“Who Can It Be Now?” by Men at Work

The lyrics of Men at Work’s “Who Can It Be Now?” were written while Colin Hay was in a precarious situation. He was living in an apartment complex. And succinctly put, his neighbors were drug dealers. Thus it was the type of scenario where people who were actually looking for them would sometimes come to his door instead. At that particular time he also felt that visitors he did know oft came seeking something, whether it be time or money or whatever, that he did not want to give. Or simply put, the era of his life in which he wrote the lyrics to “Who Can It Be Now?” was marked by the singer/songwriter being plagued with unwanted guests.

And it’s pretty easy for the listener to deduce that such a sentiment is the defining one behind this tune.

First Verse

The singer makes it very clear in the first verse that someone is ‘knocking at his door’, yet he is not in the mood to entertain anyone. So instead of answering, he prefers that the person just “hang outside” and let him be.

Second Verse

In the second verse, he is trying so hard to avoid answering a knock that he pretends he’s not home. Indeed he’s afraid that if the visitor so much as hears a footstep, he will not let up knocking until he answers. And Colin understands that some people may interpret his reluctance to entertain guests as some sort of psychological condition. Thus he makes sure to let the listener know that his “mental health” is just fine, on top of the fact that he’s not out to offend anyone. Rather he just really, really wants to be left alone.

Bridge

Interesting to note though is that he does come off as being paranoid in the bridge. This seems to be a conclusion he makes gradually, which is why he stated otherwise earlier in the song. 

But either way, the bottom line is that he’s not excited, at all, at the prospect of receiving visitors. Thus when someone does come a-knocking his reaction, as illustrated by the chorus, is one of frustration.

Facts about “Who Can It Be Now?”

Columbia Records issued this song on 6 June 1981. It was the lead single from the debut album of Men at Work, which is entitled “Business as Usual”. The band’s iconic single “Down Under” also appears on this album.

The memorable saxophone hook you hear on “Who Can It Be Now?” is performed by band member Greg Ham. And another member of Men at Work, Colin Hay, wrote the tune.

Moreover the track was produced by one of the band’s frequent collaborators, Peter McIan.

The story behind the origin of the song is that Colin Hay conceptualized the music while chilling in a tree house he occasionally stayed at with his girlfriend, who rightfully predicted it would be his “first hit”. And the lyrics were inspired by another location he lived at, in a metropolitan area, where he was regularly disturbed by unwanted guests. And many of these individuals were actually people who mistook his apartment for the drug dealers who lived next door.

An acoustic version of “Who Can It Be Now?” can be found on Colin Hay’s 2003 solo album, “Man @ Work”.

“Who Can It Be Now?” topped the Billboard Hot 100, the US Cash Box chart and also reached number 1 in Israel.

It also fared well in Men at Work’s homeland of Australia, peaking at number two on the Kent Music Report, in addition to charting in a few other countries.

Moreover in the Land Down Under, “Who Can It Be Now?” has been certified Gold.