it and out of step with it
I heard the sirens play just like an orchestra
The sounds of chaos and destruction blend together like a musical orchestra
Mechanical bird of prey sing for your emperor
Technology can be used to control and manipulate people, like a predator bird serving its master
Last broken flash of love still in the camera
Memories of a past love remain vivid and haunting, captured like a snapshot in time
We don't feel those locks and chains
We refuse to accept the limitations and restrictions imposed on us by society and our own minds
We won't listen to the lizard part of our brains
We reject our primal instincts and choose to act rationally and with free will
Giving the orders
We take charge of our own lives and fate
Another morning we'll be gone
Time keeps moving forward, and we must seize the day before it's too late
I start the car for Ten Mile Beach
Embarking on a journey to find peace and escape the chaos of civilization
And maybe Avalon, across the water
Venturing to a mystical and mythical land beyond our own reality
It's already yesterday and nobody's answering
We feel alone and forgotten by society, disconnected and unheard
Disconnected, drift away, nobody's questioning
We feel like we're adrift in a world where no one cares or pays attention to our struggles
Head silver, feet of clay, who is surrendering
As we age and face our own mortality, we question who will give up and accept defeat
They fall in our heyday, I am remembering
Memories of youth and the power and freedom we felt during our prime
We can't feel those aches and pains
We refuse to let age and physical limitations define us or hold us back
We won't listen to the voices in the city rain
We tune out the constant noise and distractions of modern life that can cloud our minds
Another morning I'll be gone
We must make the most of each day, because our time is limited and finite
I start the car for Violet Town
Embarking on a new adventure and journey, seeking meaning and purpose in life
And then to Babylon, over the border
Venturing into unknown lands and territories, exploring new cultures and ideas
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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BittersweetSymphony
on You're Still Beautiful
Sometimes I wonder if he is writing about himself