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Fun Music Information -> Men At Work

This is the most recent information about Men At Work that has been submitted to amIright. If we have more information about Men At Work, then we provide a link to the section where it appears (the actual page whenever possible).

 
 

Band Name Origins:

  • Brian is right. Road workers in Australia seem to be extremley lazy. Not uncommon to see this sight. Submitted by: alpal
  • Lead singer Colin Hay was driving past a construction site and saw a sign that said "Men At Work". One man was digging a ditch while nine others were just standing around. Submitted by: Brian Kelly

Stupid Band Names:

  • I guess they had to tell us that singing was their job. Yeah, maybe we did need some clarification on that. Submitted by: Billy Florio

New Band Names:

New Name
Why It's Better
Submitter Name
Men At RetirementShouldn't they be old enough to retire by now?Lance Crackers
Women At PlayBoth opposites of each other.Olive Pitt

New Song Names:

Original Song Name
New Song Name
Submitter Name
"Down In There""Down Under"Some One
"Helpless Auto-Dealer""Helpless Automaton"Flakey Crossants

Literally Impossible Song Titles:

Song/Performer
Comment
Submitter Name
"No Sign Of Yesterday ,"Because yesterday has already passed.Opie M.

Use a Song Title to Answer a Different Song:

Song & Band Name
Song & Band Name
"Where Are You Tonight?," Tom Johnston"Down Under," Men At Work
"Australia," The Manic Street Preachers"Down Under," Men At Work
"Botany Bay," John Williamson"Down Under," Men At Work
"Who Can It Be Now?," Men At Work"Dr. Heckyll And Mr. Jive," Men At Work
There are additional songs titles that answer other songs available.

Remove a Letter From a Song Title:

"Be Goo Johnny" originally "Be Good Johnny"
How is Johnny to do that?
Kimberly Townsend
"Own Under" originally "Down Under"
Samantha Wayland
"Don Under" originally "Down Under"
Samantha Wayland
"Who Can I Be Now?" originally "Who Can It Be Now?"
I think I'll just be myself! Makes things easier.
Serafina

Add a Letter to a Song Title:

"Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jiver" originally "Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive"
Candy Welty
"Dr. Heckyll & Mrs. Jive" originally "Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive"
Candy Welty
"Who Can Kit Be Now?" originally "Who Can It Be Now?"
You mean she hasn't remained Kit?
Dinah Bartilson
"Drown Under" originally "Down Under"
Peter
"People Just Love To Play With Worlds" originally "People Just Love To Play With Words"
Naomi Swanson

There are additional song titles with a letter added available.

Change a Letter:

"Dr. Heckyll & Dr. Jive" originally "Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive"
Candy Welty
"Dr. Heckyll & Ms. Jive" originally "Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive"
Candy Welty
"Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Five" originally "Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive"
Candy Welty
"Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Dive" originally "Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive"
Candy Welty
"Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Hive" originally "Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive"
Candy Welty

There are additional song titles with a letter changed available.

Recordings:

May 8
a parody of "Who Can It Be Now" by Men At Work
My "Number One" song, this song is about someone who's got to pee.
http://www.ogterps.com: (WAV)

Song Parody Lyrics:

Original Song Name
Parody Song Name
Parody Author
"It's a Mistake""He's a Disgrace"Spank The Traitor!
"Who Can It Be Now""Who's the Prime Min Now"EWOP
"Be Good Johnny""Be Good Corey"Monstermaster13
"Who Can I Be Now.""Who Can I Play Now."Monstermaster13
"Who Can It Be Now?""Hurts When I Pee Now"Angus Oblivion
"Down Under""Couch Hunter"the_conqueror_of_parodies
"Upstairs in My House""Let's Watch The Loud House"mouselover
"Down Under""Onu-Wahi"Jaykob Walson
"Who Can It Be Now?""Aliens Love Cows"the_conqueror_of_parodies
"Down Under""Way Down Under"Robert D. Arndt Jr.

There are additional song parodies available.

Songs for Commercials, That Haven't Been Done Yet:

Song Name
Product
Submittor
Down UnderAustralia Tourism BoardVic George

Bad Choices for On Hold Music:

Song Name
Company/Organization
Submittor
Who Can It be Now?!Mental Health Crisis LineTatiana
Land Down UnderAustralian Travel BoardLarcen Tyler
Who Can It Be Now?Local Paranoia ClinicStinger

Songs for Duets, That Haven't Been Done Yet:

First Band/Song Name
Second Band/Song Name
New Song Name
Submittor
I Wanna Be Down
   Brandy
Down Under
   Men At Work
I Wanna Be Down Under
It's off to Australia so!
Jacynthia Maries
My World Is Over
   Kenny Rogers
Overkill
   Men At Work
My World Is Overkill
Gigi
It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over
   Lenny Kravitz
Overkill
   Men At Work
It Ain't Over 'Til It's Overkill
Edward
As I Lay Me Down
   Sophie B. Hawkins
Down Under
   Men At Work
As I Lay Me Down Under
Edward
There are additional duets that haven't been done yet available.

If Groups Combined, Their Names Might Be:

Trashmen At Work
The Trashmen combined with Men At Work
Sanitary workers doing their jobs.
Submitted By: Frank
Fishermen At Work
Climie Fisher combined with Men At Work
A different way to come up with this combined name (another one was already submitted).
Submitted By: Joe
Of Monsters And Men At Work
Of Monsters And Men combined with Men At Work
Submitted By: Edward
Spokesmen At Work
The Spokesmen combined with Men At Work
Submitted By: Candy Welty

There are additional Men At Work Combined Groups that haven't been done yet available.

Misheard Lyrics:

"Be Good Johnny"
Misheard Lyrics:
Tinkle, tinkle
Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle
Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle
Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle (doggy)
or
Twinkle, twinkle
Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle
Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle
Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle (starry)
Original Lyrics:
Be good, be good
Be good, be good, be good
Be good, be good, be good
Be good, be good, be good (Johnny)
"Down Under"
Misheard Lyrics:
My man from a land in Brussels,
He was six foot tall and full of muscles
Original Lyrics:
Buying bread from a man in Brussels,
He was six foot four and full of muscles
"Down Under"
Misheard Lyrics:
My man from a land in Brussels, he was six foot tall and full of muscles
Original Lyrics:
Buying bread from a man in Brussels, he was six foot four and full of muscles
"Down Under"
Misheard Lyrics:
Do you come from London or not?
Original Lyrics:
Do you come from a land down under?
There are additional misheard lyrics available.

Misheard Lyrics Stories:

"Who Can It Be Now?"
Misheard Lyrics:
You look at me knocking at my door
Original Lyrics:
Who can it be knocking at my door?

Story about this misheard lyric by: Cody Finke

Sounded like someone was looking at Colin Hay!

There are additional misheard stories available.

Funniest Song Lyrics:

"Down Under"
The Funny Lyrics:
Lying in a den in Bombay,
With a slack jaw and not much to say.
Why They're Funny:
I believe it's funny because all the men from the band are in that den, and it makes me think the wrong thing sometimes. Y'know.....lying in a den without much to say? The whole video's funny, too. Including saxophone guy; he's got a koala tied to his foot (I think it's his foot).
Submitted by: Carrie
 

Repetitive Song Lyrics:

"Be Good Johnny"
The Repetitive Lyrics:
Be good, be good, be good
Be good, be good, be good
Be good, be good, be good, Johnny
Why They're Repetitive:
Does this song beat the record for the number of repetitions? In the chorus they sing the words 'be good' 23 times in a row with the word 'Johnny' put in there twice. Either Johnny is a really naughty boy, or they desparately want him to be good!
Submitted by: Jasmine
"Who Can It Be Now"
The Repetitive Lyrics:
Who can it be now
Why They're Repetitive:
This song is annoying; answer the door then you'll see who it can be now!
Submitted by: Dawn
There are additional repetitive lyrics available.

Nonsensical Song Lyrics:

"Down Under"
The Nonsensical Lyrics:
Do you come from a land down under?
Where women glow and men plunder?
Why They're Nonsensical:
Sounds like all the women in Australia have that pregnancy glow.
Submitted by: John
"Underground"
The Nonsensical Lyrics:
Find your mask, and asbestos you can,
Get ready to run!
Why They're Nonsensical:
What does this have to do with the song exactly?? Why would you wanna find your mask and run? Is Colin Hay just trying to say he's Micheal Myers running to his old girlfriends house to get her, or something????
Submitted by: Men At Work Fan
There are additional nonsensical lyrics available.

Misrhymed Song Lyrics:

"Down Under"
The Misrhymed Lyrics:
I said "Do you speak-a my language?"
He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich
Why They're Misrhymed:
Nice try. Funny as hell. Misrhymed, nonetheless they still get my respect for fitting Vegemite into a pop song!
Submitted by: Twiztid_12gage
"Down Under"
The Misrhymed Lyrics:
I come from a land down under,
Where women glow and men plunder.
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover.
Why They're Misrhymed:
Started out well; 'under...plunder...thunder' all rhyme just fine, but 'cover' doesn't.
Submitted by: mysticrose
There are additional misrhymed lyrics available.

Song Lyrics That Mention Brand Name Products:

"Down Under"
The Lyrics:
Travellin' in a fried-out Kombi
Product Brand Name:
Kombi (Volkswagen bus)
Submitted by: crazydon
"Down Under"
The Lyrics:
He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich
Product Brand Name:
Vegemite
Submitted by: crazydon

Song Lyrics That Mention Other Songs:

"Down Under"
The Song Lyrics:
You better run, you better take cover
Song They Mention:
"You Better Run" by the Young Rascals (later covered by Pat Benatar)
Submitted by: Cody Finke
"Overkill"
The Song Lyrics:
Day after day, it reappears
Song They Mention:
"Day After Day" by Badfinger (1971)
Submitted by: Megan

Song Title Space Change:

"It Sam Is Take" originally "It's A Mistake"
Submitted by: Peter

Band Name Anagrams:

Ma Won Trek Submitted by: Peter
Mark T. Owen Submitted by: Alexis
Could be some guy's name
Art Knew Mo Submitted by: Alexis
Mo Knew Art Submitted by: Alexis
Own Market Submitted by: Alexis

There are additional Band Name Anagrams available.

Song Title Anagrams:

"Renown Dud" originally "Down Under"
Submitted by: Keira Farnell
"Worded Nun" originally "Down Under"
Submitted by: Keira Farnell
"Wound Nerd" originally "Down Under"
Submitted by: Keira Farnell
"Now With One Cab" originally "Who Can It Be Now?"
Submitted by: Alexis
"What...No Web Icon?" originally "Who Can It Be Now?"
For sure not at the time this song was made.
Submitted by: Alexis

There are additional Song Title Anagrams available.

Real Places Mentioned in Songs:

"Down Under"
The Lyrics:
Buying bread from a man in Brussels
He was six foot four and full of muscle
I said: "Do you speaking my language?"
He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich... Lying in a den in Bombay
With a slack jaw and not much to say
Why:
The lines containing 'man in Brussels' and 'full of muscle' make me think of Jean Claude van Damme, the 'muscles from Brussels', and with Bombay there are two place names in the song.
Submitted by: James Joyce
"Down Under"
The Lyrics:
Buying bread from a man in Brussels He was six foot four and full of muscles I said, do you speak-a my language? He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich And he said,
I come from a land down under Where beer does flow and men chunder Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover
Lying in a den in Bombay With a slack jaw, and not much to say I said to the man, are you trying to tempt me Because I come from the land of plenty? And he said,
Why:
Up above is the transcribed second and third verse and chorus of the Australian New Wave band Men At Work's second #1 hit in the U.S., "Down Under". "Down Under" went to #1 for four weeks in January 1983 (knocking Toto's "Africa" from the top). The song is about Australia, or what is known by many as "Down Under". Also in the second verse is a shoutout to Brussels, Belgium and in the third verse, Bombay, India -- both real places.
Submitted by: Peter

Song Title Spoonerisms:

"Ooh! Can Bit Knee. How?" originally "Who Can It Be Now?"
Submitted by: Blake DeKalb
"Ooh! Can Bit Knee. How?" originally "Who Can It Be Now?"
Submitted by: Blake DeKalb
"Who Ban Kit E. Now?" originally "Who Can It Be Now?"
Submitted by: Blake DeKalb
"Who Ban Kit E. Now?" originally "Who Can It Be Now?"
Submitted by: Blake DeKalb
"Gee, Good, Bonnie" originally "Be Good Johnny"
Submitted by: Evil Olive

There are additional Song Title Spoonerisms available.

Song Lawsuits:

"Land Down Under"
Almost thirty years after the song was released, it was found that in a musical interlude that it used certain chords from the children's song 'Kookaburra'. How they didn't notice it before I'll never know, but I'll never look at the song the same way again.
Submitted by: WhyBother

Band Name Spoonerisms:

Wen At Mirk originally "Men At Work"
Submitted by: H. Tim Smith
Men Wet Irk originally "Men At Work"
Submitted by: H. Tim Smith
Win At Mork originally "Men At Work"
Does that pertain to Mork From Ork?
Submitted by: Peter

Lighter Side of Serious Bands:

"CD tray picture"
CDs sometimes have artwork in the CD trays if the plastic holder is clear. The 'extra' artwork can be interesting, provocative, so many things. it could be a painting or a photo. For instance, the picture 'underneath' the clear CD tray of an MC5 greatest hits CD shows a band member mooning 'you' the viewer. Basically ALL the CD trays from the juvenile uncouth ill-mannered KID Rock has a picture of a hand flipping the bird (oooh, so macho! NOT.). And then there's the pleasant, nice guys of the Aussie band Men at Work. I have a Japanese remastered CD of their legendary debut 'Business As Usual' which spent an amazing 15 weeks on top of the US album charts alone. The CD tray shows the five 'new wave' mates in a photo op together but if you look closely the bassist John Rees has his hand down the left leg of his jeans and he's flipping the 'bird'! Strange that is, that gesture is not used in the land Down Under. Australians use a different gesture to denote 'F.U..'. The.middle finger IS an obscene gesture in the US and Canada but not in Australia (or Japan) so this is a case of a 'hidden message' for Canadian and American listeners. Naughty Aussies!
Submitted by: Underground Listener

Products Bands Should Endorse Based on Their Name:

Labor unions
Should be obvious.
Submitted by: Peter

Other Artists:

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