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.

Seen It Coming
The Church Lyrics

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Hey man, think it through now
Why don't you stay for a while
Eve and Aurora gonna come on over
Know they're gonna make make you smile
And cool your heels
I know just how it feels

You should've seen it coming

Been coming for some time
You've got your broken heart
And I've got mine

Yeah, she said it's over
But it was over right from the start
You ain't gonna tell me that you were a saint
Every time you two were apart
You blew your chance
So face the music and dance

You should've seen it coming
Been coming for some time
You've got your broken heart
I've got mine

You've got your broken heart
I've got mine

You should've seen it coming
... some time
You've got your broken heart

And I feel fine (feel so fine)
Talk about it (feel so fine)

Overall Meaning

The Church's song "Seen It Coming" is about a failed romance and the aftermath of it. The song seems to be addressing a man who recently went through a breakup and is feeling down about it. The opening lines of the song tell the man to think it through, indicating that he may be jumping to conclusions or not fully processing his emotions. The chorus repeats the phrase "You should've seen it coming" multiple times, indicating that perhaps the man was in denial about the state of his relationship leading up to its end. The lyrics suggest that the man may have blown his chance with his partner and that it wasn't just her fault that the relationship ended.

The song seems to take on a sympathetic tone towards the man, encouraging him to face the music and dance despite his heartbreak. The mention of Eve and Aurora coming over to make him smile suggests that his friends are trying to support him through the difficult time. The accompanying line "cool your heels, I know just how it feels" implies that the person singing the song may have been in a similar situation before and is offering support through their own experiences.

Overall, "Seen It Coming" is a reflective and introspective song that acknowledges the pain of a failed relationship while also providing a sense of hope by encouraging the listener to look towards the future.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey man, think it through now
Take a step back and really consider your situation.

Why don't you stay for a while
Don't leave, take some time to sort things out.

Eve and Aurora gonna come on over
Friends are coming to hang out.

Know they're gonna make make you smile
They'll bring some happiness to your life.

And cool your heels
Relax and take it easy.

I know just how it feels
I can empathize with what you're going through.

You should've seen it coming
You should've realized this was going to happen.

Been coming for some time
This wasn't sudden, it's been building up.

You've got your broken heart
You're hurting from this breakup.

And I've got mine
I've also experienced heartbreak.

Yeah, she said it's over
Your ex has confirmed that the relationship is finished.

But it was over right from the start
The relationship was doomed from the beginning.

You ain't gonna tell me that you were a saint
You're not innocent in the failure of the relationship.

Every time you two were apart
Problems arose whenever you were separated.

You blew your chance
You messed up your opportunity to make it work with your ex.

So face the music and dance
Accept the situation and move on.

And I feel fine (feel so fine)
I'm doing okay despite my own heartbreak.

Talk about it (feel so fine)
Let's discuss our feelings and move forward.

Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: STEVEN JOHN KILBEY, PETER KOPPES, TIM GUY GERARD POWLES, MARTIN HOWARD WILLSON-PIPER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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