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"Down Under" is a song recorded by Australian rock band Men at Work. It was originally self-released in 1980 as the B-side to their first local single, "Keypunch Operator", before the band signed a recording contract with Columbia Records. [8] Both early songs were written by the group's co-founders, Colin Hay and Ron Strykert. [9]
The nucleus of Men at Work formed in Melbourne around June 1979 with Colin Hay on lead vocals and guitar, Ron Strykert on bass guitar, and Jerry Speiser on drums. They were soon joined by Greg Ham on flute, sax and keyboards, and then John Rees on bass guitar, with Strykert switching to lead guitar. [7]
[3] [4] [5] The second single from the album, "Down Under", was released in November and was a reworked version of the B-side to their debut single, "Keypunch Operator", from the previous year. [3] "Down Under" was co-written by Hay and Strykert, [9] and became the group's first number-one hit in December – which stayed at the top for six weeks.
The song is written from the viewpoint of a 9-year-old boy who is constantly being told to be good, but prefers to daydream rather than concentrate in class or play sports. Johnny feels like he understands some of his instructions, but also that he is completely misunderstood by the adult world. [ 3 ]
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Men at Work in 1983. Men at Work is an Australian pop rock band founded in 1978 in St Kilda, Victoria. [1] [2] [3] The group is best known for several Number 1 singles and studio albums released between 1981 and 1983. [1] The following is a complete chronology of the band's member history.
Estevez came up with the idea while he was filming the 1985 movie St. Elmo's Fire. Said Estevez, "I was living in a studio apartment in Santa Monica at the time, and I was up late one night sitting at the kitchen table working out some story ideas on my computer. All of a sudden, this trash truck came roaring down the alley under my window.
As one of Men at Work's biggest hits, it was featured on their later compilation albums, and a live version can be found on Brazil. The song remains a popular symbol of new wave music and has been featured on numerous 1980s compilations. The band performed both this song and "Down Under" live on Saturday Night Live on 23 October 1982.