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.
Anaesthesia
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything is spinning round
Remember feeling like I'd drowned
Behind the veil is a sea yeah
Only entered into chemically
Anaesthesia down so deep
Anaesthesia's numbing
I don't know why
Seems like I'm flying
On the ground, in the air
Slow-mo don't know
I can't stop or go
Where's the show, where
I got a feeling about someone
I do not know where
So many things need fixing everywhere
Anaesthesia tells me "slow down a little more"
She says "why not sleep a little more"
And tiptoes softly to the door
Anaesthesia's numbing
Anaesthesia's coming to you
I don't know why
Seems like I'm flying
On the ground, in the air
Anaesthesia's soothing
Anaesthesia's moving with you
I don't know how
It seems like now
It seems like never to me
I remember going out yeah
Everything was spinning round
Remember feeling like I'd drowned
Anaesthesia's numbing
Anaesthesia's coming to you
I don't know why
Seems like I'm flying
On the ground, in the air
Anaesthesia's soothing
Anaesthesia's moving with me
I don't know how
It seems like now
It seems like never to me
Anaesthesia's soothing
Anaesthesia's moving
The Church's song "Anaesthesia" is a mesmerizingly beautiful and introspective piece that delves into the complex and surreal experience of being under the spell of an anesthetic. The song's lyrics describe the sensations of confusion, dizziness, and numbness that the singer feels as they slip into unconsciousness, behind a veil into a sea of nothingness. The song paints a vivid and haunting picture of what it's like to be under anesthesia's spell; it's like flying through an alternate reality, where time moves slowly, and everything feels surreal.
As the song progresses, the singer speaks about feeling disoriented and disconnected from reality, with everything appearing to move in slow motion. They speak of a strange feeling of familiarity about someone they don't know, as if they're trying to make sense of an unfamiliar world that is both confusing and seductive. Anaesthesia tells the singer to slow down and sleep a little more, tiptoeing softly out the door, leaving behind only a memory of a surreal experience.
Overall, "Anaesthesia" is a remarkable piece of music that captures a fleeting and elusive moment in time, where consciousness fades away, and the world becomes a hazy, dreamlike state. The song's lyrics are poetic and introspective, painting a vivid and haunting picture of what it feels like to be numbed by the embrace of anaesthesia.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember going out yeah
I recall leaving, perhaps for a night out
Everything is spinning round
Sensations of dizziness and confusion arise
Remember feeling like I'd drowned
A sense of suffocating or being overwhelmed
Behind the veil is a sea yeah
Behind a certain layer is a vast and mysterious unknown
Only entered into chemically
Access was gained through the use of a chemical substance
Anaesthesia down so deep
The effects of the anaesthetic are profoundly felt
Anaesthesia's numbing
The anaesthetic is dulling sensations
Anaesthesia's coming to you
The anaesthetic is taking hold and affecting the listener
I don't know why
Unsure of the cause or reason
Seems like I'm flying
Feels like soaring through the air
On the ground, in the air
Sensations of both earthbound and weightlessness
Slow-mo don't know
Time feels slower and sense of confusion
I can't stop or go
Feeling stuck and powerless
Where's the show, where
Uncertain of where the entertainment or action is happening
I got a feeling about someone
Instincts or intuition about an unknown person
I do not know where
Uncertain of location or context of situation
So many things need fixing everywhere
Aware of many issues requiring attention and resolution
Anaesthesia tells me "slow down a little more"
The effect of the anaesthetic is causing the listener to relax and slow down
She says "why not sleep a little more"
The anaesthetic is causing the listener to feel drowsy and sleepy
And tiptoes softly to the door
The experience of the anaesthetic is gently easing the listener into sleep or unconsciousness
Anaesthesia's soothing
The anaesthetic has a calming effect
Anaesthesia's moving with you
The anaesthetic is affecting the listener's movements and sensations
I don't know how
Uncertain of the process or method
It seems like now
The experience feels immediate and present
It seems like never to me
The experience feels like it is forever or never-ending
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVEN JOHN KILBEY, PETER KOPPES, TIM GUY GERARD POWLES, MARTIN HOWARD WILLSON-PIPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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