Church – The Unguarded Moment

This is another band I wish I would have known more about in the 80s.

This song’s main riff reminds me a little of Ticket To Ride after being juiced up a little. The Church was an Australian alternative band that released this song in 1981.  It was the second single from their 1981 debut album, Of Skins and Heart.

It was written by Steve Kilbey, lead singer and bassist and Mikela Uniacke, who was his wife at the time. The lyrics caught my attention in this song. They are well put together and clever

The song peaked at #22 in Australia and #19 in New Zealand in 1981. The band is still together but Steve Kilbey remains the only original member. They have released 25 albums in their career and have charted everywhere.

The album peaked at #7 in New Zealand, #22 in Australia, and #31 in Canada.

From Wiki: In January 2018, as part of Triple M’s “Ozzest 100”, the ‘most Australian’ songs of all time, “The Unguarded Moment” was ranked number 57.

The Unguarded Moment

So hard
Finding inspiration
I knew you’d find me crying
Tell those girls with rifles for minds
That their jokes don’t make me laugh
They only make me feel like dying
In an unguarded moment

So long
Long between mirages
I knew you’d find me drinking
Tell those men with horses for arms
That their jokes don’t make me bleed
They only make me feel like shrinking
In an unguarded moment

So deep
Deep without a meaning
I knew you’d find me leaving
Tell those friends with cameras for eyes
That their hands don’t make me hang
They only make me feel like breathing

In an unguarded moment
In an unguarded moment
In an unguarded moment
In an unguarded moment
In an unguarded moment
In an unguarded moment
In an unguarded moment
In an unguarded moment
(In an unguarded moment)
In an unguarded moment
(In an unguarded moment)
In an unguarded moment
(In an unguarded moment)

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

31 thoughts on “Church – The Unguarded Moment”

    1. Yes he does have that 80s voice… I liked the sound of them right away.

      This band charted a couple of songs over here in the 80s. They had a song called Under the Milky Way in the mid-eighties that was around #24…

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  3. Great tune, Max. Does remind me a bit of The Cars. Anyway, I first ran into The Church in 1988 when they came out with their fifth album “Starfish.” The lead single “Under the Milky Way” became a hit. I think the entire record is great.

    BTW, the band is still around. Their most recent album, “Man Woman Life Death Infinity,” came out in October 2017. If you’re curious, I reviewed it at the time: https://christiansmusicmusings.wordpress.com/2017/10/07/the-church-sticks-to-its-religion-on-new-album/

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    1. Oh cool Christian! I’m going there now. BTW…I don’t do this usually but when I posted a song yesterday…I thought of you first. Right up your Byrds alley…I mean right up.

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      1. Just pulled it up and listening to the tune. It’s one of those songs where all you need to hear are the opening chords and you know you dig it!

        Lately, I’ve had very little time to catch up with my blog reading. Hope getting to more this weekend.

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      2. I thought you would like it…heck even his voice sounds like McGuinn.

        I haven’t either Christian…I have extra work that I have been doing…

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      4. Oh yea….I get that a lot. With me…even when I’m doing work I can still comment some because my job IS being on a computer.

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      5. I work for a public relations agency, so most of my job also relies on the computer. The problem is I just don’t have the time for personal stuff during work hours. I barely get to check my personal email.

        Anyway, I don’t mean to complain. I’m fortunate to have a job I can do remotely.

        BTW, today would have been my Southern Avenue show in Asbury Park. I’m so bummed not to go. But given the Delta situation, I just don’t feel it would be responsible. Instead, I might hang out on the boardwalk opposite the venue where folks are more spread out. You can still easily hear the music from there, but without seeing the action on stage, of course it’s not the same!

        Okay, need to hit the “pause button” for now to do some errands. But, hey, with a heat index of 90, at least it’ll be cozy! 🙂

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      6. Yea the heat is terrible! My job of course is putting out fires so between fires I do have some time…right now I have a massive project…a six month project that I’m half way through so I get in when I can.

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  4. It’s a good one that I did hear at times and liked back then. I agree with Christian – the ’88(?) album ‘Starfish’ , which I did have, was very good…no bad tracks and 3 or 4 truly great ones.

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    1. Yes I have to check that one out. They sure expanded their sound and evolved Dave…I read Christian’s review and the songs they had…very Pink Floyd-ish.

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    1. I was wondering if you had heard of them…that is the second Australian band I’ve had in week…them and the Stems.

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  11. “The Unguarded Moment” sounds really nice. Back then “Under The Milky Way” was often played on the radio. The Church slightly reminds me of the Smiths, Simple Minds, R.E.M. or Psychedelic Furs (although they were a bit more commercial).

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      1. Thanks, Max. I just listened to “Heyday”. It’s hard to believe that the album was released in the ’80s, because it has remained incredibly fresh even after all these years.

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