Men at Work
Men at Work is a noted Australian rock band that was formed in 1978 with singer Colin Hay and guitarist Ron Strykert forming the core of the band. Other notable members of the band include drummer Jerry Speiser, flutist, saxophonist and keyboardist Greg Ham, and bassist John Rees. The band is best known for their 1981 smash hit song Down Under (also referred to as Land Down Under) from their debut album titled Business as Usual. Other notable songs released by the band include Who Can It Be Now?, Overkill, and It’s a Mistake.
Facts about Men at Work
- At the 1983, the group won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist after beating 4 other nominees, including The Human League and Jennifer Holliday. The award was the only Grammy Award of the band ever released throughout their career.
- In 1994, the band was honored with an induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
- In 2009, the band and their record label were sued for plagiarizing a portion of their most famous song Down Under. According to the lawsuit, the band unlawfully added a part of the famous 1934 nursery rhyme entitled Kookaburra into their hit single Down Under. At the end of the case in 2010, the band was found guilty of copyright infringement.
- On April 19th, 2012, Greg Ham, Men at Work member died under very mysterious conditions at his home in Melbourne, Australia. Some reports stated that he died of a heart attack, whereas others stated that his death came as a result of his severe addition to heroin. Up till today, it is not clear exactly what led to Ham’s sudden death.
- Throughout their career, Men at Work released only three studio albums: 1981’s Business as Usual, 1983’s Cargo, and 1985’s Two Hearts.
- The band’s 1981 debut album Business as Usual, which remains the band’s most successful album, not only reached number 1 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, but was also included in the 2010 book 100 Best Australian Albums.
- Throughout their career, the band sold over 30 million albums across the globe, making them one of the most successful bands to emerge from Australia.
Notable songs by Men at Work
Below are some of the most notable songs by the band:
- Who Can It Be Now?
- Down Under
- Be Good Johnny
- Overkill
- It’s a Mistake
- Heckyll & Mr. Jive
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[…] Under is a song performed by the noted Australian rock band Men at Work. The song, which was a hit in several countries across the globe, has lyrics that talk about an […]