What Were the 5 Biggest US Hits by Men At Work?

Theirs was a short time in the pop music spotlight, largely because the inner turmoil within the band stunted their momentum. But for a couple of albums there, Men At Work consistently delivered the goods on the pop charts.

Videos by American Songwriter

The Australian band boasted some clever instrumentation and the distinct songwriting point of view of Colin Hay. Here are the five songs they released that did the best on the US pop charts.

5. “Dr. Hcckyll & Mr. Jive” – No. 28 in 1983

The folks making the decisions for Men At Work knew what they were doing with this track. It was chosen as the first single from Cargo, their 1983 sophomore album, in many parts of the world. But it was held back in the US until the third release slot. Who knows how the album might have fared if this quirky number had been selected to introduce it to American audiences? A lot of Men At Work’s material sounds loose and fun, but it contains substantive lyrical themes. But “Dr. Hekyll & Mr. Jive” is mostly lighthearted sci-fi all the way.

4. “It’s A Mistake” – No. 6 in 1983

The singles didn’t reach quite as high on Cargo as the ones on Men At Work’s debut album managed. But pound for pound, the second album feels like a stronger effort than the first. Which is another reason it’s kind of sad it all derailed so quickly for the band, as they really seemed headed to intriguing musical places. “It’s A Mistake”, a standout from Cargo, finds Colin Hay musing on the chaos of war with common sense and dark humor. He also delivers the goods with a stirring guitar solo. And he adds a sense of touching urgency with his lead vocals.

3. “Overkill” – No. 3 in 1983

We’re listing these songs in descending order of how well they did on the US charts. But if you wanted our opinion on Men At Work’s finest song, we’d have to go with “Overkill”. Everything comes together perfectly in this song. The saxophone work by Greg Ham brings out some of the film noir aspects of the lyrics. Colin Hay is again responsible for a standout guitar solo during the instrumental break. And we love the way he pitches his vocals up an octave in the final verse. It’s a touch that adds to the desperation his narrator feels.

2. “Who Can It Be Now?” – No. 1 in 1982

Colin Hay was apparently living in an area where you couldn’t really be sure who might come to your door at any point. That gave him the impetus to write “Who Can It Be Now?”, which would take off in America a year after the Business As Usual album introduced the song in 1981. At the time, the saxophone wasn’t an instrument that was getting a ton of exposure on pop radio. That fact made Greg Ham’s slyly funky work on this song even more impactful when it was first heard.

1. “Down Under” – No. 1 in 1982

“Down Under” stands as one of the most misunderstood runaway hit singles in pop music history. In part because of a comical video, folks heard it as some kind of silly tribute to the band’s home country of Australia. But Colin Hay was actually trying to touch on serious issues within the country, including how it was being marketed to the world as opposed to the reality of it. This is another song where multi-instrumentalist Greg Ham came through in a big way. His flute adds a little bit of exotica to the narrative.

Photo by Ross Marino/Getty Images