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.
The Endless Sea
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the service of the bourgeoisie
Where can my believers be
I want to jump into the endless sea
Ohh, the endless sea (endless)
Ohh, the endless sea (endless)
I want to jump into the endless sea (endless)
The brother says a dirty sky (endless)
Full of fumes and liquors (endless)
A little girl, a little guy (endless)
This air couldn't get much thicker
Ohh, the endless sea (endless)
Ohh, the endless sea (endless)
I want to jump into the endless sea (endless)
Ohh, the endless sea
And when you die for the red
You think you're gonna break
You know you've been good
It's just a phony undertake
You better go home daddy
You better go home daddy
I think you better go home buddy
You better go home buddy
The Church's song The Endless Sea is a commentary on society's obsession with wealth and power. The lyrics describe the singer's disillusionment with serving the bourgeoisie and their desire to escape the materialistic world they live in by jumping into the endless sea. The endless sea represents a symbol of freedom, simplicity, and purity, an escape from society's corrupting influence. The singer is disillusioned with the world they live in, which is filled with dirty skies, fumes, and liquors. They see the air around them as thick and suffocating, and they want to escape.
The lyrics also address the idea of revolution and the dangers that come with it. The singer warns that dedicating oneself to a cause, such as communism represented by "the red," may be a futile effort. They suggest that the idea of dying for the red is a "phony undertake" and that revolutionaries may end up distracted from their true desires and get burned in the process. The song concludes with an admonishment to "go home daddy" and "go home buddy," indicating that the singer believes that society is not worth fighting for and that the best thing to do is to escape it and return to a simpler life.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh babe, what a place to be
Expressing the feeling of being stuck in a societal class that is not one's own
In the service of the bourgeoisie
Serving the interests of the upper class often without personal gain
Where can my believers be
Searching for like-minded individuals who share the same ideals
I want to jump into the endless sea
Yearning to escape from the monotony of life, to leave everything behind and start anew
Ohh, the endless sea (endless)
Reiterating the desire to experience the freedom and vastness of an unknown future
Ohh, the endless sea (endless)
Emphasizing the vastness of the unknown future that lies ahead
I want to jump into the endless sea (endless)
Reaffirming the urge to escape and embrace the uncertainty of life's journey
Feel it wash all over me
Describing the sensation of being completely overwhelmed by newfound experiences
The brother says a dirty sky (endless)
Observation of the polluted and dispirited atmosphere of society
Full of fumes and liquors (endless)
Referencing the harmful contaminants that pervade our daily surroundings
A little girl, a little guy (endless)
Highlighting the everyday common people caught in these harmful conditions
This air couldn't get much thicker
Indicating disbelief to the extent we have polluted our environment
And when you die for the red
Reflecting on the ultimate sacrifice of one's beliefs for the sake of the greater good
You think you're gonna break
Anticipating failure of one's beliefs when faced with fierce opposition
You know you've been good
Reassuring one's stance when doubts begin to creep in
It's just a phony undertake
Realizing the helplessness of the situation when the odds are against us
You better go home daddy
A warning to those attempting to go beyond their limits and take on the impossible
You better go home daddy
Repetition for emphasis
I think you better go home buddy
Encouraging others to think twice before committing themselves to difficult and dangerous missions
You better go home buddy
Final warning
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: IGGY POP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BittersweetSymphony
on You're Still Beautiful
Sometimes I wonder if he is writing about himself