The band that wrote Australia’s signature song!
Australian Men At Work formed during ‘79 in their native Melbourne out of an acoustic duo that grew into a band with the unusual addition of a Saxophonist that also played the flute.
The flute proved to be a masterstroke as it would make their biggest hit, Down Under, stand out!
Starting out playing the pub circuit, they soon found themselves to be the most popular band around and quickly signed with CBS to release their first album, Business As Usual in ‘81.
Down Under was the second single off the debut, it became a worldwide hit as it reached the #1 spot in the U.S, which the album managed as well. This was a first for an Australian act in the U.S.
The band did release more tunes, most notably Overkill and Who Can It Be Now? They performed reasonably well, but nothing like Down Under which after a few years reached worldwide recognition.
By ‘84, the internal conflict got the better of the group, eventually resulting in a solo career for the singer, Colin Hay.
Even though Down Under was an enormous success, Men At Work was no one-hit-wonder band. Their New Wave-sounding pop, was part of an early 80’s sound alongside bands such as The Police, New Order, Culture Club, and The Cure. Men At Work sold 30 million albums worldwide.
Men At Work tunes | Related pages
Down Under
| Bm A | Bm G A |
Traveling in a fried-out Kombi.
| Bm A | Bm G A |
On a hippie trail, head full of Zombie.
Men At Work on the web
