"The Unguarded Moment" is a song by Australian

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band The Church, released in March 1981. It was the second single from their 1981 debut album, '' Of Skins and Heart''. It was written by

Steve Kilbey Steven John Kilbey (born 13 September 1954) is an English-Australian singer-songwriter and bass guitarist for the rock band the Church. He is also a music producer, poet, and painter. As of 2020, Kilbey has released 14 solo albums and has col ...

, the group's frontman, singer and bass guitarist; and Mikela Uniacke (a.k.a. Michelle Parker), Note: User may have to search again and provide details at 'Titles' e.g Unguarded Moment; or at 'Performers' Church who were married at the time. The song reached No. 22 on the Australian

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...

Singles Chart, Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until

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(ARIA) created their own

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in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974. and was the band's first radio hit. It peaked at No. 19 on the

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. The single and the album were released on

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then newly revived

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

label. Kilbey later said, "The song just doesn't appeal to me. It doesn't give me any pleasure at all. Maybe it was exciting for people who thought the country was going to be bogged down with

The Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album ''Dare' ...

and Buggles for the decade." In January 2018, as part of

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's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "The Unguarded Moment" was ranked number 57.

Reception

Garry Raffaele of ''

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...

'' described the track in June 1981, which "starts out with a bow towards the Beatles, then into a tightly constructed, powerfully written and pulsingly performed piece. And written so well... phrases like 'men with horses for hearts', 'friends with cameras for eyes'." In August 2002 it was reviewed by ''

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's''

David Fricke David Fricke is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 years. I ...

as "The Church's 1981 jangling gem". ''

Roadrunner The roadrunners (genus ''Geococcyx''), also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States and Mexico, us ...

'' claimed, "They've ripped off the riff from " Ticket to Ride". I don't care. It's what you do with stolen goods that counts, and the Church do good things with this." They also predicted, "If given a chance – a hit."

Track listing

References

External links

"The Unguarded Moment"
at

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"The Unguarded Moment"
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Unguarded Moment 1981 singles The Church (band) songs Songs written by Steve Kilbey 1981 songs Parlophone singles Song recordings produced by Bob Clearmountain