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.
Hotel Womb
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down in the lair, well I met her there
With a price for everyone.
I paid eighty dollars for this wedding ring,
I couldn't take it off if I tried.
And the cactus sure tastes strangely sweet
As it goes down inside
I dream I'm safe in my hotel womb.
I wish I'm back in my hotel womb.
Slip through the crack, to that wonderful room.
Sudden voltage in the night, with a rainforest girl.
As we float downstream to the Amazon River
Where the black waters swirl.
I say, why are you people wearing those masks?
I say, can we be reconciled?
She says the mother of the storm has to roam the sky
Searching for her child. (Chorus)
Morning comes at last, and she's lying by my side.
She's got the face of the widow who keeps following me
And the body of my bride.
I say, why are those buildings swaying like trees?
I say, can we stop for a while?
She says, can't you hear the city that's hidden in there?
It's just another mile. (Chorus)
The Church's "Hotel Womb" is a surreal and enigmatic song that touches upon themes of longing, escape, and transformation. The opening verse sets the tone for the dreamlike atmosphere of the song, as the imagery of a volcano and ashes blocking out the sun evoke a sense of primal threat and primal energy. The singer then describes meeting a woman in a lair with a "price for everyone," hinting at the possibility of a dangerous and transgressive relationship. The wedding ring becomes a symbol of the singer's entrapment and inability to escape the situation, despite his desire to do so. The cactus that "tastes strangely sweet" introduces a note of hallucinatory surrealism, as the singer's perception of reality becomes distorted.
The second verse takes the listener on a journey through a rainforest, where the singer encounters a "rainforest girl" and embarks on a mystical voyage to the Amazon River. The masks that the people are wearing suggest a ritualistic or shamanic aspect to the journey, as the singer and the girl seek a reconciliation or connection with nature. The mother of the storm becomes another mysterious and elusive figure, whose search for her lost child may be a metaphor for the pursuit of knowledge or transcendence. Finally, the last verse brings the singer back to reality, as he wakes up next to the woman with the face of a widow and the body of his bride. The swaying buildings and hidden city hint at the possibility of a new beginning or a fresh start, but the ultimate fate of the singer remains uncertain.
Overall, "Hotel Womb" is a rich and enigmatic song that rewards repeated listening and interpretation. Its dreamlike imagery and understated lyrics make it a timeless classic of psychedelic rock.
Line by Line Meaning
Volcano pierce the air, ashes block out the sun.
The eruption of a volcano has created a haze that covers the sun.
Down in the lair, well I met her there, With a price for everyone.
The singer met a woman in a dark and dangerous place where everything comes at a cost.
I paid eighty dollars for this wedding ring, I couldn't take it off if I tried.
The singer is trapped in a marriage he doesn't want, symbolized by an expensive ring that he cannot remove.
And the cactus sure tastes strangely sweet, As it goes down inside.
The artist has resorted to eating something unpleasant, but finds some enjoyment in its taste anyway.
I dream I'm safe in my hotel womb. Soft and soul made, it's a wonderful room.
The artist wishes to retreat to a comforting and secure place, like a hotel room, that provides solace and comfort for their soul.
I wish I'm back in my hotel womb. Slip through the crack, to that wonderful room.
The singer longs to escape to the safety and comfort of their hotel room, and would do anything to return there.
Sudden voltage in the night, with a rainforest girl. As we float downstream to the Amazon River, Where the black waters swirl.
The singer has a powerful and intense sexual experience with a mysterious woman in a jungle setting.
I say, why are you people wearing those masks? I say, can we be reconciled? She says the mother of the storm has to roam the sky, Searching for her child.
The artist asks why the people around them are wearing masks, wondering if there is a way to reconcile with them. The woman responds with a cryptic explanation that suggests a larger force is at work that they cannot control.
Morning comes at last, and she's lying by my side. She's got the face of the widow who keeps following me, And the body of my bride.
The artist wakes up to find that the woman he had the intense experience with has a face that reminds him of a grieving widow, but also has the body of his wife.
I say, why are those buildings swaying like trees? I say, can we stop for a while? She says, can't you hear the city that's hidden in there? It's just another mile.
The artist observes buildings that are moving like trees, wondering why this is happening and if they can stop. The woman suggests that there is a hidden city that they cannot yet see, but is close by.
Chorus: I dream I'm safe in my hotel womb. Soft and soul made, it's a wonderful room. I wish I'm back in my hotel womb. Slip through the crack, to that wonderful room.
The chorus repeats the singer's desire to retreat to the safety and comfort of their hotel room, which represents a sanctuary from the chaos and danger of the outside world.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BittersweetSymphony
on You're Still Beautiful
Sometimes I wonder if he is writing about himself