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.
You're Still Beautiful
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your mirror finally broke
Your little bunch of followers turned you into a fool
The butt of all their vicious jokes, screaming
You're still beautiful baby
Nobody can take that away
You're still beautiful baby
Even when you fall down that way
We thought you was wearing a mask
I felt so fucking embarrassed
When you looked at your reflection and asked, you asked
Are you still beautiful baby
Nobody can take that away
You're still beautiful baby
Baby don't believe what you see
Once upon a time I would have killed for you
I'm sorry that you got in this mess
But you're the walking picture of Dorian Gray
At least it's artistic I guess
In the song "You're Still Beautiful" by The Church, the lead singer addresses a person who was once admired and followed by many, but has now fallen into disgrace and has become the target of ridicule. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who was once beautiful and vibrant, but now appears worn and tired. The opening lines, "It was only seven years ago, your mirror finally broke" suggest that this person has been struggling with their self-image for some time, and perhaps this led to their downfall.
The chorus, "You're still beautiful baby, nobody can take that away," is a reassurance to the person that despite their current circumstances, their inner beauty still shines through. The line, "Even when you fall down that way," suggests that the person may have made mistakes or faced challenges, but that these do not define them.
The verse about the person showing up at "the palace" and asking if they are still beautiful is heartbreaking. It suggests that the person has lost so much confidence that they need reassurance from others. The final line, "At least it's artistic I guess," is a nod to the Oscar Wilde novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray," in which the main character remains beautiful on the outside while his portrait ages and becomes grotesque. This suggests that even though the person may appear worn and tired on the outside, their inner beauty remains intact.
Interesting facts about the song:
Line by Line Meaning
It was only seven years ago
We're bringing up a past event that happened seven years back.
Your mirror finally broke
Your reflection was distorted when your mirror broke and you lost touch with your true beauty.
Your little bunch of followers turned you into a fool
You trusted a small group of followers who betrayed you and made you look foolish.
The butt of all their vicious jokes, screaming
They made you the target of their cruel jokes and they did so relentlessly.
You're still beautiful baby
Despite all of this, you're still beautiful and no one can take that away from you.
Nobody can take that away
Your beauty is something that is an innate part of you and no one can strip you of it.
Even when you fall down that way
Even if you stumble and fall, your inner beauty remains intact.
You turned up backstage at the palace
You made an appearance backstage at the palace, perhaps trying to reclaim your former glory.
We thought you was wearing a mask
We initially thought you were wearing a mask because your outward appearance had changed so much.
I felt so fucking embarrassed
I was ashamed and embarrassed for not recognizing you in your new look.
When you looked at your reflection and asked, you asked
When you saw your reflection, you asked whether you were still beautiful.
Are you still beautiful baby
You were questioning whether your inner beauty was still intact despite your physical changes.
Baby don't believe what you see
Don't solely rely on your outward appearance to determine your worth.
Once upon a time I would have killed for you
I would have done anything for you in the past.
I'm sorry that you got in this mess
I regret that you got caught up in this situation.
But you're the walking picture of Dorian Gray
You resemble the character Dorian Gray from the novel who only cared about his outward appearance and not his true self.
At least it's artistic I guess
I am trying to find some sort of consolation in the fact that your situation has some artistic merit.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BittersweetSymphony
Sometimes I wonder if he is writing about himself
@rayla1780
...You turned up backstage at the palace
We thought you was wearing a mask
I felt so fucking embarrassed
When you looked at your reflection and asked, you asked
Are you still beautiful baby
Nobody can take that away
You're still beautiful baby
Baby don't believe what you see....
@RAFAPARRAAZORCOMPOSITORSONOROD
To fall in love isn't a joke. En español "enamorarse" es un verbo a conjugar hasta la eternidad igual.
@atthesunrise
I loved this song from the first few seconds I ever heard it, right when it was released. It was the first time I'd ever heard of The Church, and one of the first 7" SP's I ever bought. The full album, Gold Afternoon Fix, is as beautiful as a perfect autumn sunset.
@redskies4530
Hi I recommend an indie rock song called 'Looking Into The Mirror' By Robert Nix
@gilflores3454
The year I left the Navy, the Church was with me and I’ve loved this band since the 80’s when I first discovered them in Australia when my ship was hitting ports down under!
@nymike06
Thank you for your service!
@betosvrodfloresjr.37
@@nymike06🫡
@gilflores3454
@@nymike06 where in NY are you? I’m in the Syracuse area.
@nymike06
@@gilflores3454 I'm in the city, in the boroughs.
@paulelliott3220
Brilliant to catch this again
Fantastic as the Church always are and have been