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.

SADS
The Church Lyrics

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He never should have been in your home
You never should have left them alone
You should have recognized the ice in his eyes

And nothing would be bad enough
And no one would be glad enough
If he was thrown to the jackals and flies
Now there can be no compromise

But the Earth cannot recoil
If only the oceans would boil
If only the sky could cry black rain

If only it would never happen again
I want you to feel that baby's pain

Hate guides him, hate inside him
Hate multiplies and divides him
Suffer killing, suffocate
Suffer children, suffer hate

To never feel the daylight again
Or see the stars at night again
All the little things we take for granted
These deeds are the seeds that have been planted

Sudden adult death syndrome
He never should have been in your home

Hate guides him, hate inside him
Hate multiplies and divides him

Suffer killing, suffocate
Suffer children, suffer hate

Overall Meaning

The Church’s song “SADS” is a hauntingly beautiful song about the tragedy of sudden adult death syndrome. The song starts by blaming the person responsible for leaving the victim alone with the perpetrator, questioning why they never recognized the danger and ice in his eyes. The lyrics go on to emphasize the severity of the crime, stating that nothing would be bad enough and no one would be glad enough if the perpetrator was thrown to the jackals and flies, and there can be no compromise. The Earth is unable to recoil from this tragedy, and the oceans should boil and the sky should cry black rain, to prevent it from ever happening again. The song is a call to action, asking the listener to feel the baby’s pain, and for us all to take a stand against the hate, violence, and suffering in the world.

The lyrics of the song are powerful and profound, but they become even more impactful when learning about the true inspiration behind the song. SADS was written in response to the brutal murder of Sophie Lancaster, a young woman who was attacked and killed in a park in Lancashire, England in 2007 because of how she looked. Sophie and her boyfriend Robert Maltby were attacked by a group of teenagers who were known for their violence and hatred towards people who dress differently. Sophie died from her injuries, while Robert was left in a coma with permanent brain damage. The song is a tribute to Sophie and a call to action against hate crimes and violence.

Line by Line Meaning

He never should have been in your home
The malevolent presence of an evil person should not have been allowed in your household.

You never should have left them alone
It was a mistake to leave the vulnerable victims in the presence of someone with harmful intentions.

You should have recognized the ice in his eyes
The signs of wickedness and danger should have been detected early and acted upon accordingly.

And nothing would be bad enough
There is no form of punishment that would be severe enough for the wrongdoings committed.

And no one would be glad enough
Nobody should ever be happy at the misfortune of others, even in cases of deserved retribution.

If he was thrown to the jackals and flies
A fitting punishment would be for him to suffer a degrading, humiliating fate amongst scavengers.

Now there can be no compromise
The gravity of the situation means that there can be no leniency or settlement reached.

But the Earth cannot recoil
The planet itself cannot summon the strength to act on our behalf, we must be responsible for our own actions.

If only the oceans would boil
If only the power and fury of nature were to take revenge, as in the mythological tales of old.

If only the sky could cry black rain
Perhaps this would be the sign of impending cataclysm, a warning of destruction to come.

If only it would never happen again
If only such atrocities could be prevented from ever occurring again in the future.

I want you to feel that baby's pain
I want you to empathize with the innocent child who suffered the cruelty of an irredeemable oppressor.

Hate guides him, hate inside him
The malefactor operates under the influence of a emotion of deep-seated malevolence and malice.

Hate multiplies and divides him
The intensity of the malefactor's hatred is self-reinforcing and creates an ever-widening gulf between 'us' and 'them'.

Suffer killing, suffocate
The innocent victims are subjected to painful, degrading, and ultimately fatal experiences at the hands of the wrongdoer.

Suffer children, suffer hate
The wrongdoer unleashes his hatred on the most vulnerable and innocent of our society, children.

To never feel the daylight again
The innocent victims will never experience the simple joys of life again.

Or see the stars at night again
The repercussions of the tragedy will never truly fade away, the after-effects will be visible forever.

All the little things we take for granted
We often overlook the simple pleasures and blessings we have in our lives until they are taken from us.

These deeds are the seeds that have been planted
The heinous acts of the wrongdoer will sow a poisonous harvest that will haunt future generations.

Sudden adult death syndrome
The tragedy of the innocent life that was cut short by the actions of an oppressor.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARTIN HOWARD WILLSON-PIPER, SIMON POLINSKI, STEVEN JOHN KILBEY, TIM POWLES

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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