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Down Under (1981)

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'I come from a land down under'

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

Men at Work sing about travelling the world and what it means to come 'from a land down under’.

Curator’s notes

by Martin Ford

Men at Work’s front-man, Colin Hay, describes the song as being ‘about the selling of Australia’ (the chorus ironically refers to a land where ‘men plunder’). Wherever the song’s narrator goes – Bombay, Brussels or on a 'hippy trail’ – and, no matter how far he is from Australia, he’s recognised as being from down under. Men at Work’s success in the US also coincided with a period of growing fascination with Australian movies – another instance of 'selling’ Australia (see Coming Up from Down Under, 1983).

The sing-a-long chorus means the tune is not easily forgotten and makes the song perfect as an unofficial anthem. The lyrics memorably rhyme 'Brussels’ with 'muscles’ and – rather more inventively – 'language’ with 'Vegemite sandwich’. The quirkiness is another likely explanation for the song’s success. 'Down Under’ gained a whole new lease of life and popularity in the wake of Australia’s victory in the America’s Cup in September 1983.

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,

‘Oh! Do you come from a land down under? (oh yeah yeah)
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover.’

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

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  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

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