WHAT?! A REGGAE ANTHEM FROM AUSTRALIA?! First Time Hearing Men At Work - Down Under Reaction!
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- Опубліковано 22 лют 2024
- Hey everyone! Prepare for a surprise as we dive into our first-time reaction to "Down Under" by Men At Work. This iconic track, a reggae-infused anthem celebrating Australian culture, took the world by storm in the 80s. Join us as we explore the catchy beats, quirky lyrics, and the story behind this unforgettable song from the land down under.
⭐️ WHAT WE COVER IN THIS VIDEO:
Our initial thoughts on discovering an Australian reggae anthem.
Reacting to "Down Under" and its vibrant melody and cultural references.
Discussing the song's global impact and how it became synonymous with Australia.
Our impressions of Men At Work's unique blend of pop and reggae elements.
🎸 ABOUT MEN AT WORK & "DOWN UNDER":
Men At Work, an Australian rock band, achieved international fame with "Down Under." The song's infectious rhythm and humorous lyrics celebrating Australian slang and stereotypes made it a global hit, capturing the spirit of Australia in the early 80s.
👫 WHO WE ARE:
We're a couple who loves to delve into music's rich history, discovering how songs capture the essence of their time and place. From classic hits to modern anthems, our channel is all about experiencing the diversity of music and sharing those moments with you.
💬 COMMENT BELOW:
What's your favorite memory associated with "Down Under"?
Are there other iconic songs from around the world that you'd like us to react to?
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You can find Men At Work - Down Under - UA-cam at the link below:
• Men At Work - Down Und...
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You can find Men At Work - Down Under on Spotify and Apple Music at the links below:
open.spotify.com/track/46RVKt...
music.apple.com/us/album/down...
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For any reaction suggestions - drop them in the comments!
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#menatwork #downunder #australia - Розваги
This holds the record for consecutive words spoken by an Aussie, without any cussing.
It would do, except for the fact that Colin Hay is Scottish!!
Fuck mate, what the fuck is cussing?
@@stewartpearson4308 So was is AC/DC so what's your point. My friend is Greek but Australian
@@rikhellum5652 They use the C word when cussing.
@@rikhellum5652 It's the Aussie dialect of English, I think.
The actual original music video is a banger!
You miss a lot without the video.
Yes it is. I remember seeing the video on MTV when it was released. I was 18 years old. MTV was still very new.
I have to agree I really love that video.
@@HeidiDenoble Agreed
Watch the original
This song became the battle anthem in 1983 when Australia II won the Americas Cup. The first country to do such in 132 years. Aussies love this song along with Eagle Rock by Daddy Cool.
Yes remember driving to work in 1983 when simultaneously every radio station played this song the moment the yacht Australia ll crossed the line to win the Americas Cup that year. This was a one in 132 year event .
Great day…never forget it. We beat the Yanks
was meant to be played on the yacht when crossing, but they used something else instead, but us being us, nobody would be able to tell you the song used, we all preferred this lol
While banned to do during about my 3rd year, there was a bit of a tradition at ADFA in the VERY early '90s in The Bin in Civic, ACT, on the dance floor on the ground level, when Eagle Rock came on, all the cordies would drop their dacks, dance with them around their ankles during that song. I did this many times, I have literally NO idea where the tradition came from, but it 100% happened until we were told we would be charged if we did it anymore.
Yup, some serious plunder was taken that day 🏆
The little flute solo bits are actually the tune of an Australian nursery rhyme. Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree.
I think they got sued over that.
Huh, I had never made that connection before.
@@CurseTheDarkness yes i believe they did, sadly that was a catalyst for a band members suicide (his name escapes me) apparently that cut him deep.
@@CurseTheDarkness Yes I think that's right and people were not happy. Who the hell owns Kookaburra sits in an old gum tree. Doesn't that belong to 27million of us
@@mgreenesco9955Greg Ham, the flautist / sax player who laid down the riffs they were sued over.
“Plunder” means to steal, and is a reference to Australia's history as a penal colony.
The word can also mean "to fail", especially in some horrible way.
"Chunder" means to vomit, and is a reference to Australia's a bunch of drunks :)
You are wrong. The word to fail in some horrible way is Blunder.@@SimoExMachina2
Plunder is what Pirates do.
I was thinking plunder more in the terms of mining eg.. plunder the earth
Guys, I’m from Germany, that song is an 80s CLASSIC!!! 😂
It was a hit worldwide, not only in Australia. Even if you didn’t know the name of the band or the song you would have known this song, it was that famous.
Coincidentally, as an Aussie, the first pub I walked into in Germany started playing Down Under. Blew my mind.
Your clearly a legend, and your name will be added to the honour roll
I met a lot of Germans over the years in Oz and have heard it is a staple on most dance floors, even heard some mad 90s techno versions they had on tapes lol
The song topped the US billboard chart for 4 consecutive weeks in 1983. So not only did it work in Australia, it sold extremely well in the US.
I was bumming around Europe at the time. It was just about on repeat on every jukebox in bars where aussies congregated from the Greek Islands to Belgium.
When Australia won the Americas Cup in 1983, this song was blasted out as their boat left the docks every morning, flying a huge boxing kangaroo flag, it was a magical time to be an Aussie!
My husband slept but I couldn't tear my eyes from watching that incredible race on TV until the very early hours of the morning, so darn exciting. This song was heard often in replays of the race and afterwards. Best anthem ever!
This was played when we won the Americas Cup back in 1983. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was my very last day of Year 12 in high school 👍❤️🇦🇺
Hell yer I still have my full size boxing kanga from 83....
Hahaha! I was teaching in 1983 and one staff member kept getting rubbished for being a loser because of her accent. She kept telling everyone “but l am Canadian! I am as happy as you are!”
it was and still is like a National Anthem for Aussies, it was everywhere when it came out...never tire of hearing it
Yeah - kinda seems like the unofficial national anthem.
@@CurseTheDarkness Waltzing Matilda is generally referred to as the unofficial national anthem, but "Down Under" is 100% Aussie pride
@@dwj8620 Thanks. I listened to it, but it sounds like it was written in a foreign language!
I had a roommate in college who was from Australia and whose dad just happened to work for a record company... She went home over Chistmas break and came back with this album before it was even released in the U.S... was pretty cool!
Hunters and Collectors is an awesome band to explore. Holy Grail. Throw Your Arms Around Me. When The River Runs Dry.
Oooo yes!!! I second this vote
And Ganggajang!!! - this is Australia. I used to always play their album when on the way to the Sunny or Gold coast. Fricken brilliant.
Well Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder loves Throw Your Arms Around Me & did a cover. The vid on UA-cam of Eddie Vedder singing that with Mark Seymour, i think at a Perth Pearl Jam concert is brilliant
You'll have to do "Beds are Burning" by Midnight Oil. Another huge hit from Australia.
*Clarification: huge international hit by an Australian band
then maybe Back in Black by AC/DC
Hear, hear and especially the live version. So much energy.
Leftie bullcrap song
THEY SUCK !!!!! All they want to do is divide the country racially !!
Coming soon!
Australia is unique in that the bands and singers have a small audience to capture, and they had to do it in pubs.
That means they had to appeal to everyone so they either mixed genres in the songs, or at least across their sets.
If you weren't keen on one song on the night, you used that time to go and grab a drink and by the time you came back 'your' music was playing again. If you didn't like the start of a song, you could probably still hum the tune or sing the chorus, if not ignore it and tune back in again in a couple of minutes.
I used to see them play in a small bar in a tiny pub (The Cricketers Arms) in Punt Road Richmond - in those days they hadn't cut an album yet - but did have a 'borrowed' well beaten Men At Work road sign as a back drop. My favourite songs back then were 'Keypunch Operator' and one about Fitzroy Street I can't remember the name of.
The lead singer, Colin Hay, was born in Scotland and moved to Australia when he was 14. Still going strong as a solo artist and was also part of Ringo Starrs "All Starr Band." His guitar playing and vocals are exceptional.
Bond eye Beach. You had me laughing so hard!
Hilarious 😂😂😂😂
and Cold Coast?!?
seriously guys, 5 minutes on Google could have saved you looking silly
Bondee 🤣
Named after my mate Bondy
She's talking about the lesser known bondy beach, cool spot
Someone might have already mentioned this but the writers and record company were eventually sued for copyright issues.
~~From elsewhere online:~~
* In June 2009, 28 years after the release of the recording, Larrikin Music sued Men at Work for copyright infringement, alleging that part of the flute riff of "Down Under" was copied from "Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gumtree".
* The Federal Court of Australia ruled that Men at Work's famous song "Down Under" infringes the copyright in the 1934 children's round "Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree" (4 February 2010).
* Today, Jacobson ordered Men at Work's recording company, EMI Songs Australia, and Down Under songwriters Colin Hay and Ron Strykert, to pay 5% of royalties earned from the song since 2002 and from its future earnings. A statute of limitations restricted Larrikin from seeking royalties earned before 2002. (6 July 2010)
This has to be the most trivial copyright infringement ever. There's a slight similarity to the original rhyme but (a) it's not entirely akin to the original (b) it's in a completely different type of key (in fact, it's in a mode, not a key) (c) it's a noticeable part of the music but only makes up a small segment of the song (d) it is not used for the main melody of either verse or chorus, only for an instrumental portion- not the main part of the song.
On top of that, most older songs, even if written, were handed down to generations beyond their own by oral tradition. Through time and human error, it would have changed over time. It's unlikely that the original song 'Kookaburra Sits in an Old Gum Tree'- a children's song to be sung as a canon/round- was originally written in the exact same form as most people know it now. Even if it does exist in manuscript, it's not likely that those who learn the song (without the knowledge of how to read the music or if it exists in written form) will have learnt it 'correctly.'
I've worked over 30 years in teaching and analysing music plus 13 years prior to that in learning music with a focus of musicological analysis and composing (classical trained). I'm usually pretty strong when it comes to copyright issues but I think this ruling got it all wrong.
How ridiculous. I have heard Down Under thousands of times and Kookuburra sits in an old gum tree, has never come to mind.
I thought the same thing. @@marylizvithoulkas4380
Yeah, blame the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for that. They broadcast a music quiz program named ‘Spicks and Specks’, after the early Bee Gees song. In one particular episode the crew noted the presence of the Kookaburra riff in Down Under, and hilarity ensued from there. If Adam Hills had just kept his mouth shut, this Oz Rock classic may still be in airplay rotation - and Greg Ham may not have ended himself in the washup from all this.
@@strathruncie his second major sin, after not being a unfunny comedian
Who Can It Be Now? Another great tune. This band was pretty popular in the U.S. in the 80s.
It is unthinkable that someone has lived their whole life without hearing this. Fun reaction. Thank you guys.
The Vegemite is the food mentioned, “he just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich “ ..😊😊 as a true blue Aussie I do eat my Vegemite every day. I eat it on toast with lots of butter and just a little Vegemite. It’s a salty spread, rich in vitamin B and comes from yeast that is used in brewing beer.
This song got to number one on the US Billboard Top 100 and ranked number four for 1983 in US. I heard it playing on the radio in a shop in San Francisco when I was there.
Men At Work burst on the scene in the early 1980s with their unique sound. Colin Hay had an interesting voice and delivery. My favourite tunes by them are Who Can It Be Now and It's A Mistake.
Yeah and This song literally exploded once ufc fighter volkanovski used it for his walkouts
Colin Hay's voice on Overkill is amazing
This song was playing on the radio where the nurses worked the day my son was born. I'll never forget this song and the feelings it brings to me
This was an international hit, not only Australia. They have other major hits, like 'Who Can It Be Now?', 'Overkill', 'Everything I Need ', 'It's a Mistake'
It's A Mistake was really good
@@csf7773 well remembered, added
Screaming Jets and The Baby Animals are both freaking awesome!!!!!!
G'day G'day, I'd love to see you react to great Southern land by ice house. The video shows a lot of the natural beauty in the many different landscapes Australia has to offer. It will make you want to visit even more. It's a great song too
Has an otherworldly almost haunting, vibe. Always been a banger. Love Hey Little Girl as well, great tune.
@@johnwhitfield3547 yeah mate , man of colours, there's so many
As an Aussie my immediate thought was that the term "men plunder" is in reference to the way in which Australia plunders its resources, both mineral and agricultural. Some refer to the colonisation of Australia but I don't think this is what the writter was referring to. The 80's when this song was written was a time when many big businesses were first becoming prominent and there was a lot of public recognition that this was changing the country
which lead to song like "Beds are burning", and "Rip rip woodchip"
I was 15 when this song came out - down here we listened to it 2-5 times a day - it is now ingrained into our brains - when it comes on we jump up and listen and move immediately
As already said, this song was massive in the early-mid 80s. The video was played in heavy rotation on MTV and everyone that heard it would sing along. Good times.
It was no 1 especially when we won the America's cup
This song took me back to the days of my youth when we were proud to be Aussies travelling overseas.
It was a hit in the US as well. It got a lot of radio play. I haven't heard it in years, thanks for reacting to it!
This is my guilty pleasure 80's song... just so much fun to listen to👍
Fun fact... the lead singer Colin Hay has excellent modern versions of this song performed acoustically... just excellent.
My very first concert ever. I was like 11. Still got the ticket stub. Red Rider opened for em. Core memory engaged.
It’s an Aussie classic and let it be known it’s close to an Australian anthem. Australia is the land down under 🦘🇦🇺
BANGER! 🔥
Best song ever in 1983 when we stole your cup 😂😂😂😂😂
Guys, this was a massive international hit
Hi I'm from Perth Western Australia and I've enjoyed ur reaction to this classic Aussie song .. don't ever underestimate the beauty of Perth and the state of Western Australia as its the biggest state with much geographic diversity from the south of WA to the North....it won't disappoint so yeah come to Perth Western Australia and much love from Perth ❤❤❤
always loved thisI remember from the 2000 summer games in Aussie at the closing ceremonies i was soo waiting for them to do this and they didnt dissapoint!
That would've been an awesome show!
@@barsandbarbells2022 Hi, the entire 4+ hours of the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony is on youtube. It's easy to find.
I'd skimmed through it, & had timestamped for you feature points but my PC had a crash, so lost them all. So when watch it, watch from few minutes after start, to approx @1:22. Then @3:29 with Olivia & John Farnham, then from @3:42 with Vanessa Amorosi. Suggest you to check out Vanessa's hit song 'Absolutely Everybody'. One of the best pop-dance songs, & worked very well when playing at New Years Eve functions and parties.
In a comment below, in the comments in replies to Richardscratcher, I've put a lengthy reply (in my 2 comment to @Oakfat) re Downunder.
Briefly tho, the version of Downunder you listened to is a rewritten version (music wise, same vocals though couple of changes) of the 1980 Original Version of it, released as B-side to their very first single Keypunch Operator; a year before they recorded their first album.
While of course lot of similarity, there's still quite a difference to the album version that is the more uptempo version of Downunder (that became the international Hit Single),
with that (1981) version having the flute riff that became a major & long drawn out copyright battle, for a decade and a half, this century.
While the 1980 original (& very reggae-ish) version does have some flute (but not continually through the song), it doesn't have the riff from 'Kookaburra' that the copyright challenge/suit was based on, re the 1981 version.
I'll post details in a main comment later, re the very first 1980 version of Downunder, but as comments very often get lost or almost disappear thought I'd mention it, where can reply directly to you. The original 1980 version on youtube is titled exactly that:
Men At Work - Down Under (original version 1980).
By the way, couple people commented Men At Work started in 1980s. They first named themselves as Men At Work in 1977, and 2 of them were already performing as band (that became Men At Work) before that. Downunder (the even more reggae-ish original one) was first played (live) in 1978.
Some Stats re Downunder in U.S. : It has sold in excess of 2 million copies (all time) in U.S.
Reached Number 1 on Billboard Hot 100 in Jan 1983, with it returning to Number 1 three times in that chart run, in some of the subsequent weeks.
In U.S. tho it hasn't had much airplay for past 20 years or so, so not surprising that younger ages there don't know it. In Aus/NZ/UK there's rarely a birthday party function or any other celebration, or pub if they have DJs, where it isn't played.
Only place wouldn't hear it is in Nightclubs. Oh wait! There is a Club cover of it, by Luude, with one of the original Men At Work, Colin Hay, doing some of the backing vocals on it.
(not sampled vocal, but newly recorded by Colin)
Vegemite is B vitamin malt it’s a spread for toast.
Plunder = overwhelm and steal
Men make plunder
Women glow
Men make chunder ( vomiting after too much beer)
M
Fun fact: Australia is actually north. The word for compass comes forms Chinese and means points south… Europeans just drew the map upside down.
😁👍🙃
The riff the flute plays is taken from "Kookaburra", written in 1932 by Marion Sinclair. The band was sued over this.
"Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he..."
Even though he was sitting in a tree playing the flute it was ridiculous to be sued for that little riff after 30 years.
@@krpurple2678 But was it an old gum tree?
And unfortunately he committed suicide over it very very sad😢
@@krpurple2678 The guy who bought the rights to this traditional children's song was a scumbag. It was like suing someone for singing Happy Birthday.
@@oakfat5178 Until a few years ago (2015) Happy Birthday was copyright song. It was actually copyright infringement to use, if didn't pay for its use.
The eventual ruling in the legal battle (battles), in the final court case ruled Warner/Chappell's copyright only applied to a specific piano arrangement of it. While ok to sing at a party or something, if you uploaded a video (or audio) from it, with the song it WAS copyright infringement.
Warner/Chappell didn't create the copyright on it, but inherited it in 1988 during one of their takeovers of other companies.
The melody & lyrics in "Happy Birthday to You" first appeared, in print, in 1912. Melody was from a song "Good Morning To All" created by a Kindergarten teacher (who'd created the words) & her sister, the latter being a pianist & composer (who'd created the music).
The Summy Company registered a copyright of Happy Birthday in 1935, crediting authors Preston Ware Orem and Mrs. R. R. Forman.
So from 1935, to 2016 (when it became copyright free) Happy Birthday was in Copyright. And was believed any recorded version of it was.
Of course most people never thought that Happy Birthday would be, since such a "common domain" song, but it wasn't Public Domain.
Except for in its early years of existence, as there was no names of authors & composers on it. BUT when published, most written and recorded songs have an automatic copyright on. Tho of course if not actually registered copyright, it can been (& has been heaps) argued re a number of things published.
A documentary maker, who had to pay $1500 USD for rights to use Happy Birthday, subsequently instigated a challenge against it being copyrighted, after first lodging a complaint with Warner Chappell and seeking return of her money, as said it was a song in the public domain. Can guess how far that complaint & request got. Several weeks later, filings were lodged with a court to challenge the copyright.
As for Downunder, copyright to Kookaburra was sold in 1934, and was part of Conditions Of Entry, in a competition run by Girl Guides Association of Victoria with the rights of the winning song to be sold to raise money for the purchase of a camping ground. (Which is Britannia Park near Yarra Junction).
[Continued in Next Comment].
The flute is playing the Australian children’s staple classic Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree.
Allegedly
An Irishman once told me that us Aussies didn't know about Reggae until the 90s. I didn't bother to tell him that my Dad actually hung out with Bob Marley when he came to Australia back in 1979. Or about a little Aussie band called the Caribs who worked as session musicians on some of the earliest ska recordings in Jamaica. Or about another Aussie named Graeme Goodall who was the chief sound engineer at Ken Khouri's Federal recording studio over there in the same era. Or about JJ Robert's Soulmaker sound system established in Australia back in 1972. Or about the plethora of Aussie reggae/ska bands that have existed from the late 70s onwards. Sure, Australia hasn't had anywhere near the amount of Jamaican influence on it's music as a place with as many migrants from there as places like the UK has. But there's a soft spot amongst many Aussies for its offbeat rhythms as can be seen in songs like this and other iconic Aussie songs like Boys Light Up by Australian Crawl.
It's not Reggae. It is geared as Rock in Apple music
Gen Xer song! Gen Xer here 🔥🤟🇺🇸🚛🇨🇦🚛💯
My favorite band in 1979 and into the early 80s. I was 11 years old when I discovered Men at Work and I've loved them ever since. Check out 'Who Can It Be Now', 'Be Good Johnny' and one of my favorites from later Men at Work was 'Overkill'.
What I like about you guys is that you actually pay attention to everything you react to and you take a reasonable pause to comment (and comment with common sense - which is rare these days). Well done!
A Yank here, and I loved this song, always felt a kindred for my Aussie brothers, loved AC/DC!!
It was a #1 in the US and I think the album went #1 too
My favourite men at work song is overkill. Brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it! ❤
At Summer Camp in CT, had the Camp Director ask all Australian and New Zealand workers come up and sing this song at karaoke... It was great with thirty or so of us on staff all singing together 😊
I forgot how good this song is.
Totally unique sound. Reading the lyrics enhanced it's appeal.
Y'all's channel sounds great. Thanks for that.
It doesn't matter what you sound like as long as you say g-day mate ❤❤
Got some classic Aussie love songs for you to listen to...
"Never tear us apart" by INXS
"That’s when I think of you" by 1927
"Electric Blue" by Icehouse
"You better be home soon" by Crowded House, a kiwi band we claimed.
One of my all time favourite songs, the video is a must watch 🎶
Prince of Teck pub, Earl's Court, London, 1984. Played this on my "Ghetto Blaster" heading to Amsterdam.
Great song, most Aussies know the lyrics by heart. Took on legendary proportions when used by the yacht Australia 2 during their winning run at the Americas cup race in the 1980's...
This was a MASSIVE hit in the 80's!! This song has been my TOP number one favorite song for decades! I still can't get enough of this song. This is my happy song I play when feeling down and depressed. This is an absolute epic classic. Thanks for playing it!
Yes remember driving to work in 1983 when simultaneously every radio station played this song the moment the yacht Australia ll crossed the line to win the Americas Cup that year. This was a one in 132 year event . As it was the battle song used by the team.
To me, another iconic Australian song is Sounds of Then (This Is Australia) by Ganggajang. Its where my mind goes to every summer here.
Lived in Australia in the 80s, I bought a lot of oz/nz records back to the UK with me, including sounds of then. Great tune 👌
This aussie classic has been on our airwaves for many many years and every time its a RIPPER lets Go Australia lets Go nz🇭🇲☝️🇳🇿🤘
Great Aussie band .... Overkill's another banger.
Song's half over then she gets her groove on lol... this song is iconic 🇦🇺 to us 😂
Love this song it has a happy vibe to it. Have to take this song on long trips when jn the country side. Awesome song!
You have to watch the music videos with these!!! They absolutely add to the magic that is Aussie music!!!
Why on earth would these people react to such a classic song without the original video?? Please guys for future reference please do thIs for yourself and give your reactions justice by presenting such iconic songs as they are supposed to be reacted. I look forward to seeing more of you in the future. Thank you!
I have never thought of Down Under as Reggae, what a fun take! This song has been my dad's ringtone for probably at least twenty years and my immediate reaction when I hear those opening notes is to find his phone 😂
Thank you 🙏 I still danced with it too ☝️love ❤the concert 🎶👏👏👏👍🎥
I'm always looking forward to when you guys put out a new music reaction. Another great pick and a classic, personally 80s will always be my fave era. Entertaining and fun to watch as usual, keep it up you two. 💜
It did well in the USA as well!
There was another great band about the same time frame Goanna.Solid Rock.
I'm 55 I remember seeing them at the Coogee bay hotel in Sydney icehouse flowers I'm from Bondi
Relatively new to your channel. Y’all are good. One of my favorite songs from Men at Work
One of my favourite songs of all time, Colin's voice is magnificent. He had a cameo in Scrubs where he was singing one of his solo tracks (Overkill)
Thanks for the review. I wished you’d used the version with the film clip though
In my experience women love it when men work down under
G'day from Oz! This was THE song from the 1983 Australian win of the America's Cup yacht race. Also, a Royal Australian Navy submarine played this song (to the sonar operator) on a US Destroyer "sunk" in an exercise! LOL! - hearing it was the first time they realized we were there! Try their "It's A Mistake" official video. Not the best looking lead singer but certainly unique and talented! Vegemite! Nice one! Cheers!
Really loved Men at Work in the 80’s…. Plenty of songs to discover… Who can it be now, Be Good Johnny, Overkill, Everything I Need, Still Life, Down By the Sea…. Enjoy….. Other Bands Cold Chisel, The Angels, Moving Pictures, Rose Tattoo.
Great reaction. Wow I was Nr5000 Like ❤❤❤❤
Good analysis of an iconic Aussie song from the early 80's. Well done !
I remember in the early eighties, these guys were coined "The poor man's Police". Great band
Thanks for this! 👍🏼
Another great Aussie band is The Little River Band with multiple hits. One of my favorite is “Lonesome Loser.” Also, “Lady”, “Reminiscing” and on and on. The sandwich is a Vegemite sandwich.
The plunder is reference to our colonisation (plunder been an old term for stolen property often used in relation to Vikings and pirates plundering) and the taking of land from indigenous Australians.
There are a few hidden commentaries in song with "chunder" a reference to our binge drinking culture (chunder is throwing up aka vomiting).
This was actually a b side of single from an awesome album "Business as Usual". It was actually the Yacht Race (America Cup) that took Men at Work and Down Under to the world as it was the theme song for Australia II (yeh a lot of thought in that name.).
Such an Aussie anthem love it ❤
This was our theme song when Australia won the America's Cup in 1983
Crowded House, Australian Crawl, The Church, Little River Band, hoodoo gurus, the angles, just some more bands to listen to in addition to who you have already listened to
Lived in Australia during the 1980s, saw a few oz/nz bands out there, inxs, the oils, hoodoo gurus, mentals, crowded house/split enz, Dragon, Rose tattoo ect..Great memories
Hoodoo gurus first album, stoneage romeos, cold chisels radio songs and oz crawl, crawl file, had them on cassette . Three of my faves from 83/84, Still play them years later .😊
Midnight Oil is another great Aussie band. Beds Are Burning, and just about any other by them. They were big here in the states in the 80's, as was Men At Work.
My favourite part of the song is when he sings "Are you trying to tempt me?
Because I come from the land of plenty" 🇦🇺🇦🇺 Don't get me wrong, there are things like homelessness and housing affordability and such that we need to improve, but we have a lot of natural resources and overall we do come from a land of plenty.
Interesting fact about the lead singer Colin Hay, is that he was born in Scotland and emigrated to Melbourne, Australia as a 14 year old. Aren't we lucky 🎉
On another note, if you like the reggae sound mix then you might like Cold Chisel, Breakfast at Sweethearts.
You guys should also chekcout Aussie bands INXS, Cold Chisel, Crowded House... start with their 'Greatest Hits' album & go from there. You're welcome from Melbourne, 'Down Under'.
Her accent at the start was spot on 🔥
The flute is a play on the Australian
'Kookaburra sits on the old gumtree' song. A song we all learn as day old Aussies
Men at Work was the opening Act for Fleetwood Mac in 1982 while at the same time having the #1 Album on Billboard...they also had 2 Albums in the Top 10 at the same Time....🎼 🇦🇺
Too much fun when this came out, sanks! Great tune, my favourites are It's a mistake, and Dr. Hekyl and Mr. Jive.
Not the most famous Aussie band but one worth a listen, Mental as Anything.
I saw them in 1999 at the uni bar in Bathurst, they are awesome live performers
Women don't sweat in Australia, they glow!
I have one men-at-work story. A guy who was a limo driver, in the 80s or early 90s. He said one time he had to pick up the group from their Hotel, and deliver them to the Concert.
When he picked them up from the Hotel, they were all quiet and somber. Barely any energy or interest in anything. Then an hour later he lets them out of the car - - and they're on Cloud 9, and they're bouncing off one another.
G'day from Perth, Western Australia 🇦🇺.
The easy answer to your pop quiz: Vegemite. It's a spread often used in sandwiches and toast
Love your work, thank you - keep it up!
You cant do iconic Aussie musicians without checking out Silverchair! An Aussie rock classic!
The original vídeo clipe is super!