A SONG about nothing and the band didn't really like it.
That doesn't sound like a recipe for international success, but from such humble beginnings sprang Australian band The Church's 1988 hit Under the Milky Way.
The track, written by singer Steve Kilbey and his then girlfriend Karin Jansson, made the charts here and in the US and remains The Church's best-known song.
Now Under the Milky Way has another credit to its name: it has been voted the best Australian song of the past 20 years.
Today in The Weekend Australian Magazine, we publish the results of our online poll to find the best 20 Australian songs since 1988.
We asked readers to nominate and vote for their favourites as part of the magazine's 20th anniversary celebrations. Under the Milky Way was a clear winner, topping the poll from the start of voting since early last month.
Yesterday in Sydney, Kilbey said his song had taken on a life of its own since he began writing it on an old piano at his mother's house on the NSW central coast.
"I just stumbled upon it and for some reason it has struck this wonderful sense of universality with people that most of my songs don't," Kilbey said.
He said that when he first presented the demo version of Milky Way to the band "no one really liked it that much".
"No one in the band was that fussed, other than our drummer Richard (Ploog)," he said.
"Our manager liked it and wanted it on (the album) Starfish."
The song went on that album and won the band an ARIA award for best song in 1989.
Since then it has appeared on movie soundtracks and has been covered by a broad range of local and overseas artists, including Rick Springfield, Matchbox 20 and Jimmy Little.
It also remains a staple of the band's live shows.
"There are songs about something -- about the Vietnam war or about how much you love your wife -- and then there are songs that operate as a premise for you to have your own adventure," Kilbey said.
"Under the Milky Way is definitely one of those songs; it's not really about anything at all.
"I just wanted to create an atmosphere and I didn't even put a lot of thought into that.
"History has given it something that it never really had."
Other artists to make it into our top 20 include Crowded House, the Whitlams and Augie March. We also asked 20 well-known music industry figures, such as Peter Garrett, Missy Higgins and John Butler, to name their favourite song from the past 20 years and to explain why they chose it. Those choices and explanations are in today's Culture issue of the magazine.
As to Kilbey's feelings about his landmark song, he said he neither hated nor resented it, even though it had become the song with which the Church was most readily identified.
"It's not like, say, I was Joe Dolce and I had to keep doing Shaddap You Face ... like you had a song that was your song and it was a real stinker," Kilbey said.
"I reckon (Living in a Land) Down Under would tire me out. But if I had to be saddled with one song that everyone wants me to do, I figure Milky Way is an OK one."
) so she's putting out the call for donations. There will be a message on HW, but we are trying to keep it...or at least exactly what it is... a secret from Marty so it will be kind of vague. Anyway if you want to donate (even a small amount will help) and send MWP a Happy Birthday message, let me know and I can give you her email addy (if it isn't posted elsewhere). 
Especially 'Invisible' and 'Night Friends' 
Gotta love 'im. 
