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.
She Never Said
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I clutched at someone in the dark again
It's so hard to remember her name she never said
It was in a story that I wanted to write
The details weren't important, the plot was slight
No-one asked what happened that night she never said
I've got a notion what we ought to do
Here's a number you can try to ring
I'm still thinking about all the things she never said
I parked my car by some memories
And told my story to the laughing trees
They don't know what's wrong with me, she never said
All the letters had the wrong address
Did you notice who cleared up the mess
What the date was is anybody's guess she never said
The Church's song She Never Said is a cryptic and contemplative look at a failed relationship, where the singer is grappling to understand what went wrong. The refrain "she never said" is repeated throughout the song as a glimpse into the singer's mind, indicating that he is struggling to comprehend what his former partner was thinking or feeling during their time together. The first two verses, "I'm not exact but I'm not insane / I clutched at someone in the dark again / It's so hard to remember her name she never said / It was in a story that I wanted to write / The details weren't important, the plot was slight / No-one asked what happened that night she never said" set the scene of the singer's confusion and desperation, as he tries to recall the moments leading up to the failed relationship.
The third verse provides some clarity, with the singer telling his friend to "get out of bed, pull on a shoe" and giving them a number to call. However, this does not last long as the chorus once again reminds us that the singer is struggling to understand the past: "I'm still thinking about all the things she never said". The fourth verse "I parked my car by some memories / And told my story to the laughing trees / They don't know what's wrong with me, she never said" further emphasizes the sense of loneliness and isolation the singer is feeling.
The final verse "All the letters had the wrong address / Did you notice who cleared up the mess / What the date was is anybody's guess she never said" is a poignant reminder of the futility of trying to make sense of something that has already passed. The song ends on a somber note, with the singer coming to terms with the fact that some things are best left unsaid.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not exact but I'm not insane
Although I am not perfect, I am not crazy either
I clutched at someone in the dark again
I reached out for someone in the dark, hoping it was her
It's so hard to remember her name she never said
I cannot recall her name since she never uttered it
It was in a story that I wanted to write
I dreamed of a story I wanted to write about us
The details weren't important, the plot was slight
The story was not about the details, but about the essence
No-one asked what happened that night she never said
Nobody inquired about what happened because she never talked about it
Get out of bed, pull on a shoe
Wake up and get dressed, let's do something
I've got a notion what we ought to do
I have an idea about what we should do
Here's a number you can try to ring
I'll give you a number to call
I'm still thinking about all the things she never said
I keep pondering about all the things she never expressed
I parked my car by some memories
I parked my car where we had memories together
And told my story to the laughing trees
I narrated our story to the laughing trees
They don't know what's wrong with me, she never said
The trees cannot figure out my problem since she never unveiled the truth
All the letters had the wrong address
All the letters I sent had the wrong address
Did you notice who cleared up the mess
Did you notice who fixed the error
What the date was is anybody's guess she never said
Nobody knows the date since she never mentioned it
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