Under the Milky Way

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“Under the Milky Way”

Single by The Church from the album Starfish
B-side	"Musk", "Warm Spell"
Released	1988
Format	7", double 7", 12", CD single
Length	4:05
Label	Mushroom
Writer(s)	Steve Kilbey, Karin Jansson
Producer	The Church

"Under the Milky Way" is a 1988 song by The Church. Written by the band's vocalist and bassist, Steve Kilbey and Karin Jansson, the song was originally released on The Church's Starfish album and won the Australian ARIA award for best song in 1989. The song was the band's biggest hit, staying in the U.S. top 40 for several weeks.

Unlike most of its songs, "Under the Milky Way" featured primarily acoustic guitar driven by a 12-string guitar melody and a solo that, although sounding like a bagpipe, was actually an EBow.

According to a press release issued with Starfish, the song was written about an infamous Amsterdam hash bar called The Milky Way (Melkweg) Bar, which Kilbey used to frequent.

The single was released in several configurations (7", double 7", 12", CD single), in many countries, 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."

Sheet music for "Under The Milky Way" was published by Hal Leonard.

A colorfully cinematic music video was filmed for the song; it is featured on The Church's video compilation Goldfish (Jokes, Magic & Souvenirs).

"Under The Milky Way" was included in the 2001 movie Donnie Darko.

In 2006, the song was performed with 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 was made for the occasion, though in his blog he was critical of the Commonwealth Games as an event^[1].