The Church – Under The Milky Way

Song

"Under the Milky Way" is a single by Australian alternative rock band The Church, released on 15 February 1988 and appears on their fifth studio album Starfish. The song was written by bass guitarist and lead vocalist Steve Kilbey and his then-girlfriend Karin Jansson of Curious (Yellow).

In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Under the Milky Way" was ranked number 33.

Background

In 1987 Australian alternative rock band The Church travelled to Los Angeles to record their fifth studio album, Starfish, and worked with producers Waddy Wachtel and Greg Ladanyi.

The Church's line-up for the album was Steve Kilbey on bass guitar and lead vocals, Peter Koppes on guitars, Marty Willson-Piper on guitars, and Richard Ploog on drums and percussion.

However, while recording "Under the Milky Way", the band were unable to get a drum track which sounded right with Ploog, so they played to a click track and later session musician Russ Kunkel was brought in to add drums and percussion.

Composition

"Under the Milky Way" was written by Kilbey and Karin Jansson of Curious (Yellow). Kilbey and Jansson had become friends in 1983 and lived together in Australia from 1986.

Kilbey said,

"I smoked a joint and started playing the piano and she came in the room and we just made it up."

According to a press release issued with Starfish, the title is from an Amsterdam music and cultural venue, Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way"), which Kilbey used to frequent.

12-string acoustic guitar

"Under the Milky Way" features a 12-string acoustic guitar melody along with a solo composed with an EBow on a Fender Jazzmaster, and recorded on a Synclavier, leading to a sound reminiscent of bagpipes.

In October 1990 Jansson told John Tingwell of Drum Media about songwriting with Kilbey "it's a very spontaneous thing. It's not as if someone has put us together to write a hit song. It's more like sometimes when we write together, a song comes knocking on the door". While in September 2008 Kilbey discussed the track with Iain Shedden of The Australian.

Release history

"Under the Milky Way" was released on 15 February 1988 in both 7" vinyl and 12" vinyl formats by Arista Records (internationally) and Mushroom Records (Australian region). The music video for the song featured on The Church's video compilation Goldfish (Jokes, Magic & Souvenirs).

Reception

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1989 "Under the Milky Way" won 'Single of the Year', though Kilbey refused to attend the award ceremony. He said,

"You will note that I didn't collect the award. I don't give a fuck about winning that award. I've been a big critic of the Australian music industry. I think the whole thing is utterly embarrassing and repulsive."

In 2006 Kilbey said of the recording,

"It's actually flat lifeless 'n' and sterile. Great song, sure, but the performance, the sounds are ordinary. We coulda got that in Australia in a week or two for a 20th of the money we spent. Hey, it's sold almost a million in the US alone, but we'll never see any money 'cause it cost so much to make".

Interview

Kilbey's assessment ignored its second life as a much-licensed track. In December 2011, he told News Limited reporter, Cameron Adams:

"There is almost nothing, except for maybe a cigarette ad, I'd say no to 'Under the Milky Way' being used for [...] It was used for a car advertisement in America, very lucratively for me. You'd think people would think it's been overused, but the more it's used the more people seem to want to use it.

I'm signing off all the time for TV shows or chocolate bars using it. Sure, have it, it's just a song, do whatever you like with it. You can hear it wasn't written for profit. It's an accidental song I accidentally wrote and accidentally became a single and accidentally became a hit. It's been a nice earner [...]

I've written 2000 songs. Thank God one of them came through! [...] The others aren't pulling their weight. They sit and grumble about 'Under the Milky Way' and I say, 'Well, boys, go out and earn the same dough as that one'. I never see 'Under the Milky Way' – it's so busy out there working..."

In 2001, the song was featured in the soundtrack for the movie, Donnie Darko.

Album

Starfish è il sesto album della rock-band australiana The Church, pubblicato nel 1988.

Segna 3 anni dopo Heyday il ritorno del gruppo dopo i dischi solisti dei suoi componenti Steve Kilbey, Peter Koppes e Marty Willson-Piper.

Artist

I The Church sono un gruppo musicale rock psichedelico australiano, formatosi a Sydney nel 1978.

Storia dei Church

Esordiscono nel 1980 con il singolo She Never Said. L'anno successivo pubblicano per il mercato australiano, il loro primo album intitolato Of Skins and Heart trainato dai singoli The Ungarded Moment, Too Fast for You e TearIt All Away, che a breve distanza viene pubblicato anche in Europa con il titolo di The Church.

La band propone un rock neopsichedelico con venature pop, sull'onda di analoghe neonate formazioni come R.E.M., Rain Parade, Green on Red, The Dream Syndicate, Game Theory, The Triffids, Three O'Clock, Plimsouls, Hoodoo Gurus, The Long Ryders, si stava affermando nello scenario rock di quegli anni.

Il sound dei Church, tuttavia, si contraddistingue per le forti tonalità visionarie che, coi successivi album The Blurred Crusade (del 1982), Seance (del 1983) e Remote Luxury (del 1984), trovano la loro piena espressione.

Ma è con Heyday (del 1985) e Starfish (del 1988), che Steve Kilbey, Marty Willson-Piper, Peter Koppes e Richard Ploog sfiorano il successo mondiale, grazie a un rock che si fa più sostenuto e corposo e strizza l'occhio anche a sonorità più radiofoniche.

Il singolo Under the Milky Way con le sue atmosfere agrodolci e arpeggi di chitarra che richiamano atmosfere irreali, rimane il loro brano più conosciuto, grazie anche ad un videoclip promozionale in assidua rotazione sulle televisioni musicali più note di quel periodo.

Sometimes when this place gets kind of empty,
Sound of their breath fades with the light.

I think about the loveless fascination,
Under the milky way tonight.

Lower the curtain down in Memphis,
Lower the curtain down all right.

I got no time for private consultation,
Under the milky way tonight.

Wish I knew what you were looking for.
Might have known what you would find.

And its something quite peculiar,
Something that’s shimmering and white.

Leads you here despite your destination,
Under the milky way tonight

Wish I knew what you were looking for.
Might have known what you would find.

Wish I knew what you were looking for.
Might have known what you would find.

And its something quite peculiar,
Something that’s shimmering and white.

Leads you here despite your destination,
Under the milky way tonight

Wish I knew what you were looking for.
Might have known what you would find.

Wish I knew what you were looking for.
Might have known what you would find.

Under the milky way tonight...
...

A volte, quando questo posto diventa un po 'vuoto,
Il suono del loro respiro svanisce con la luce.

Penso al fascino senza amore,
Sotto la via lattea stasera.

Abbassa il sipario a Memphis,
Abbassa il sipario, va bene.

Non ho tempo per una consultazione privata,
Sotto la via lattea stasera.

Vorrei sapere cosa stavi cercando.
Avrei potuto sapere cosa avresti trovato.

Ed è qualcosa di abbastanza peculiare,
Qualcosa di luccicante e bianco.

Ti conduce qui nonostante la tua destinazione
Sotto la via lattea stasera

Vorrei sapere cosa stavi cercando.
Avrei potuto sapere cosa avresti trovato.

Vorrei sapere cosa stavi cercando.
Avrei potuto sapere cosa avresti trovato.

Ed è qualcosa di abbastanza peculiare,
Qualcosa di luccicante e bianco.

Ti conduce qui nonostante la tua destinazione
Sotto la via lattea stasera

Vorrei sapere cosa stavi cercando.
Avrei potuto sapere cosa avresti trovato.

Vorrei sapere cosa stavi cercando.
Avrei potuto sapere cosa avresti trovato.

Sotto la via lattea stasera ...
...