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"Under the Milky Way" is a 1988 song by The Church. Written by the band's vocalist and bassist, Steve Kilbey, and his partner Karin Jansson, it was originally released on The Church's "Starfish" album. It won the Australian ARIA award for best song in 1989. The song has been described as "hauntingly beautiful" [1] and was The Church's biggest hit to date, staying in the US top 40 for several weeks. Unlike most of their songs, this one featured primarily acoustic guitar playing, driven by a 12-string guitar melody. According to a press release issued with Starfish, the song was written about an infamous Amsterdam hash bar called The Milky Way Bar, which Kilbey used to frequent. The Church's two biggest hits were each credited to Kilbey and his partner at that time, the other being 1981's "The Unguarded Moment", which was co-written by Michelle Parker. These are the only two Church songs to have been written that way. There is speculation that My Bloody Valentine got the title of their 1991 album Loveless from the "UTMW" line, "I think about the loveless fascination, under the milky way tonight." (However, no lyrics were officially printed for the song, and Kilbey may be saying "love bliss fascination.") What sounds like a bagpipe solo midway through the song, was actually performed by an E-bow.

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 "UTMW" 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 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 [2].

Around two dozen artists have released cover versions of this song, including one by daytime tv thespian Rick Springfield and another more recent cover done by the alternative rock band Kill Hannah.

• Discography entry for "UTMW", plus cover art photos
• Appearances of the song on compilations, and cover versions
• Mp3: song intro by Casey Kasem upon its entry into the U.S. charts; on Casey Kasem's American Top 40 (May 28, 1988)
• Also been covered by Doris Gets Her Oats

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