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.
To Be in Your Eyes
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you hear a sound
But it's only an empty heart
Beating on through the night
A sad sad drum
And I'm lying here listening
And the raindrops are all glistening
In my dreams
That the sun never comes
And I want my sad reflection
To go drifting through the skies
To be in your eyes
And I'm waking to this aching
And it's breaking me in two
All the space
All the waste
All the distance between me and you
And the people with their voices
Random choices will they ever learn
To really see
Really be on fire when their spirit burns
I want the person inside me
To be someone I'd recognise
If he was in your eyes
So I'm waiting, contemplating
Relocating a faded image in my thoughts
But the memories are like clouds
Try so hard
But they never can be caught
But I'm trying, yes I'm trying
But I'm only lying in the dark
So alone
On my own
No one home
And if love was worth a fortune
Then I'd need a rise
To be in your eyes
I want these words to be the things
I hoped you'd realised
To be in your eyes
The lyrics of The Church's song, To Be in Your Eyes, depict a sense of loneliness and longing for someone to fill that void. The singer hears sounds in the night but realizes it's only an empty heart beating on through the night. The raindrops seem to glisten in the singer's dreams, indicating a sense of hopelessness. The singer wants to be seen from another person's perspective, to see themselves how someone else sees them. Furthermore, the singer is contemplating on relocating, but the memories of the past are like clouds they can't catch. The lyrics describe how the singer desires to be in the person's eyes they long for, to be noticed and seen as someone worth recognizing.
The song's lyrics embody the void and longing most people feel at some point in their lives. The song includes a powerful metaphor of the raindrops being a symbol of hopelessness, and dreams glistening, which shows how the singer is looking for something to hold onto. The song talks about the distance between people and how they need to learn to "really see" it. It shows that people are missing out on a deeper connection by judging one another by their surface level thoughts. In the end, the song depicts how the singer wants to be seen through another person's eyes to gain recognition and be in another's view.
Line by Line Meaning
Night-time is so lonely
The feeling of loneliness is even more intense during night-time.
When you hear a sound
Sometimes, we think we hear something, but it's just our imagination.
But it's only an empty heart
The sound is just a metaphor for the emptiness one feels inside.
Beating on through the night
Despite feeling empty, the heart keeps beating, and one continues to live.
A sad sad drum
The beating heart feels sad, like the rhythm of a drum.
And I'm lying here listening
The singer is lying down, listening to the sound of their beating heart.
And the raindrops are all glistening
The rain outside is falling slowly, reflecting in the darkness.
In my dreams
The artist is drifting off into their dreams.
And it seems
The artist's dream state intensifies their sense of isolation.
That the sun never comes
The artist feels like they are stuck in a state of darkness and sadness.
And I want my sad reflection
The singer wishes to escape their own sadness and find happiness.
To go drifting through the skies
The artist wants to be free and different from their current sad state.
To be in your eyes
The singer wishes to be seen by someone special and finds comfort in them.
And I'm waking to this aching
The singer wakes up feeling a deep sense of pain and sadness.
And it's breaking me in two
The feeling of sadness is causing the singer to feel physically and emotionally torn.
All the space
The artist feels that there is distance between themself and another person.
All the waste
The artist feels that they are wasting time being sad and not living fully.
All the distance between me and you
The singer feels a physical and emotional distance between themself and another person they care about.
And the people with their voices
The singer notices that other people are around them, talking and making choices.
Random choices will they ever learn
The artist wonders if people will ever learn to make better decisions.
To really see
The artist believes that people do not truly see or understand each other.
Really be on fire when their spirit burns
The artist wants people to be passionate and alive with their inner selves.
I want the person inside me
The singer wants to be happy with themselves and feel good on the inside.
To be someone I'd recognise
The artist wants to be true to themselves and be a recognizable reflection of who they are.
If he was in your eyes
The singer would feel validated and at peace if they could be seen and recognized by someone special.
So I'm waiting, contemplating
The singer is waiting and thinking about how to become a better person.
Relocating a faded image in my thoughts
The singer is trying to recreate a memory of themselves that has been lost in their thoughts.
But the memories are like clouds
Memories are like the weather, constantly changing and hard to grasp.
Try so hard
The artist is making a big effort to find happiness and meaning in life.
But they never can be caught
Despite the effort, the singer cannot grasp onto their fleeting memories and elusive sense of self.
But I'm trying, yes I'm trying
The singer is determined to become a better person and find happiness, despite how difficult it may be.
But I'm only lying in the dark
The artist feels like all their attempts to become better have failed and they are still in a state of sadness and isolation.
So alone
The artist feels completely alone in the world.
On my own
The artist is facing their problems and tackling them without any external help or support.
No one home
The singer feels like there is no one they can turn to for help, they are completely alone.
And if love was worth a fortune
The artist values love above all else, seeing it as more important than any material possessions and wealth.
Then I'd need a rise
The singer needs more love in their life to feel complete and happy.
To be in your eyes
Being seen by someone else who they care about would bring the singer happiness and a sense of validation.
I want these words to be the things
The singer wants their words to be taken to heart and acted upon by the person they care about.
I hoped you'd realised
The artist hopes the person they care about understands how much they care about them.
To be in your eyes
The ultimate goal for the artist is to be seen by someone who they care about and bring them happiness and fulfillment.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KILBEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Phayzyre105
This album came out in 1982 and in all honesty I don’t know why it wasn’t a hit in America. I guess it was all due to airplay because The Church didn’t make a dent in the US airwaves until six years later when they released the album Starfish. As an American myself I consider this album to be a masterpiece and it’s a shame it wasn’t as popular in the USA as it was in Australia.
L. Spencer
Nowadays American radio stations play the same old hits from the 80's and 90's, they never bother to play other songs from the albums. There's one station, 105.7 in San Diego, actually it's in Tijuana, they play old songs I never heard, that's where I heard this yesterday. It's like an alternate universe, they have the familiar sounds, they feel familiar, but I've never heard the songs. I love it. And here I am.
eddie monty
Got to be one of the best songs ever. never get bored listening to it.. Just beautiful
Darren Carey
One of Aussie best bands ever 1980/1990s
Tracy
Beautiful song. Takes on greater meaning after heartache from relationship.
Renato Eizo
When the song says everything u r feeling...
Beautiful song... listening until the last hope and breath
Great band... one of the best for me
tuppydog
One of the best songs ever written.
Sherril Seavey
Definately!
Kalleb T. Aragão
I think some people care too much about music lyrics and forget that the best thing about music is the sounds, not the lyrics he he
Jaime Benavides
una de las mejores canciones de la historia del rock