Men at Work was one of the quirkier bands of their era but there’s no denying that they were a lot of fun to listen to. They were the kind of band that nowadays you might sit and roll your eyes at while still thinking how pleasant their songs were back in the day since few if any of them really sounded all that serious. But unfortunately they didn’t last much past the 90s. The band split up initially in 1986 due to various differences that simply couldn’t be reconciled. A decade later they were back together, but this only lasted until 2002 when they split up for good. Sometimes a band simply can’t work past whatever issues are going on between them it would seem, which is tragic in that it robs their audience, the people that are the basis for many musicians even bothering to step on stage, of something both great and entertaining.
Here are some of their best songs from their time in the spotlight.
5. Dr. Heckyl & Mr. Jive
Being part of a group doesn’t necessarily mean that the chemistry that brought them together is going to work at all times, but for the sake of the group and the music one would think that they would find a way to compromise at times in order to make everything work. A lot of bands go through various struggles throughout their time together and yet those that stick together for longer than a decade are typically those that find ways to live with one another and move past any major differences. In some respects a band is like a family, quitting it ultimately harms more than just the individuals involved.
4. It’s a Mistake
It can’t be said that the guys didn’t try to work things out, as they did get back together for another run. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear that they really made it work since the second time around they didn’t last as long and eventually there was a lawsuit over copyrighted material that had the effect of really killing off any and all chance of reconciliation. When it comes down to money and disregards the music, just about any dispute that emerges within a band is going to act like wildfire and consume everything in its path until there’s nothing left. It’s sad to see in a group that a lot of people thought were tight with one another, but it does happen.
3. Overkill
Quite honestly you might have to show people one of the band’s videos or have them listen to a song to get them to even remember them today, as only a few tracks ever really play any longer. There’s nothing to say they were never popular, as they churned out a few of the most requested songs of their era, but in terms of staying power they weren’t really all that effective. In fact the group’s name is still associated with a popular movie that’s suffered the same effect throughout the years, the one in which Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez were portrayed as garbage men that find a dead body in the trash one day.
2. Who Can It Be Now?
This is one of the two songs you might use to recognize the band since it’s one of the few that still gets any radio time on the oldies stations. When it comes on a lot of us that were born and raised back in the days that the band was popular might smile and even sing along. But play this for a lot of people that were born in the 90s or later and they might look at you as though they should know the song but can’t quite place it. Some folks born later than the 90s know it largely because their parents still listen, and some even manage to pick up on the sounds of those bands that were popular before they were born.
1. Down Under
This one is still a classic since it’s also the song you’ll probably hear the most on the radio and one that people remember the easiest. Aside from being insanely catchy and setting a beat in your head it was one of their number one tracks and among all the rest the one that a lot of people recall since it’s got a kind of infectious sound. It’s a bit ridiculous, but that’s a small part of it and kind of the point as the video and the song go on, reminding us of what things were like back then and how much fun this song really was. Back in those days music videos were goofy as all hell sometimes, but the meaning behind them was something that you had to deduce for yourself, if there was any.
They were great in their time, that’s for certain.
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