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’Down Under’: Men at Work’s Quirky Australian Hit with a Sad Ending
Manage episode 354765123 series 2973390
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In 1982, Men at Work came from nowhere -- OK, actually from Australia -- to take the world by storm with their hits "Who Can it be Now?" and "Down Under," the latter of which is the story of a man's travels and the odd characters he meets along the way. Butch and Kevin dig into the song, its meaning, and some of the cultural revelations contained within, not to mention a sad twist that came years later. A few talking points:
- The Beer of the Week is, of course, Foster's, the beer that originated in Australia and rose on its ad campaign of, "Foster's: Australian for Beer." (It's brewed elsewhere today.)
- Butch busts out the Vegemite for an on-air, first-time tasting. The responses were a bit surprising.
- The original version of "Down Under" was essentially a throwaway B-side and much different sounding than the hit version.
- "Down Under" shares similarities with the Bruce Springsteen hit "Born in the U.S.A."
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