Friday Flashback :: Men At Work's "Down Under" and "Who Can It Be Now"

In 1981, a group of guys from Australia released a huge record with catchy sax riffs, new pop-rock guitar work, and fairly decent, if not always comprehensible lyrics. Add to that the fact he group had the cool name of "Men At Work" and the not-quite-formulaic success was minted. The song was "Down Under, released to broad cross-genre appeal.

Then, later that year, another song, it too an improbable hit, appeared from the same band. This excellent single also featured some quirky new wave production giving the song a bouncy fun feel, paired with its precursor's nteresting down-under styled lyrics. This song, "Who Can It Be Now," would also see the top of the charts and be popular with virtually everybody during the cross-cultural '80's.

It was clear that it was cool to enjoy groups coming from completely different cultures and 10,000 miles away. Business As Usual had so much appeal it was a #1 pop album, simultaneously a Top 30 Black album, and stayed on the Billboard Top 200 for a couple of years. Not bad for some Aussies.

The album drew comparisons between Men At Work and The Police -- a bit of a stretch. Unfortunately for Men At Work, their success could never equal that of their UK counterparts. Their careers effectively fizzled two albums and about three years later. Nonetheless, Men At Work join the rare band that scored the double #1's on the same release, back-to-back.

So, to start the New Year, we have dual Flashbacks: "Who Can It Be Now" and "Down Under" from Australian fun guys Men At Work.


Men At Work :: "Who Can It Be Now" and "Down Under"
Album: Business As Usual
Released: 1982
Billboard peak: "Down Under" -- #1, Pop Singles; #1 Mainstream Rock. "Who Can It Be Now" -- #1, Pop Singles.

Play the Track: Down Under or Play the Track: Who Can It Be Now (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').