Men at Work - Down under

[tpj1965]

After Little River Band, and before INXS, Men at Work were Australia's most successful international rock export, and are still the only Australian artists with No.1 singles and albums in both America and United Kingdom.

The "Land Down Under" is Australia, where the group is from. The lyrics were written by lead singer Colin Hay, who told us: "The chorus is really about the selling of Australia in many ways, the over-development 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."

This song is often misinterpreted as a patriotic anthem. Says Colin: "It's ironic to me that so many people thought it was about a specific thing and that really wasn't the intention behind the song. If you listen to 'Born In The USA,' it's a similar song in that there's a lot of nuance missed because people like drinking beer and throwing their arms up in the air and feeling nationalistic. It's ultimately a song about celebration, but it's a matter of what you choose to celebrate about a country or a place. White people haven't been in Australia all that long, and it's truly an awesome place, but one of the most interesting and exciting things about the country is what was there before. The true heritage of a country often gets lost in the name of progress and development."

Some lyric translation:

Fried out Kombi - a broken-down van. The lyrics are often translated as "Combie," but the correct spelling is Kombi. It came from the VW Kombivan which was very popular in the '60s and early '70s, especially with surfers and hippies.

Head full of Zombie - Zombie was a particularly strong batch of marijuana which was floating around Australia for a long time. People called it "Zombie Grass."

Vegemite Sandwich - Vegemite is a fermented yeast spread that is pretty much a national institution in Australia. Some people love it and can't start the day without a piece of toast spread with Vegemite, and some go so far as to carry a small jar of it with them when they travel overseas. Some are indifferent to it, and others can't stand it. It kind of resembles smooth black tar, and is similar in taste to the English "Marmite," but Aussies will always tell you that Vegemite is far superior. From Songfacts

Men at Work - Down under

Uploaded by Shakki

[DudeAsInCool]

Catchy tune from the past, but I hate Vegemite sandwiches :)

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Never had 'em, but I like "Who Can It Be Now?" better.

[tpj1965]

Ok L.O T..D. here you go I like this one myself, I have it on my cell for unknown and/or private calls.

[Mister Spong]

An absolute classic from the 80s. Brilliant song.

[Sir Droopy]

You're taking my spotlight dude, but that's cool....Very good stuuf here, both vidz. Thanks again for sharing, this place is finally staring to feel like a community. Edited March 25, 2007 by Sir Droopy

[Sir Droopy]

After Little River Band, and before INXS, Men at Work were Australia's most successful international rock export, and are still the only Australian artists with No.1 singles and albums in both America and United Kingdom.

Hmmm, is this true??? Olivia Newton John doesn't have a #1 in the states & in the uk??

[DudeAsInCool]

Hmmm, is this true??? Olivia Newton John doesn't have a #1 in the states & in the uk??

I don't think they considered Olivia a rock export. According to Wikipedia, she had a number of #1 Hits in the states, both singles and cds, most notably Greece