# Men At Work (Band) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 26, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413 "2024-03-26T22:08:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/1 "2024-03-26T22:08:50Z")
_No Sign of Yesterday_ by Men At Work is playing on the iPod now. There was another of their songs that played before lunch, but I don’t remember which one it was. (I could back up to find out, but I won’t.) It had more of a Reggae sound to it. Now, the '80s and '90s were ‘my era’ in music. I still like a lot of the '80s stuff… especially Men At Work – who actually did more songs than _Down Under_. Yes, they had that '80s Sound, but they were a little different. ETA: Oh, what the hay. I looked it up. The earlier song was _Crazy_ from the Business As Usual album. Did you see what I did there? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/2 "2024-03-26T22:12:25Z")
I liked them then, and I like them now. I see Colin Hay is still out there doing their hit songs as a solo act. He is still amazing. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/3 "2024-03-26T22:15:22Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > who actually did more songs than _Down Under_. Sure. They had that “Who Can It Be Now?” song too. 😃 Zach Braff has long been a fan and used Colin Hay’s music in many of his projects. Even had him on an early episode of _Scrubs_ IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/4 "2024-03-26T22:17:03Z")
You inspired me to play “Down By The Sea.” I always liked them. I think they may have suffered from excessively high expectations (over-hype). But I _do_ like their sound. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/5 "2024-03-26T22:19:54Z")
If you can excise the blockbuster “_Down Under_”, their second album (Cargo) with “_Overkill_” and “_Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jiv_e” stacks up comparably with “Business As Usual”. IMHO of course. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/6 "2024-03-26T22:20:18Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > You inspired me to play “Down By The Sea.” One of my favourites. Atmospheric and haunting. Or hauntingly atmospheric. Anyway, I live down by the sea; and when I lived in L.A. the ocean was still nearby. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/7 "2024-03-26T22:22:27Z")
It’s just Overkill. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lL8LBifGHqI/maxresdefault.jpg "Overkill - Colin Hay on Scrubs (2002)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL8LBifGHqI) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/8 "2024-03-27T01:21:32Z")
Or… the most addictive version (hint: why do the people have slips of paper in their hands?) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kCZKAxDoUwE/maxresdefault.jpg "Choir! Choir! Choir! / Colin Hay - Men At Work "Overkill"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCZKAxDoUwE&t=33) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/9 "2024-03-27T01:48:12Z")
Wonderful clip! That’s my favorite Men At Work song. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/10 "2024-03-27T01:59:23Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I liked them then, and I like them now. I see Colin Hay is still out there doing their hit songs as a solo act. He is still amazing. He isn’t just doing their songs in his solo act. He has much more material of his own. I have seen him live a few times. He is absolutely fantastic - very funny, a terrific guitarist and has that unique vocal style. Check out this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3Pvi4uKuawk/maxresdefault.jpg "Colin Hay - I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You (Live on eTown)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Pvi4uKuawk) ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/11 "2024-03-27T02:16:29Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > He isn’t just doing their songs in his solo act. He has much more material of his own. I have seen him live a few times. He is absolutely fantastic - very funny, a terrific guitarist and has that unique vocal style. Thanks for linking that video. I would pay good money to see him in person, but I live far away from any metropolitan area so I doubt he will play anywhere near me soon. I guess that gives me a reason to head someplace where he’s actually performing. According to his website, he’s playing on the US east coast right now. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/12 "2024-03-27T02:17:04Z")
Still somewhat PSTD’d from M.a.W. flautist on SNL sashaying up to camera with just a little bit too much eye contact. Other than that, though - hey… ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/13 "2024-03-27T13:25:28Z")
Several years ago I was listening to music on one of those streaming services (not Spotify, maybe Rhapsody?) where you would start with a song you liked and then it would play other songs with similar qualities. I forget what I started with but it threw a couple of Colin Hay songs into the mix which I really liked but never followed up on. I will have to check out some of those linked songs when I’m not at work. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/14 "2024-03-27T13:56:30Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I will have to check out some of those linked songs when I’m not at work. ISWYDT ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/15 "2024-03-27T14:02:02Z")
LOL - totally unintentional! I usually avoid videos on my phone when I’m not on my home WiFi because it eats up our data plan. That’s all I meant. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/16 "2024-03-27T14:28:49Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > M.a.W. flautist The flautist—and saxophonist, keyboardist, and occasional songwriter and singer—was Greg Ham, who, sadly, [died](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Ham#Death) in 2012. At the end, the band was down to just Colin Hay and Greg Ham. Their first two albums had the big hits, but I really enjoyed their third album, _Two Hearts_, partly because of Ham’s contributions. I think “Giving Up” was my favorite [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aZKJFnTM2IY/maxresdefault.jpg "Giving Up") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZKJFnTM2IY) but this is the only one I could find with video of Ham singing: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3FkT3yBdZwQ/hqdefault.jpg "Men at Work - Still Life (1985) [HQ Audio]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FkT3yBdZwQ) ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2024, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/17 "2024-03-27T16:57:14Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Now, the '80s and '90s were ‘my era’ in music. I still like a lot of the '80s stuff… especially Men At Work – who actually did more songs than _Down Under_. Yes, they had that '80s Sound, but they were a little different. Preach it, brother. Unique and so very fun. If I had to pick a favorite tune I guess it would be _It’s a Mistake_ However, a close second would be the song that appeared at the end of the **Modern Family** ep where they all go to Australia - _To Have and to Hold_. I’d not heard of it but instantly loved it and would play the end of that episode just to hear it. For whatever reason I couldn’t find it anywhere else. Now it looks like it’s on Youtube. ---
**Author:** ![Lurking\_Quahog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lurking_quahog/32/21274_2.png) [@Lurking\_Quahog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lurking_Quahog)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/18 "2024-03-28T12:04:47Z")
Saw him as part of Ringo’s All Starr Band a year or two ago. He had to share the stage with the other musicians, but I enjoyed him the best. My partner and I have tickets to see him in New London, CT in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/19 "2024-03-28T15:09:37Z")
I still don’t hear the plagiarism in _Down Under_. I found a video called [Comparison of Down Under (Men at Work) and Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mfve0oxbPA) but it started with a three-minute, non-skippable ad… followed by a 2:25 non-skippable ad. _Finally_ the video played. Sure, it kind of sounds similar; but to my ears, not similar enough to constitute plagiarism. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-at-work-band/999413/20 "2024-03-28T15:37:11Z")
It’s just the flute licks. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down\_Under\_(song)#Copyright\_lawsuit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_Under_(song)#Copyright_lawsuit)