Emerging from Australia during 1982, Men at Work ranked among the more unexpected triumphs of the new wave period and finished the year as its most dominant act. Their opening release, Business as Usual, stood out for Police-styled rhythms, memorable guitar lines, wailing saxophones, and a distinctly off-center wit; the collection achieved worldwide blockbuster status while surpassing the prior U.S. mark for consecutive weeks atop the charts by any debut album. Humorous, irreverent clips from the band quickly became MTV staples, driving both “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Down Under” to the top position. The momentum carried the group through their 1983 follow-up, Cargo, yet audience interest soon collapsed. After issuing Two Hearts in 1985, Men at Work disbanded, later remembered as one of new wave’s more enduring phenomena.
Colin Hay, who handled lead vocals and guitar, had relocated from Scotland to Australia at age fourteen before forming Men at Work in Melbourne during 1978 as an acoustic duo alongside Ron Strykert on guitar and vocals. Within months the pair expanded into a full ensemble by adding John Rees on bass, Greg Ham on saxophone, flute, and keyboards, and Jerry Speiser on drums. Over the next two years the musicians became regulars at the Cricketer’s Arms Hotel and throughout Australia’s pub circuit, eventually earning recognition as the country’s highest-paid unsigned act. A 1981 deal with Australian Columbia yielded the single “Who Can It Be Now?” by year’s end; both that track and the spring 1982 album Business as Usual scored massive hits. Written in part by Hay, Strykert, and Ham, the debut held the Australian summit for ten weeks and eclipsed the previous record set by Split Enz’s True Colours. Issued in the United States that summer, the album soon sent “Who Can It Be Now?” up the American charts. By November Business as Usual reached number one and remained there for fifteen weeks. Early in 1983 “Down Under” became the band’s second U.S. chart-topper while also marking their first British success; the song simultaneously led both territories. That February the group received the Grammy for Best New Artist of 1982.
Men at Work had already cut their second album, Cargo, during summer 1982, yet its release waited because of the debut’s extraordinary run. Primarily composed by Hay, the set climbed to number three in the U.S. and produced the Top Ten singles “Overkill” and “It’s a Mistake.” After an extensive tour that included co-headlining the U.S. Festival alongside the Clash and the Stray Cats, the band took a lengthy break in 1984, prompting Speiser and Rees to depart. Session players filled their roles on the third album, Two Hearts, which appeared in 1985. Although certified gold in the United States, the record proved a sharp commercial letdown and failed to yield any Top 40 singles. Following its release, Men at Work disbanded.
Among the remaining members, only Hay pursued solo work; neither of his two American albums, Looking for Jack in 1987 and Wayfaring Sons in 1990, achieved notable success. He continued issuing recordings in Australia throughout the 1990s and also launched an acting career. Hay and Ham revived Men at Work in 1996, capturing the live hits collection Brazil while touring South America that year; the album, which included a newly recorded studio bonus track, reached the United States two years later. In later periods Hay and Ham, supported by additional musicians, revived the Men at Work name for occasional concerts. On April 19, 2012, Ham was discovered deceased at his residence in Melbourne’s Carlton North suburb at the age of 58.
