Men at Work
From Free net encyclopedia
- For the movie Men at Work, see Men at Work (film).
Men at Work was an Australian reggae-influenced rock band of the early 1980s (see 1980s in music). They were best known for their 1982 hit "Down Under", a joyful, comic song about Australians travelling the world with confidence in the virtues of their country. The song was commercially successful in many countries. It was re-released as an unofficial theme song during Australia's successful 1983 America's Cup challenge and has become an unofficial national anthem for many under 40.
Their first album, 1982's Business as Usual, set a record for the most weeks at number one on the U.S. charts for a debut album. In addition to "Down Under," the hits "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Be Good Johnny" were made into successful and popular videos during MTV's early years. Both "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under" hit number one in the United States. One of the most successful albums of the early 1980s, Business as Usual has been certified for 6 million sales in the United States and an estimated 15 million copies worldwide.
Men at Work won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards of 1983.
The band's second album, 1983's Cargo, was somewhat less successful, reaching number three on the U.S. charts and certified with 3 million sales in the United States. Three hit singles emerged from that album: "Overkill" (number 3 in the U.S.), "It's a Mistake" (number 6 in the U.S.), and "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive" (number 28 in the U.S.).
In the year following the release of Cargo, the band fired John Rees and Jerry Speiser. When their third album, Two Hearts, was released in 1985 to relatively little success (only 500,000 copies sold in the United States), the remainder of the original band broke up. Two Hearts featured only one minor hit, "Everything I Need," which failed to crack the Top 40 on the U.S. charts, peaking at number 47.
Contents |
Band members
- Colin Hay, lead vocals and guitar
- Ron Strykert, guitar, vocals
- John Rees, bass, vocals
- Greg Ham, saxophone, flute, keyboards,harmonica, vocals
- Jerry Speiser, drums, vocals
Discography
- Keypunch Operator (1979)
- Business as Usual (1982) #1 US, #1 AUS
- Cargo (1983) #3 US, #1 AUS
- Two Hearts (1985) #50 US, #16 AUS
- Brazil (1998)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
| US Hot 100 | US Mainstream Rock | Australia | UK | |||
| 1982 | "Who Can It Be Now?" | #1 | #46 | #2 (1981) | - | Business As Usual |
| 1982 | "Down Under" | #1 | #1 | #1 (1981) | #1 | Business As Usual |
| 1983 | "Be Good Johnny" | - | #3 | #8 (1982) | - | Business As Usual |
| 1983 | "Overkill" | #3 | #3 | #5 | #21 | Cargo |
| 1983 | "It's A Mistake" | #6 | #27 | #34 | #33 | Cargo |
| 1983 | "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive" | #28 | #12 | #6 (1982) | #31 | Cargo |
| 1985 | "Everything I Need" | #47 | #28 | #37 | - | Two Hearts |