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.
Maya
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why, what can't you see
Yeah, if that's all the difference it makes
Yeah, it makes it all different for me
Now you're lost in this moment
Now outside of time
Now, now you remember it all
Haaa, now that reminds me
Where everything's done now
Ehhh, we really need something out there
Ahhh, this is just Maya to me
The Church's song Maya is a melancholic yet romantic piece that explores themes of nostalgia, lost time, and the power of memories. The lyrics are cryptic and open to interpretation, but can be roughly understood as a reflection on a past relationship or experience that is now beyond reach. The opening lines, "Where, how did you notice, Why, what can't you see," suggest a sense of confusion and disorientation, as if the singer is struggling to understand why things turned out the way they did.
As the song progresses, the singer reminisces about the past, recalling moments that are "lost in this moment" and "outside of time." These memories seem to be bittersweet, as they evoke a sense of longing but also a feeling of resignation. The repeated refrain of "yeah, it makes it all different for me" underscores the idea that memories have the power to shape our perception of reality, even if the past can never be fully relived.
Ultimately, the song seems to suggest that while the past can be painful and elusive, it is also a source of beauty and meaning. The closing lines, "Ahhh, this is just Maya to me," can be interpreted as a kind of resignation or acceptance, as if to say that even if the past is just an illusion (maya in Sanskrit means illusion), it still holds a profound significance for the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Where, how did you notice
In what way and through what means did you become aware?
Why, what can't you see
What is it that you fail to perceive and understand?
Yeah, if that's all the difference it makes
If that is the sole disparity between two things,
Yeah, it makes it all different for me
It causes a complete transformation in my perspective
Now you're lost in this moment
You have become completely immersed in the present instance
Now outside of time
Free from temporal constraints, with a detached sense of existence
Now, now you remember it all
At this very moment, you are able to recollect every detail
Haaa, now that reminds me
An exclamation indicating the sudden resurgence of a memory
Well, what can you do now
In light of the current situation, what is your course of action?
Where everything's done now
When everything has been accomplished and concluded
Ehhh, we really need something out there
Expressing a desire for something that is currently not present
Ahhh, this is just Maya to me
This situation is an illusion or a distortion of reality
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: STEVEN JOHN KILBEY, PETER KOPPES, TIM GUY GERARD POWLES, MARTIN HOWARD WILLSON-PIPER, TIM POWLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BittersweetSymphony
on You're Still Beautiful
Sometimes I wonder if he is writing about himself