FEATURE:
Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure
Men at Work – Down Under
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SOMETIMES when I am selecting songs…
for this feature, there is some contention as to whether that song is a guilty pleasure or it is more accepted. I think, in the case of Down Under by Men at Work, it falls more into the guilty pleasure camp; in the sense I have seen it appear on polls and lists (of guilty pleasure songs). I really love it, and I think it is one of those tracks that cannot help but to lift you up! Men at Work are an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1979. Founding member was Colin Hay on lead vocals and guitar. After playing as an acoustic duo with Ron Strykert, he formed the group with Strykert playing bass guitar, and Jerry Speiser on drums. They were then joined by Greg Ham on flute, saxophone, and keyboards, with John Rees on bass guitar (Strykert then switched to lead guitar). Originally released in 1980 as the B-side to their first local single, Keypunch Operator, Down Under (and Keypunch Operator) was written by Colin Hay and Ron Strykert. The first version was recorded before Men at Work signed to Columbia; the widely-known version was then released on Columbia in 1981 as the third single from their debut album, Business as Usual. Like so many of the songs I include in this feature, Down Under was a big hit. It reached the top spot in Men at Work’s native Australia; it went to number-one in Canada in October 1982.
Down Under went on to sell over two-million copies in the U.S. Here in the U.K., the song topped the charts in January and February 1983. Down Under is a patriotic song in Australia, where it remains popular and beloved. I don’t feel anyone should consider the track a guilty pleasure. It is a fascinating song that is a lot deeper than many people give it credit for. I want to bring in a bit from Wikipedia, as we get some insight into Down Under’s lyrics:
“The lyrics to "Down Under" depict an Australian man travelling the globe, who meets people who are interested in his home country. The story is based in part on singer Colin Hay's own experiences, including a prominent reference to a Vegemite sandwich (a popular snack in Australia), which derived from an encounter, during Hay's travels abroad, with a baker who emigrated from Brunswick, Melbourne. Hay has also said that the lyrics were partly inspired by Barry Humphries' character Barry McKenzie, a comically stereotypical Australian who tours abroad.
Slang and drug terms are featured in the lyrics. They open with the singer travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie. In Australian slang "fried-out" means overheated, "Kombi" refers to the Volkswagen Type 2 combination van, and having "a head full of zombie" refers to the use of a type of marijuana. "Hippie trail" refers to a subcultural tourist route popular in 1960s and 70s which stretched from Western Europe to South-East Asia. The song also contains the refrain, where beer does flow and men chunder. To "chunder" means to vomit.
Speaking to Songfacts about the overall meaning of the lyrics, Hay remarked:
The chorus is really about the selling of Australia in many ways, the overdevelopment of the country. It was a song about the loss of spirit in that country. It's really about the plundering of the country by greedy people. It is ultimately about celebrating the country, but not in a nationalistic way and not in a flag-waving sense. It's really more than that.
The promotional video comically plays out the events of the lyrics, showing Hay and other members of the band riding in a VW Kombi van, eating muesli with a 'strange lady', eating and drinking in a café, and lying in an opium den. The band are moved along at one point by a man in a shirt and tie who places a 'Sold' sign in the ground. The exterior shots for the music video were filmed at the Cronulla sand dunes in Sydney. The band are seen carrying a coffin across the dunes at the end. This, Hay has explained, was a warning to his fellow Australians that their country's identity was dying as a result of overdevelopment and Americanization. Hay has also stated that the same ominous sentiment lies behind the choral line, Can't you hear that thunder? You'd better run; you'd better take cover”.
I like the fact there is a mixture of political and social commentary on Down Under, in addition to some humour and lightness.
I would urge people to check out the Business as Usual album – where Down Under was taken from -, as it is a great record filled with amazing songwriting! I think that Colin Hay is one of the more underrated songwriters in music history – one can feel his genius throughout Business as Usual. I feel there should be some re-evaluation regarding Down Under. It is an amazing song and one that is among my favourites ever. On the surface, it may come off as a bit bare and lacking in any real depth. Listen to the song more carefully and with greater attention and you will see revealed this wonderful song. I will wrap up soon, but I wanted to shine a light on a song that has appeared on lists of guilty pleasures – in the sense that people feel a bit ashamed embracing and adoring such a track openly. Forty years after its release, and there is still so much love and respect for Down Under. If you have not heard the track, then give it a spin and I guarantee it will burrow into your brain in a good way! Also check out Business as Usual because it is a magnificent album; Down Under is just one pearl from it. Rather than it being a guilty pleasure, Down Under, instead, is…
A real pearl.