Men at Work released Two Hearts

Two Hearts Men at Work

Released: April 23, 1985 Peak: 50 US, -- UK, -- CN, 16 AU Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 0.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: pop rock/new wave

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Man with Two Hearts Giving Up Everything I Need (1985, 47, US, 28 AR, 37 AU) Sail to You Children on Parade Maria Stay at Home Hard Luck Story Snakes and Ladders Still Life Total Running Time: 36:34 The Players: Colin Hay (vocals, guitar, various instruments, drum programming) Greg Ham (flute, keyboards, saxophone, vocals, drum programming) Ron Strykert (guitar, vocals)

Rating: 3.142 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings)

About the Album: Men at Work took the world by storm in 1982 and 1983 with their monstrously successful Business As Usual album and the #1 singles “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Down Under.” They quickly followed with another album that was a top-five, multi-platinum smash which gave the band two more top-10 hits in the U.S. After they took a break, they reconvened in the fall of 1984 to start work on a third album. Friction led to the dismissal of bassist John Rees and drummer Jerry Speiser before the recording started. They were replaced with session musicians and a stronger emphasis on drum machines and synthesizers. Guitarist Ron Strykert left during sessions, although he is still credited as a member of the group for the Two Hearts album. The band also let producer Ian McIan go, the man who’d produced the first two hugely successful albums. Colin Hay and Greg Ham opted to produce the album themselves. These were all warning signs that Men at Work might be finished as a viable commercial act and might even be done as a band. Sadly, both proved true. That isn’t to say, though, that there isn’t some good music here. Everything I Need was the only song that charted, peaking at #47 in the U.S. and barely making the top 40 in their own native Australia. The song, however, sounded worthy of the top-10 status Men at Work had achieved four times with singles from the first two albums. Man with Two Hearts, Maria, Hard Luck Story, and Still Life were all released as singles, but none charted. The first two certainly weren’t of the same caliber as Men at Work’s biggest hits, but they felt like songs that deserved at least top-40 status. It was an unfortunate ending for a band whose star rose so quickly and, sadly, fell just as fast. While the group will always be best remembered for its fun videos and chart-toppers, they deserve to be recognized for the unfairly overlooked Two Hearts as well.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Men at Work WK Wikipedia First posted 9/19/2020; last updated 8/2/2021.