“Under the Milky Way” – The Church
(Words/music: Karin Jansson and Steve Kilbey, available on Starfish, Arista 1988)
While I love carefully arranged, dense songs, sometimes a simple, straight-forward arrangement best suits a song. “Under the Milky Way” thrives with a simple arrangement that drives its two key elements –the bright and cutting acoustic guitar chords and Steve Kilbey’s voice. Even if Kilbey sounds like a more dour Bono at times (particularly when he over-pronounces the word “white”), it’s this slight element of sadness that makes this song so beautiful. When he sings the chorus, he sounds deflated and vaguely frustrated. The other elements, in particular the humming synthesizer lurking near the back of the arrangement, help to cultivate this mood. Even the bagpipes (I think they’re bagpipes, at least) in the post-chorus section help to cast a somber tone on the entire song. Most importantly, these extra accessories are just that – while other songs rely on these flourishes (and to great effect, but that’s not the point), the band wisely keeps the guitar and Kilbey at the forefront of the mix. Even with the atmospheric touches, “Under the Milky Way” retains the feeling of a single (lonely) person playing guitar and singing the song.
Maybe because of this underlying intimacy or because of its beautifully simple arrangement, I’ve always thought of this song as a song that I wish I could play and sing. I’m not a very experienced guitar player (I think in another post I’ve said that I can play “campfire guitar” – give me open chords and I can fake it), but I can play the chords in this song. Still, even though I was playing the right notes, it didn’t feel right; when I thought about it, it sounded like “Under the Milky Way,” but it only resembled the song slightly. Perhaps I didn’t have the right voicings, but more than likely it sounded off because it wasn’t my song the way I played it. Some songs are universal in their performances – they shine through a variety of interpretations. Others, and I think “Under the Milky Way” falls into this category, require the subtle touch that its songwriter instinctively adds. I suppose if I played around with the chords long enough, I could adapt my own subtleties, but I would much rather listen to the recording and appreciate it rather than try to replicate it. If some art inspires others to create, other works inspire admiration, and “Under the Milky Way” falls into that second category for me.
More on The Church: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm
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