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.
Too Fast for You
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Morning streaked on a perspex screen
The screaming beaked blackbirds peck
The wrecked eyes of last week's lies
The sandman gets shallow sleep
He tries to weep for the grown-up things
One last peep for policemen
Oh and I hope I'm not going too fast for you
And don't believe it when they say it's over
It's not over
There's an ice age due on Wednesday
Overcast sky, blocks of fortune
The bridges sigh, the sweethearts are blank
They never thank, no, they never even try
Winking paperboy
Paperwork, overloaded portrait
Let it jerk you back to yesterday
That's where the curtains start to fray
Too fast for you
Too fast for you
The Church's song "Too Fast for You" is a multi-layered, introspective reflection on the passage of time, the search for meaning, and the never-ending human struggle for significance. The song begins with a description of a morning in which "morning streaked on a perspex screen," as if the opaque film of reality is slowly lifting to reveal the truth underneath. In this moment, the singer observes the "screaming beaked blackbirds" who are apparently pecking at the "wrecked eyes of last week's lies." This image suggests a theme of honesty, as if the birds are metaphorically pecking away the layers of deceit and revealing the truth.
The second verse introduces more surreal imagery, describing an "ice age due on Wednesday," "overcast sky," and "blocks of fortune." Here, the singer seems to be contemplating the futility of life, the inevitability of death, and the arbitrary nature of luck. The final verse brings the song full circle, returning to an image of the "winking paperboy" and a "curtain start to fray." This suggests a sense of nostalgia, a longing for a simpler time when things made more sense.
Overall, "Too Fast for You" is a complex and thought-provoking song that explores themes of truth, mortality, and nostalgia. It invites the listener to contemplate their own place in the world and the fleeting nature of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Come down, another day
Another day has come.
Morning streaked on a perspex screen
The morning light shines on a plastic screen.
The screaming beaked blackbirds peck
Blackbirds with sharp beaks are pecking loudly.
The wrecked eyes of last week's lies
The person's eyes reflect the damage caused by last week's lies.
The sandman gets shallow sleep
The person is not sleeping well.
He tries to weep for the grown-up things
The person is trying to cry for mature issues.
One last peep for policemen
A final glimpse of police officers.
A'resting in the woodland side so steep
They are resting on a hill in the forest.
Oh and I hope I'm not going too fast for you
The singer hopes they are not moving too quickly for the listener.
And don't believe it when they say it's over
Don't believe when people say something is finished.
It's not over
The situation is not finished.
There's an ice age due on Wednesday
It will be very cold on Wednesday.
Overcast sky, blocks of fortune
The sky is cloudy, and there are opportunities to be had.
The bridges sigh, the sweethearts are blank
The bridges make noise, but the lovers are expressionless.
They never thank, no, they never even try
The lovers don't appreciate anything.
Winking paperboy
The paperboy is winking.
Paperwork, overloaded portrait
There is too much paperwork to deal with.
Let it jerk you back to yesterday
Think about the past.
That's where the curtains start to fray
The issues started in the past.
Too fast for you
Things are moving too quickly.
Too fast for you
Things are moving too quickly again.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
RAFALOTE72 & PJUAREZ
love it
rc Avellanosa
Come down, another day
Morning streaked on a perspex screen
The screaming beaked blackbirds peck
The wrecked eyes of last week's lies
The sandman gets shallow sleep
He tries to weep for the grown-up things
One last peep for policemen
A'resting in the woodland side so steep
Oh and I hope I'm not going too fast for you
And don't believe it when they say it's over
It's not over
There's an ice age due on Wednesday
Overcast sky, blocks of fortune
The bridges sigh, the sweethearts are blank
They never thank, you know they never even try
Winking at the paperboy, paperwork
Overloaded portrait
Let it jerk you back to yesterday
That's where the curtains start to fray
Happy Evs
Never heard of this band until 85 and Hooked ever since