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.
Sisters
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Silence in the dappled moonlight
Sleeping cat and dying fire
Embers of the past conspire
All her books are closed and scattered
And she feels that nothing matters to her
Outside this dream her sister frequents
She approaches like a vision
She says "Anna, do you hear me?
But the picture's always shuttered
All the distant thoughts that flutter to her
I can see them all, I can hear them call
And as she falls I lean to say goodbye
Breathing all the wasted hours
Talking to the dying flowers
Dwarfed by spires and tangled towers
We don't ask the reason why
Anna comes and goes in shadows
Paintings of the open windows
Her photograph is always faded
Her sister's eyes are blank and shaded
Don't you understand her science
Merging in a strange alliance to her
We're together in the future
You and I and her together
All our fated are intermingled
We are plural, we are single
We are leaving for a meeting
And last seen the weather sleeting for her
The Church's song Sisters is a hauntingly beautiful and enigmatic piece that revolves around the relationship between two sisters, Anna and her unnamed sibling. It depicts Anna as a recluse, spending her nights buried in books and thoughts, surrounded by the silence of a sleeping cat and a dying fire. However, her sister frequents Anna's mind like a cobweb, catching fragments of her distant thoughts but failing to completely penetrate her inner world. The lyrics speak of the sisters' close yet paradoxical bond, where Anna is simultaneously connected and separated from her sister.
The song delves into the concept of time and fate, portraying the sisters as intertwined in their past and future, with their fates intertwined. The imagery of open windows and faded photographs adds to the nostalgic tone of the song, highlighting the fleeting nature of memories and relationships. The lyricist's use of metaphors and poetic devices amplifies the introspective and reflective mood of the song, leaving the listener with a sense of unexplained longing and melancholy.
Line by Line Meaning
Anna sits beside her research
Anna is sitting next to her research, possibly feeling isolated
Silence in the dappled moonlight
It's quiet outside, with light shining through the trees
Sleeping cat and dying fire
There's a cat asleep and a fire that's about to go out
Embers of the past conspire
Memories of the past are coming together to influence Anna's thoughts
All her books are closed and scattered
Anna's books are closed and all over the place
And she feels that nothing matters to her
Anna feels like nothing is important to her
Outside this dream her sister frequents
Anna's sister is often present in Anna's imagination
Like a cobweb catching fragments
Anna's sister is like a cobweb, catching bits and pieces of Anna's thoughts
She approaches like a vision
Anna's sister appears like a vision
She says 'Anna, do you hear me?
Anna's sister speaks to her
But the picture's always shuttered
Anna can't quite see her sister clearly
All the distant thoughts that flutter to her
Anna is surrounded by many thoughts that seem far away
I can see them all, I can hear them call
Anna's sister can see and hear all of Anna's thoughts
And as she falls I lean to say goodbye
As Anna loses consciousness, her sister says goodbye
Breathing all the wasted hours
Anna is remembering all the time she's wasted
Talking to the dying flowers
Anna is talking to dying flowers, which are a metaphor for herself
Dwarfed by spires and tangled towers
The buildings around Anna seem huge, overwhelming her
We don't ask the reason why
There's no need to understand everything
Anna comes and goes in shadows
Anna is often hidden in the shadows
Paintings of the open windows
Anna creates paintings of open windows as a metaphor for her thoughts
Her photograph is always faded
Anna's photograph is always old and worn out
Her sister's eyes are blank and shaded
Anna's sister's eyes are dark and unfocused
Don't you understand her science
Anna's sister has her own unique way of understanding things
Merging in a strange alliance to her
Anna and her sister's different ways of thinking are merging together in a unique way
We're together in the future
Anna and her sister are still close in the future
You and I and her together
Anna, her sister, and the listener are all together
All our fated are intermingled
Everyone's destinies are tied together
We are plural, we are single
We are both separate individuals and part of a larger group
We are leaving for a meeting
Everyone is getting ready to go to a meeting
And last seen the weather sleeting for her
Last time Anna was seen, the weather was snowy and sleet-filled
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KILBEY, KOPPES, PLOOG, WILSON-PIPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@oldguy7144
Two young Ladies on Youtube brought me back to Jesus with a simple song.
@SidsCardShop
Rusty D: Thanks for the witness. I just now discovered the negative input from two jerks trying to work their way to Heaven; I removed their comments and blocked them from ever commenting here again. Bless you.
@edhall6361
@SidsCardShop thanks SidsCardShop ime watching every video and reading every comment on these girls it's good to know that some of us "have got their back"
@SidsCardShop
@Ed Hall Thank YOU, Ed! Your encouragement helps.
@edhall6361
@SidsCardShop I like your channel I like your attitude and I love them church sisters and dont want nobody to bully em...I think you agree....
@oldguy7144
@SidsCardShop Bless you right back. A little faith is needed these days.
@sarahchurch867
Hi this is Sarah with the church sisters! I loved reading most of these comments and some have shared heart warming stories! I’m glad to be doing the lords work! 😊
@stephaniehughes-cross6980
Thank you for this beautiful song.🙏
@edhall9656
Hi Sarah ! Please keep singing with that beautiful voice.....
@lorettajent
@sarahchurch867 this song! Y’all’s voices!! So very touching. Is there a way to get the accompaniment track to this? I would love to sing it at church