The Church is an alternative rock band which formed in Sydney, Australia in… Read Full Bio ↴The Church is an alternative rock band which formed in Sydney, Australia in 1980. Initially linked in with neo-psychedelia acts of the period, their music later became largely defined by the interplay of guitarists Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes coupled with the abstract lyrics of bassist/singer Steve Kilbey. Their debut album, Of Skins and Heart (1981), earned them their first radio hit "The Unguarded Moment". They were originally signed to EMI's Parlophone label, but record company dissatisfaction led to them being dropped overseas, which limited their exposure early on.

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.

Desert
The Church Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I, I am the stranger this time around
You, you are the changeless sounds of sand
I could be here forever riding this death
You, you are the distance, my clown
I fall down in the sun
I become everyone who ever walked this way
Where the desolate places meet the oases
Empty spaces of today

I, I am the journey into the haze
You, you are the hill of yesterdays

I, I am the pulse of the heat
You, you are the name of every man that I meet

Overall Meaning

The song “Desert” by The Church is a reflective piece that explores the idea of transformation and change through the metaphor of the desert. The lyrics convey a sense of displacement and confusion, with the singer acknowledging their status as a stranger in this unfamiliar landscape. The opening lines “I, I am the stranger this time around, you, you are the changeless sounds of sand” set the tone for the rest of the song, with the dichotomy between the singer’s transitory nature and the permanent landscape of the desert providing a poignant contrast.

The second verse further develops this theme, with the singer describing themselves as a journey into the haze, while the listener is portrayed as the hill of yesterdays. The use of personification adds to the sense of dislocation, with the listener taking on a more symbolic role, representing the past that the singer is trying to leave behind. The final lines of the verse, “I, I am the pulse of the heat, you, you are the name of every man that I meet” tie the themes of the song together, with the heat representing the transformative power of the desert, and the names of the people the singer meets symbolising the changes they undergo.

Overall, “Desert” is a haunting and reflective piece that uses the stark beauty of the desert to explore the nature of transformation and change.

Line by Line Meaning

I, I am the stranger this time around
I feel out of place and unknown in this current moment.

You, you are the changeless sounds of sand
You represent the never-ending sounds and patterns of life, like the constant swirling of sand in a desert.

I could be here forever riding this death
I am aware that I could spend eternity wandering in this inhospitable place, facing the inevitability of death.

You, you are the distance, my clown
You, like a clown, represent humor and levity to me, as a way to cope with the vastness and isolation of the desert landscape.

I fall down in the sun
The intensity and relentlessness of the sun causes me to feel weakened and vulnerable.

I become everyone who ever walked this way
In the midst of the desert, I feel a sense of connection to all those who have traversed this land before me, whose struggles and stories I cannot help but imagine.

Where the desolate places meet the oases
In this land of barrenness and scarcity, I am struck by the surprising beauty and relief that oases provide, a stark contrast to their surroundings.

Empty spaces of today
Amidst this vast and imposing landscape, I feel a sense of emptiness and insignificance in the grand scheme of things.

I, I am the journey into the haze
I am on a journey forward, into the unknown, obscured by the hazy air of the desert.

You, you are the hill of yesterdays
You represent the accumulation of all the experiences and memories of the past, in contrast to my forward journey into the unknown future.

I, I am the pulse of the heat
I am keenly aware of the heat that is not just an external force, but a palpable, rhythmic beat that pulses through me.

You, you are the name of every man that I meet
You represent the universal and timeless essence of humanity, connecting me to all those I encounter on this vast journey through the desert.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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