Men at Work

About Men at Work

Anyone who has ever watched VH1 is familiar with the band Men At Work. The Aussie tunesmiths broke records with their smash 1982 album Business As Usual and, for a brief period, they were one of the biggest bands in the world. Teenagers rabidly following MTV in the 80's probably learned how to find Australia on a map because of Men At Work, and the band proudly acted as unofficial ambassadors for their home country as they toured the globe. Business As Usual has since been certified 15X platinum worldwide, making it one of the best selling albums of the 80's. Men At Work's biggest hit was "Down Under," and it came accompanied by an upbeat video of the carefree band journeying through Australia. However, Men At Work have since gone on record saying that "Down Under" is actually about how they feel Australia has been exploited, both by the English and corporations, and that the real Australia isn't about flag waving and nationalism but something more spiritual. The song has been embraced by Australians and is often considered the unofficial anthem at world sporting events. The band is made up of Colin Hay on vocals, Ron Strykert on guitar, Greg Ham on keyboards and other percussion, John Rees on bass and Jerry Speiser on drums. Men At Work's 1983 album, Cargo, made it to a respectable #3 on the American charts and included singles "It's A Mistake," "Overkill" and "Dr. Heckyll and Mister Jive." Men At Work split up in 1985, but reformed briefly in the mid-90's.