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.
FEEL
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking for something to remind me
Something out the corner of my eye
Why can't I feel it
Why should I try
Bump into a stranger
But that stranger is strangely familiar
Why can't I feel it
Can you tell me why
When I nearly had the connection sussed
It slips right off my tongue
And timing is off, things get jumbled up
In a fever when you are young
But I know who's in there behind those eyes
So say goodbye
There can never be an ending
We are endless like the sky
Why can't I feel it
Is it just a lie
Why can't I feel it
For all time
The lyrics of The Church's song "Feel" communicate the singer’s frustrated search for something. The lyrics suggest that there is a nagging sense of something just out of reach, something that the singer can almost grasp but never quite reach. There is a feeling of a lost opportunity or missed connection with someone who might have been important. The lyrics also hint at a sense of time slipping away, and a dawning realization that some things might never be found or recaptured.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses a deep longing to feel something elusive. The lyrics "Looking for something to remind me, Something out the corner of my eye, Why can't I feel it" highlights the insistent search of the singer for something that is just out of reach. The singer attempts to understand what it is that they can't quite grasp, but it remains frustratingly undefined. The lyrics also express a sense of urgency and sorrow, as the singer begins to realize the preciousness of what they have lost and the possibility that it may never be recovered.
In conclusion, The Church's song "Feel" is a poignant reflection on the universal human longing for connection and the imperfect search for meaning. The lyrics speak to the human desire to find something deeper and more profound in life, and the feeling of frustration that comes when that search seems to elude us.
Line by Line Meaning
For all time
Eternally searching for a certain feeling or experience
Looking for something to remind me
Seeking a trigger or cue that will help recall a lost feeling
Something out the corner of my eye
A fleeting, elusive sensation or experience
Why can't I feel it
Frustration or confusion at the inability to reconnect with a former feeling or experience
Why should I try
A sense of hopelessness or apathy regarding the search for the lost experience
Bump into a stranger
Unexpected encounters that bring back flashes of the former feeling
But that stranger is strangely familiar
Perceiving connections or similarities with the stranger that remind of the lost experience
How could I let it slip by
Regret or nostalgia for not seizing the opportunity to reclaim the lost feeling
Can you tell me why
A plea for help understanding why the lost feeling cannot be regained
When I nearly had the connection sussed
A sense of frustration at coming close to rediscovering the lost feeling but not quite succeeding
It slips right off my tongue
The memory or sensation leaves as quickly as it comes
And timing is off, things get jumbled up
The timing or circumstances are not right for rediscovering the lost feeling, resulting in confusion or disorientation
In a fever when you are young
The lost feeling arose during a period of intense, youthful emotions
But I know who's in there behind those eyes
A sense of recognition or familiarity with the person or thing that sparked the lost feeling
So say goodbye
Coming to terms with the loss of the feeling and moving on
There can never be an ending
Life and its experiences never truly end, there is always potential for new sensations and feelings
We are endless like the sky
Humans have the capacity for infinite emotional experiences and connections
Is it just a lie
A sense of doubt or skepticism about the reality of the lost feeling
Why can't I feel it
A final expression of frustration at being unable to retrieve a lost feeling
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAUGHERTY, KILBEY, KOPPES, WILSON-PIPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BittersweetSymphony
on You're Still Beautiful
Sometimes I wonder if he is writing about himself