Men at Work hit #1 on the Hot 100 with “Down Under”

Down Under Men at Work

Writer(s): Colin Hay, Ron Strykert (see lyrics here) Released: October 23, 1981 Peak: 14 BB, 15 CB, 14 GR, 15 RR, 13 AC, 15 AR, 1 CO, 13 UK, 13 CN, 16 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 1.2 UK, 3.68 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 500.33 video, 788.53 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The first version of this Australian classic was released in 1980 as the B-side to “Keypunch Operator.” After Men at Work signed with Columbia Records, they re-recorded “Down Under” with a different arrangement and tempo. It was released in Australia in late ’81 and reached the top of the charts. It would be another year before it charted in the U.S. After “Who Can It Be Now?” hit #1 in America, “Down Under” was released as the follow-up and hit the Billboard Hot 100 on November 6, 1982. It topped the charts in January 1983 and helped propel the album to the top of the U.S. charts for 15 weeks. The song also reached the pinnacle in the UK, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, and Switzerland. WK The song’s lyrics focus on a man who travels the world meeting people curious about his home country of Australia. Colin Hay was inspired by his own experiences as well as Australian entertainer Barry Humphries, who created a “larger-than-life character” SF who “was a beer-swilling Australian who traveled to England.” SF References include Vegemite sandwich (a popular Australian snack), a “fried-out Kombi” (an overheated Volkswagen), and “head full of zombie” (marijuana use), and “chunder” (Aussie slang for vomit). The song and its quirky video were practically a parody, but Hay said “it is ultimately about celebrating the country, but not in a nationalistic way and not in a flag-waving sense.” SF Hay explained that Ron Strykert created the bass riff with percussion played on bottles filled with varying degrees of water, which would produce different notes. He said “it had a real trance-like quality to it. I used to listen to it in the car all the time. When I was driving along one day..the chords popped out and a couple of days later I wrote the verses.” SF The band were sued in 2009 for copyright infringement. Larrikin Music claimed the flute solo in the song was based on the 1932 song “Kookaburra” written by Marion Sinclair. In 2010, it was ruled that Larrikin would receive 5% of royalties from 2002, WK which ended up being about $100,000. However, legal fees added up to about $4.5 million. SF In 2001, the Australian Performing Rights Association named “Down Under” the fourth best Australian song in history. RC Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Men at Work RC Rod Couch (2015). The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era: 1955-2015. Pages 303-4. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 10/20/2020; last updated 9/25/2022.

Men at Work’s Business As Usual hit #1 for 1st of 15 weeks

Business As Usual Men at Work

Released: November 9, 1981 Peak: 115 US, 15 UK, 110 CN, 19 AU Sales (in millions): 6.0 US, 0.3 UK, 15.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: pop rock/new wave

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Who Can It Be Now? (6/6/81, 1 US, 46 AR, 45 UK, 2 AU, 8 CN) I Can See It in Your Eyes Down Under (10/23/81, 1 US, 1 AR, 13 AC, 1 UK, 1 CN, 1 AU, sales: 1.6 million, airplay: 2 million) Underground (3/5/83, 20 AR) Helpless Automation People Just Love to Play with Words Be Good Johnny (4/82, 3 AR, 78 UK, 19 CN, 8 AU) Touching the Untouchables Catch a Star Down by the Sea Total Running Time: 38:11 The Players: Colin Hay (vocals, guitar) Greg Ham (flute, keyboards, saxophone, vocals) Ron Strykert (guitar, vocals) John Rees (bass, backing vocals) Jerry Speiser (drums, backing vocals)

Rating: 3.994 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Business as Usual was the debut album for the Australian new wave band Men at Work. It was released in their home country in November 1981 and saw U.S. release five months later in April 1982. They became “the most unlikely success story of 1982,” AZ spending 15 weeks atop the Billboard album chart and winning the Grammy for Best New Artist. Their success came primarily on the basis of “two excellent singles that merged straight-ahead pop/rock hooks with a quirky new wave production and an offbeat sense of humor. Colin Hay’s keening vocals uncannily recall Sting, and the band’s rhythmic pulse and phased guitars also bring to mind a bar band version of the Police.” AMG “Like Sting, Colin Hay’s vocal inflections were more suited to reggae than to white guitar-pop; the band, meanwhile, seemed to aim for much the same kind of earnest, slightly arch tone as early XTC.” AZ The lead single, Who Can It Be Now?, was released in Australia in June 1981, where it became a #1 hit. More than a year later, it made its U.S. chart debut, eventually soaring to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. While that song played up paranoia in its video, the follow-up hit, Down Under, showcased Men at Work’s goofier side. The almost-novelty song celebrated their native country with a campy and popular video. The song was an even bigger hit on the U.S. charts. “For a time, Australians abroad seemed destined to have ‘Down Under’ sung at them – often by whole groups of strangers – as if it were a sunny gesture of greeting or camaraderie, instead of what it actually was: a tacit reinforcement of cultural stereotypes.” AZ “For the record: to ‘chunder’ means to vomit. And a Vegemite sandwich is nothing you’d want to eat.” AZ The song met with more controversy in 2010 when it was determined it had been plagiarized from a 1934 Australian song “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree,” written by Marion Sinclair. The band were ordered to pay a portion of royalties to the company holding the copyright on “Kookaburra.” “There’s a fair amount of filler on the record, but Be Good Johnny, I Can See It in Your Eyes, and Down by the Sea are all fine new wave pop songs, making Business as Usual one of the more enjoyable mainstream-oriented efforts of the era.” AMG Notes: A 2003 rerelease adds non-LP B-side, “Crazy,” the non-U.S. single track, “F-19,” and live versions of “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Underground.”

Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Men at Work AMG All Music Guide review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine AZ Amazon.co.uk review by Andrew McGuire WK Wikipedia First posted 4/19/2012; updated 8/2/2021.

Men at Work released Business As Usual in the U.S.

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