“Under The Milky Way” by The Church
It is important to firmly establish from the onset of this analysis that Steve Kilbey, the musician who served as the primary writer and lead vocalist of “Under The Milky Way”, has stated forthrightly that “Under the Milky Way” is “not about anything”.
That is why, when trying to ascertain the intended meaning of a song it is always important, if possible, to find out what the writer himself has said. And this is especially true as far as lasting hits such as this one. Otherwise when many fans analyze such pieces, they come up with these highfalutin interpretations which are more or less figments of their imagination.
For instance some interpreters have argued that The Church is actually speaking to the concept of the Milky Way, i.e. the immeasurably vast galaxy that we live in. However, it has been noted that the titular Milky Way is actually the name of a music venue in Amsterdam which Kilbey favored, which locally is known as Melkweg. And Melkweg is the Dutch translation of Milky Way.
So yes, the lyrics may read as if the vocalist is engaged in and encouraging an activity like meditating under the stars. But again, that is not how Steve intended these words to be interpreted per se.
Instead, this piece is what he has personally referred to as “a blank, abstract canvas”. That’s basically a fancy way of saying that it’s 100% pliable to the respective listener’s interpretation.
And Kilbey is also convinced it is for that reason primarily, i.e. the lyrics being hypothetically ambiguous, that “Under The Milky Way” has gone on to become a classic late 20th century Australian song not only in terms of critical reception but also in regards to being played in a vast number of venues and settings.
In Conclusion
So once again in closing, let us reiterate that the temptation to overanalyze hit songs which rely highly on poetic language will always exists. But take into consideration that sometimes, such as in the case of this track, the artists themselves may not even know that said tune will become a hit.
In their minds it can just be something they hastily put together, personally ranking it amongst their run-of-the-mill or even subpar tunes. Or more simply explained, sometimes more energy is put into making sense of a song by fans as opposed to the musicians who created it themselves.
The Church
The Church is a rock band from down under who trace their origins to the early 1980s. Back in those days they were poppin’ in their homeland of Australia and a couple of other countries, most notably neighboring New Zealand, as well as Sweden.
A couple of their albums from the late-1980/early-1990s also appeared on the Billboard 200. But in more recent years The Church hasn’t nearly been as successful as far as newer albums/songs are concerned. That said, they have managed to stay active, largely due to the success of this piece.
At the time of the issuance of “Under The Milky Way” in 1988, The Church consisted of the following 3 musicians:
- Steve Kilbey (lead vocalist and bassist)
- Peter Koppes (guitarist)
- Marty Wilson-Piper (guitarist)
All of these three names were co-founders of the act. And they were joined by drummer Richard Ploog. Ploog had also been down with The Church from their early goings. However, it should be noted that he did not actually play on this song. The said responsibility was rather handed to an American session musician, Russ Kunkel.
And as of the writing of this post, out of that quartet it is only Kilbey who remains an official member of the act, having remained with the band throughout the decades.
Who wrote “Under The Milky Way”?
Kilbey co-wrote this song. He achieved that task in conjunction with the lady he was dating at the time, who is also a professional musician named Karin Jansson. And the entirety of The Church are credited as the producers of “Under the Milky Way”. On this side of the composition, they were assisted by Waddy Wachtel and the late Greg Ladanyi (1952-2009).
Release of “Under the Milky Way”
Released on 15 February 1988, this track is from “Starfish”. “Starfish” is the fifth studio the band put out. This project was one of their most successful albums, in that it charted in US, Canada and Sweden. In addition to this, it nearly made it onto the top 10 in both Australia and New Zealand.
The primary label behind this track is Arista Records. This label, including head honcho Clive Davis himself, helped transform the original composition of “Under the Milky Way” into a solid hit. And an old Aussie label, Mushroom Records, also backed the issuance of this track.
Song’s Success
“Under the Milky Way” performed comparably, appearing on the UK Singles Chart and breaking the top 30 of the Billboard 200. And in those latter regards, this appears to be the only single The Church has ever dropped which charted in the UK and US. This success therefore makes this hit song the band’s signature piece.
However, concerning that success, Steve had lamented that initially “Under the Milky Way” blowing up stateside proved unprofitable because it “cost so much to make”. Moreover he noted that this is a song he accidentally wrote and never really expected to become his biggest hit. This is the same sentiment that was reportedly shared by his bandmates as well as some of his homeys when they first laid it down.
More Facts about “Under the Milky Way”
“Under the Milky Way”, as rendered by The Church alongside the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, was used as part of the opening ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, which that year were held in Melbourne.
The original artists also played it during their MTV Unplugged performance in early 1990. This tune also made it onto the official soundtrack of the 2001 sci-fi flick Donnie Darko.
It had also previously appeared on a 1989 episode of Miami Vice. Furthermore, it also popped up on Prison Break in 2006.
Moreover, Steve Kilbey has noted that throughout the years, “Under the Milky Way” has been used on quite a few commercials. And while we’re on the subject of commercials another Australian musician, Sia, covered this song in 2009. The said cover was featured on a car advertisement for Lincoln. That rendition also went on to be released as a single.
And American rockers The Killers have also been known, even by Steve Kilbey himself, to cover this song.
The official music video to this track, per IMDb, was directed by David Hogan.
There was a moment in time, around the turn of the century, where The Church stopped performing this song altogether. And that’s because with it being their signature piece and the band not really having any other big hits to boast of, many people who watched them perform would just leave after they played “Under the Milky Way”.
What music genre is “Under the Milky Way”?
It is an alternative rock song. However, it also fits well into the dream pop genre.
