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.
Just for You
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I tread politely in the cold
Racking my brains
Pumping my veins
And taking the evening train from view
But you know I never wanted to
Ah, you know I did it just for you
And it's so easy to hurt me now
That certain ideas
Have changed through the years
I purchased some tears just to see me through
But you know I never wanted to
Ah, you know I did it just for you
One day I noticed the world at my feet
Next day comes and it rolls into the street
Gathering speed
Paying no heed
That made me bleed until I was blue
But you know I never wanted to
Ah, you know I did it just for you
The Church's song "Just for You" is a nostalgic and introspective ballad that seems to be about a past relationship that has left a significant impact on the singer. The opening lines evoke a sense of relief as the darkness loses its hold and the singer ventures out in the cold. The line "Racking my brains, pumping my veins" suggests that the singer is trying to distract himself from something, perhaps memories or regrets related to the past relationship. The singer also mentions taking the evening train from view, which could mean he's trying to distance himself from something or someone.
The chorus, "But you know I never wanted to, Ah, you know I did it just for you," seems to suggest that the singer was willing to endure pain or discomfort for the sake of the person he is addressing in the song. However, he also acknowledges that it is easy to hurt him now because the other person has forgotten certain ideas or beliefs that they both shared in the past. The singer even purchased tears to help him cope, but he did it for the other person.
The second verse describes a moment of feeling on top of the world and then abruptly crashing down the next day. The image of the world at his feet followed by it rolling into the street suggests a loss of control and a feeling of being overwhelmed. The singer was bleeding until he was blue, which is a metaphor for emotional pain. Again, he reiterates that he never wanted to experience this pain but that he did it for the person he is addressing.
Overall, the song seems to be about a relationship with a deep emotional connection that has since ended, leaving the singer to navigate the pain and memories alone. The chorus suggests that the singer still cares deeply for the other person and is willing to endure pain for their sake, even though they have moved on.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes when the darkness loses its hold
Occasionally, when the gloom of night recedes
I tread politely in the cold
I move cautiously through the chilly air
Racking my brains
I strain to come up with a solution
Pumping my veins
My heart beats faster with anticipation
And taking the evening train from view
I disappear from sight on the departing train
But you know I never wanted to
But you are aware that I didn't have a desire to leave
Ah, you know I did it just for you
Know that I did it only for your sake
And it's so easy to hurt me now
Currently, it's straightforward to inflict pain upon me
And you've forgotten anyhow
You have forgotten regardless
That certain ideas
Specific thoughts
Have changed through the years
Have transformed over time
I purchased some tears just to see me through
I bought some tears to help me cope
But you know I never wanted to
But you are aware that I didn't want to resort to such measures
Ah, you know I did it just for you
Understand that I did it only for your sake
One day I noticed the world at my feet
At a point, I became aware that everything was under my control
Next day comes and it rolls into the street
Then things took a turn for the worse and spiraled out of control
Gathering speed
Moving faster and faster
Paying no heed
Not taking any notice
That made me bleed until I was blue
That experience caused me emotional suffering
But you know I never wanted to
But you are aware that I didn't intend to let things get to that point
Ah, you know I did it just for you
Remember that I took those actions solely for your sake
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KILBEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BittersweetSymphony
on You're Still Beautiful
Sometimes I wonder if he is writing about himself