Under the Milky Way
Encyclopedia
"Under the Milky Way" is a single by Australian alternative rock
band The Church
released in February 1988 with their album, Starfish
. The song was written by bass guitarist and vocalist Steve Kilbey
and his then-girlfriend, Karin Jansson (ex-Pink Champagne
, Curious Yellow). It charted in the Top 30 on the Australian Singles Chart
and US Billboard Hot 100 , reaching #24, and won an ARIA Award in 1989
for 'Single of the Year'.
, and his then-girlfriend Karin Jansson. The song was originally released on The Church's Starfish
album and won the Australian ARIA award
for 'Single of the Year' in 1989. It was the band's only international hit, staying in the U.S. top 40 for several weeks, and charting in Canada
(#69) and the UK (#90). In Australia, "Under the Milky Way" peaked at #22 -- however, it was not their biggest homeland hit; the singles "Almost With You" and "Metropolis" charted at #21 and #19, respectively, in the Australian charts.
"Under the Milky Way" featured a 12-string acoustic guitar melody along with a solo composed with an EBow on a Fender
Jazzmaster, leading to a sound reminiscent of bagpipes. According to a press release issued with Starfish, the song was written about an Amsterdam
music and cultural venue called Melkweg
(Dutch for "Milky Way"), which Kilbey used to frequent.
The single was released in several configurations worldwide (7", double 7", 12", CD single), with at least five different cover art designs. The main B-sides
were "Musk" and "Warm Spell". Spanish versions added "Anna Miranda" and "Perfect Child". The music video for the song featured on The Church's video compilation Goldfish (Jokes, Magic & Souvenirs).
In 2001
, the song was featured in the soundtrack for the movie Donnie Darko
. In 2006, the song was performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne. Lead singer Steve Kilbey said after the performance that it was as if the song had been made for the occasion, though in his blog he was critical of the Commonwealth Games as an event. In September 2008, readers of The Weekend Australian Magazine voted it as the best Australian song of the last 20 years. Sheet music for "Under the Milky Way" was published by Hal Leonard.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band The Church
The Church (band)
The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
released in February 1988 with their album, Starfish
Starfish (album)
The breakthrough 1988 album by The Church, Starfish has remained the band's most commercially successful release. The first single, "Under the Milky Way", charted well into the American Top 40, peaking at #24 and #2 on Mainstream Rock Tracks leading to significant exposure of the then relatively...
. The song was written by bass guitarist and vocalist Steve Kilbey
Steve Kilbey
Steven John Kilbey is the lead singer-songwriter and bass guitarist for The Church, an Australian rock band. He is also a music producer, poet, and painter....
and his then-girlfriend, Karin Jansson (ex-Pink Champagne
Pink Champagne
Pink Champagne was a Swedish feminist punk band in the 1980s. It consisted of four women, Stina Berge , Ann Carlberger , Karin Jansson and Gunilla Welin . Kajsa Grytt was briefly a member...
, Curious Yellow). It charted in the Top 30 on the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
and US Billboard Hot 100 , reaching #24, and won an ARIA Award in 1989
ARIA Music Awards of 1989
The Third Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 6 March 1989 at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre in Sydney. First Australian host Greedy Smith of Mental As Anything was assisted by presenters George Martin and Jono & Dano to distribute 24 awards...
for 'Single of the Year'.
Release history
"Under the Milky Way" was written by the band's vocalist and bassist, Steve KilbeySteve Kilbey
Steven John Kilbey is the lead singer-songwriter and bass guitarist for The Church, an Australian rock band. He is also a music producer, poet, and painter....
, and his then-girlfriend Karin Jansson. The song was originally released on The Church's Starfish
Starfish (album)
The breakthrough 1988 album by The Church, Starfish has remained the band's most commercially successful release. The first single, "Under the Milky Way", charted well into the American Top 40, peaking at #24 and #2 on Mainstream Rock Tracks leading to significant exposure of the then relatively...
album and won the Australian ARIA award
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
for 'Single of the Year' in 1989. It was the band's only international hit, staying in the U.S. top 40 for several weeks, and charting in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(#69) and the UK (#90). In Australia, "Under the Milky Way" peaked at #22 -- however, it was not their biggest homeland hit; the singles "Almost With You" and "Metropolis" charted at #21 and #19, respectively, in the Australian charts.
"Under the Milky Way" featured a 12-string acoustic guitar melody along with a solo composed with an EBow on a Fender
Fender
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, commonly referred to as simply Fender, of Scottsdale, Arizona is a manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, such as solid-body electric guitars, including the Stratocaster and the Telecaster...
Jazzmaster, leading to a sound reminiscent of bagpipes. According to a press release issued with Starfish, the song was written about an Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
music and cultural venue called Melkweg
Melkweg
The Melkweg is a popular music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is located on the Lijnbaansgracht, near the Leidseplein, a prime nightlife center of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former warehouse and is divided into a number of spaces of varying sizes...
(Dutch for "Milky Way"), which Kilbey used to frequent.
The single was released in several configurations worldwide (7", double 7", 12", CD single), with at least five different cover art designs. The main B-sides
B-Sides
B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
were "Musk" and "Warm Spell". Spanish versions added "Anna Miranda" and "Perfect Child". The music video for the song featured on The Church's video compilation Goldfish (Jokes, Magic & Souvenirs).
In 2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
, the song was featured in the soundtrack for the movie Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko is a 2001 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Noah Wyle, Jena Malone, and Mary McDonnell...
. In 2006, the song was performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games was held on 15 March 2006 at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The ceremony was conceived and produced by Jack Morton Worldwide, which also produced the ceremonies for the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth...
in Melbourne. Lead singer Steve Kilbey said after the performance that it was as if the song had been made for the occasion, though in his blog he was critical of the Commonwealth Games as an event. In September 2008, readers of The Weekend Australian Magazine voted it as the best Australian song of the last 20 years. Sheet music for "Under the Milky Way" was published by Hal Leonard.
Cover versions
- New Zealand's StrawpeopleStrawpeopleStrawpeople are a New Zealand band. They were created by Paul Casserly and Mark Tierney after they had met while working at the Auckland university radio station now known as 95 bFM....
- Broadcast (1994) - Celtic rock band Seven NationsSeven NationsSeven Nations is a Celtic rock band that formed in New York City in 1993. The name comes from the seven Celtic nations, including Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Galicia...
- Big DogBig Dog (album)Big Dog is an album by Seven Nations, released in 1996 on their own label.-Track listing:#Under the Milky Way #Crooked Jack#The Mountains of Pomeroy/Garrett Barry's/Snug in a Blanket/Iain's Jig/Clumsy Lover/Itchy Fingers...
(1996), with later versions on The Pictou SessionsThe Pictou SessionsThe Pictou Sessions is an album released by Seven Nations in 2000. Many of its tracks would be re-released on their follow-up self-titled album.-Track listing:The Pictou Sessions is an album released by Seven Nations in 2000...
and self-titled Seven NationsSeven Nations (album)Seven Nations is an album released by Celtic rock band Seven Nations in 2000. It shares many of the same tracks as the band's previous release, The Pictou Sessions, and can be seen as an update of that album. It also functions as a greatest hits package, as it includes many of singer Kirk McLeod's... - Coheed and CambriaCoheed and CambriaCoheed and Cambria is an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York. Formed in 1995, the group incorporates aspects of progressive rock, punk rock, metal and post-hardcore....
performed a live cover version of the song while on tour promoting Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume 2: No World for Tomorrow - Jimmy LittleJimmy LittleJimmy Little AO , is an Australian Aboriginal musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, whose career has spanned six decades. For many years he was the only Aboriginal star on the Australian music scene...
- Messenger (1999) - Fates WarningFates WarningFates Warning is an American progressive metal band, formed in 1982 by vocalist John Arch, guitarists Jim Matheos and Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase, and drummer Steve Zimmerman in Hartford, Connecticut. Fates Warning has experienced numerous line-up changes...
- DisconnectedDisconnected (Fates Warning album)Disconnected is the ninth album by the progressive metal group Fates Warning, released in 2000 . Kevin Moore previously played on the Fates Warning album A Pleasant Shade of Gray and later appeared in OSI with Matheos....
(2000), as a bonus track - Gordon MerrickGordon MerrickWilliam Gordon Merrick was a Broadway actor, best-selling author of gay-themed novels and one of the first authors to write about homosexual themes for a mass audience.-Early life:...
and Liz EnthusiasmLiz EnthusiasmLiz Enthusiasm is the pseudonym of Justinne Gamache, the lead singer of the indie synthpop band Freezepop. She currently lives in Massachusetts....
- internet album Best Friends Forever (2004) - Rick SpringfieldRick SpringfieldRick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
- The Day After Yesterday (2005) - Kill HannahKill HannahKill Hannah is a rock band formed in 1993 in Chicago. The band has released six studio albums, seven EPs, and two compilation albums as well as three DVDs.-History:...
- Until There's Nothing Left of UsUntil There's Nothing Left of UsUntil There's Nothing Left of Us is Kill Hannah's fifth full-length studio album and their second album on major label, Atlantic Records. The first single from the album was "Lips Like Morphine", released before the album came out. The video is shot in black and white and set in an 'industrial...
(2006) - Grant Lee Phillips - nineteeneightiesNineteeneighties-Track listing:#"Wave of Mutilation" – 3:36#"Age of Consent" – 3:34#"The Eternal" – 5:15#"I Often Dream of Trains" – 3:20#"The Killing Moon" – 4:14...
(2006) - GeorgeGeorge-People:*See George *See George *See Saint George -Places:Australia*Lake George, New South WalesCanada*George's Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador*George Street, St. John's, Newfoundland and LabradorSouth Africa...
- Special Ones Live recording (2007) - The Dear & DepartedThe Dear & DepartedThe Dear & Departed is a rock band from Orange County and Los Angeles, California, founded by Dan Smith. Founded in 2006, the band went on the Vans Warped Tour and released their debut album the same year. In 2007 the band again played on the tour, and some other tours followed...
- Something Quite PeculiarSomething Quite PeculiarSomething Quite Peculiar is the debut album by The Dear & Departed. The album was released May 22, 2007, on Science Records. It features the single "Tonight's the Night" and a cover of The Church's "Under the Milky Way"...
(2007), features guest vocals by Jess of The VeronicasThe VeronicasThe Veronicas are an Australian electrorock, pop-punk and rock band. Twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso formed the band in 1999 in Brisbane. They have their own line of clothing which was released in 2007.... - Nicole AtkinsNicole AtkinsNicole Atkins is an American singer-songwriter. She has been compared to Roy Orbison and singers from the Brill Building era.-Early life:...
- Nicole Atkins Digs Other People's Songs EP (2008) - Sia FurlerSia FurlerSia Kate Isobelle Furler or simply Sia, is an Australian pop, downtempo, and jazz singer and songwriter. In 2000, her single, "Taken for Granted" was a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom. Her 2008 album, Some People Have Real Problems peaked in the top 30 on the Billboard 200...
' cover, released as a single January 2010, used in a 2010 LincolnLincoln (automobile)Lincoln is an American luxury vehicle brand of the Ford Motor Company. Lincoln vehicles are sold mostly in North America.-History:The company was founded in August 1915 by Henry M. Leland, one of the founders of Cadillac . During World War I, he left Cadillac which was sold to General Motors...
MKTLincoln MKTThe Lincoln MKT is a full-size luxury crossover utility vehicle, first unveiled as a concept vehicle at the 2008 North American International Auto Show. It entered production at the Oakville Assembly plant in July 2009 as a 2010 model. It shares the same crossover D4 platform as the Ford Flex and...
commercial titled "Perceptions" - Josh PykeJosh PykeJosh Pyke is an Australian singer-songwriting musician.-Beginnings and Feeding the Wolves :Josh Pyke was in his first band by age 12 and played his first performance in front of 650 parents and students at his primary school graduation. Playing guitar and initial song writing efforts came aged 14...
- Triple JTriple Jtriple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's Like a VersionLike A VersionLike a Version is a segment on the Australian radio station Triple J. It was created by Mel Bampton as part of the Mel in the Morning program. Currently the segment pops up whenever artists are available and willing to do it, though mainly on the Breakfast show... - Tearwave - Different Shade of Beauty (2008)
- Miami HorrorMiami HorrorMiami Horror are an Australian electronic band from Melbourne, Victoria with a disco-house throwback style. Miami Horror can refer to its producer, Benjamin Plant, or its four-piece live incarnation.-Biography:...
- Snickers Sessions (2011) - The Killers - Live at AAArena Miami with Chairlift (2009)
- Powerman 5000Powerman 5000Powerman 5000 is an American Metal band formed in 1991. Through the span of over two decades, the group has released several albums and gained their highest commercial success with 1999's science fiction themed Tonight the Stars Revolt!...
- Copies, Clones & Replicants (2011)