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Depending on where in the world you live, there are some bands who appear to you to be one hit wonders, whilst in reality they may well have been very successful in their homeland. Dexys Midnight Runners are a good example of band that will be well remembered in the UK, but abroad may only have had a single hit.
Here in the UK, Men At Work are the opposite to Dexys. An Australian band who were pretty successful there, in Blighty they are really only remembered for one song, and that was Down Under (sometimes known as A Land Down Under, thanks to the chorus lyrics).
Down Under was originally recorded in 1981, but when it was reissued the following year it took the world by storm, hitting the number one spot in Australia, the UK and Ireland, the US, and a few more countries besides. I guess it was seen as a bit of a novelty record thanks to the funny lyrics and the catchy tune (but more on that in a bit) and that’s why it did so well.
The song tells the story of an Australian traveller touring the world, who meets various people on the way who befriend him because of his nationality. For a country brought up on Marmite it also introduced the UK to Vegemite, the Australian equivalent of the love-it-or-hate-it foodstuff. I’m sure it must have been because of Down Under that us Brits were even able to buy Vegemite in supermarkets for a while (not sure if you still can, but I don’t think so). For more on this food by product see the rather amusing Vegemite entry in the BBC’s h2g2 (An online attempt at creating a real Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, in a similar manner to Wikipedia).
I mentioned earlier the catchy tune, and it is this that has got the band into trouble. It was alleged that the flute solo is in fact the music from the song Kookaburra, a Girl Guides’ song written in 1935 by Marion Sinclair. In 1988 Sinclair died, and the copyright to the song ended up in the hands of publisher Larrikin Music in 1990. Jump forward to 2009 and Larrikin decide to sue Men At Work for ripping off Kookaburra, and get this, they managed to win their case at Men At Work were ordered to pay 5% of their royalties from the song since 2002!
The above case has actually angered many Australians, not just because of how unfair it is to sue someone for something done nearly 30 years ago, but also because until that point Kookaburra had been seen as part of Australia’s heritage and was considered part of the public domain.
Still, it’s a great song, and really takes me back to my childhood. Have a listen and watch the video below…
February 28th, 2011 at 10:52 am
I own a Men at Work Best Of!
Back when Bob Mills used to host the Sunday night show on the World’s Greatest Radio Station (GLR) he would regularly play other Men at Work tracks.
February 28th, 2011 at 5:13 pm
“…even able to buy Vegemite in supermarkets for a while (not sure if you still can, but I don’t think so)”
Our local Tesco has sold it for ages.
February 28th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
For the record, Vegemite is still available in the UK, and my Dad remembers eating Vegemite when he was a kid in the 1950′s, his mum bought it because he prefered it to Marmite, so it was available in the UK for at least 30 years before this song came out.
February 28th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
Thanks to npfiii and Eduard for the confirmation on Vegemite still being available in the UK.
Sounds like it was available for some time before Men At Work came along too, but given I was a kid at the time and had never heard of Vegemite before then (and the fact I don’t like Marmite so was never that interested in eating Vegemite either) I hope you can excuse me for my mistake!
I’m sure Down Under must have boosted Vegemite sales though…
April 24th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
I recall sainsbury’s selling it at one time not long ago, BTW I think the flautist on the track has just passed away