Down Under (song)
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| “Down Under” | |||||
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| Single by Men at Work from the album Business as Usual |
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| B-side | "Crazy" | ||||
| Released | 1981 | ||||
| Format | 7" | ||||
| Recorded | 1981 | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 3:42 | ||||
| Label | CBS | ||||
| Writer(s) | Colin Hay, Ron Strykert | ||||
| Men at Work singles chronology | |||||
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"Down Under" is the title of a New Wave song of reggae flavour, written by Colin Hay and Ron Strykert, recorded in 1981 by the Australian rock group Men at Work and featured on their debut album Business as Usual. This song went to #1 on American as well as international charts, including their native Australia and the UK. It was reissued in 1982 and is the first and only Men at Work song that went to number 1 in the UK.
It has become a popular and patriotic song in Australia. This song is played in the end credits of the Paul Hogan movie Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. The song is also partially played in the documentary television series, The Adventure of English, to help illustrate Australia's newfound confidence in its linguistic identity in the late 20th Century.
The lyrics are about an Australian traveller circling the globe, proud of his nationality and about his interactions with people he meets on his travels who are interested in his home country. One of the verses refers to Vegemite sandwiches, among other things, and this particular lyric has become a well-known phrase. The flute part in the song is based around the tune of "Kookaburra", a well-known Australian children's rhyme. Originally, "Down Under" was released as the B-side to "Keypunch Operator", a rare custom-pressed single by Men at Work - some of the guitar melodies from that version were further developed into flute parts on the later release.
The song is a perennial favorite on Australian radio and television, and became well-known outside Australia after it was used as a theme song by the crew of Australia II in their successful bid to win the America's Cup in 1983. Men at Work played this song in the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, along other Australian artists. It wasn't the first Australian single to gain popularity in the U.S., as "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" was #3 in the U.S. in 1963.
In May 2001, Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary by naming the Best Australian Songs of all time, as decided by a 100 strong industry panel, "Down Under" was ranked as the fourth song on the list.[1]
In October 2006, Triple M had the Essential 2006 Countdown of the most popular songs of all time, voted by the listeners. "Down Under" was the number 3 voted/ranked song.[citation needed]
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[edit] Cover versions
Another version of the song was released in 1999 by the punk rock band Pennywise, as a bonus track on the album Straight Ahead. While Pennywise is an American band, it frequently tours Australia, and often plays the song at live shows as a tribute to its many Australian fans.[citation needed]
A version of this song is on the Kangaroo Jack soundtrack. The song was also used in advertisements for the Disney/Pixar movie Finding Nemo, though it never appears in the film itself.[citation needed]
The punk rock band Funeral Dress also had a version of the song on its album A Way of Life.
In the Scrubs episode "My Hard Labor", John Dorian daydreams that his pregnant girlfriend gives birth to Colin Hay, who subsequently sings "Down Under". Also, in the episode "My Porcelain God", when Dr. Kelso questions J.D. and Dr. Kevin Casey about strange noises the patients have been hearing, J.D. suggests they may be hearing the song. He sings a small portion of the song and asserts that if that is what the patients were hearing, it wasn't him.[citation needed]
Colin Hay had his version as well as an acoustic version on his album Man at Work.
During the 1980s Yossi and Avi Piamenta recorded traditional Jewish wedding lyrics to the tune of the song.[2]
In 2008, Australia's national airline QANTAS, rolled out an ad campaign as "The World's Most Experienced Airline" with a prominent instrumental composition of "Down Under" as the background music.[citation needed]
A Finnish cover version titled "Tervetuloa Länteen, Andrej" (Welcome to west, Andrej) of the song was released by Vilperin Perikunta in 1992. The original story of the song was changed to tell a tale of Andrej, a Russian proletarian who travels to Finland to search for a job and better life in a welfare state. In the chorus Finland is described as "road to the top of heaven" and "road to freedom" for a Russian. In this cover version the flute parts were played with violin and a banjo lick was added to the background.[citation needed]
[edit] Tracklisting
[edit] 7": CBS / BA 222891 
- "Down Under" - 3:44
- "Crazy" - 2:34
[edit] 7": CBS / A 2066 
- "Down Under" - 3:44
- "Helpless Automaton" - 3:23
[edit] References
- ^ The final list: APRA'S Ten best Australian Songs. APRA (2001-05-28). Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
- ^ Piamentas. Music.com.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John |
Australian Kent Music Report number-one single December 21, 1982 - January 24, 1983 |
Succeeded by "Trouble" by Lindsey Buckingham |
| Preceded by "Maneater" by Hall & Oates |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single (first run) January 15, 1983 - January 29, 1983 |
Succeeded by "Africa" by Toto |
| Preceded by "Africa" by Toto |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single (second run) February 12, 1983 |
Succeeded by "Baby, Come to Me" by Patti Austin and James Ingram |
| Preceded by "You Can't Hurry Love" by Phil Collins |
UK number one single January 23, 1983 |
Succeeded by "Too Shy" by Kajagoogoo |
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