Every New Zealand #1 single…
7
Down Under by Luude featuring Colin Hay
Topped the NZ chart from 17 January 2022 for 9 weeks.
Christian Benson (Luude) is one half of the Australian electronic dance music duo Choomba. The other member is his cousin, Timothy Benson. Luude topped the New Zealand charts for nine weeks in 2022, remixing Men At Work’s 1981 hit ‘Down Under’. The cover features Men At Work’s Colin Hay on lead vocals.
Down Under by Men at Work
Men at Work formed in Melbourne in 1979. Colin Hay and guitarist Ron Strykert first worked as a duo, remaining the group’s songwriting core. Multi-instrumentalist Greg Ham joined, and his saxophone and flute parts differentiate the band’s songs from standard pub-rock fare.
Men At Work ascended to stardom quickly. They went from playing at The Cricketer’s Arms Hotel in Melbourne (where they quickly decided on their band name) to enjoying a worldwide smash hit in 1982. It topped the charts in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, and the UK.
The uniquely Australian references helped make ‘Down Under’ memorable. The protagonist eats a Vegemite sandwich and rides in a Kombi with a head full of zombie (Australian slang for a type of marijuana). ‘Down Under’ was used in Australia’s victorious 1983 America’s Cup campaign.
The chorus is really about the selling of Australia in many ways, the overdevelopment of the country. It was a song about the loss of spirit in that country. It’s really about the plundering of the country by greedy people. It is ultimately about celebrating the country, but not in a nationalistic way and not in a flag-waving sense. It’s really more than that.
Colin Hay, Songfacts
Their debut’s momentum ensured Men At Work’s second album was also successful. But they splintered while making their third album. Hay fired their rhythm section of John Rees and Jerry Speiser.
The Remix
Luude remixed ‘Down Under’ as a drum and bass track. He created it when he was a loose end during the COVID-19 pandemic. He liked the sound of the flute in a drum and bass song, so he looked for songs with flute parts to remix.
With no live content to post on social media during lockdown, he posted his 20-second remix of ‘Down Under’. After it blew up on social media, Luude’s manager contacted Colin Hay, who offered to provide new vocals.
The remix is Luude’s best-known creation, but was especially popular in New Zealand. It only reached #10 in Australia and #5 in the UK, but topped the charts in NZ for nine weeks.
My verdict
The original version of ‘Down Under’ is an earworm. The attention-grabbing percussion fill in the introduction is a great arrangement touch. But it’s unrelentingly peppy – I’d rather hear the remix. The remix retains the best parts of the original – the flute part is prominent, along with the wacky-yet-iconic lyrics.
It’s well done, although it’s embarrassing that this remake topped the charts for two months. It kept Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’, a surprise hit from an animated movie, from making the top spot in New Zealand.
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Is there a law when a band covers a Men at Work song, Colin Hay still has to be somehow involved? I’m thinking about that Lazlo Bane (had to look it up) cover from the late 90’s.
Apparently in 2022, he guested on a song called “Colin” by Lime Cordiale.
I really love the original of “Down Under”, and I’m generally not a big fan of electronic dance remixes. Two other perpetrators that come to mind in this context are Bananarama’s version of “Venus” and DNA’s remix of “Tom’s Diner.” To finish on a more positive note, one good thing I can see about these remixes is that they can help draw attention to the original songs!
It’s kind of like reinventing it for the next generation, I guess?
Call me old fashioned but I prefer the original.
Sorry! Do you like ‘Who Can It Be Now?’ too? The flute on the original is my favourite part, and the remix keeps that.
I agree. The original is one of those ‘classics’ that I just don’t get the appeal of (maybe because I’m not an Aussie), so this was a more enjoyabel, if not that amazing, remake.
I think the original has got some good points – it’s a great into. But I burnt out on it on classic hits radio – just a bit too gimmicky.
It’s funny…as much as I hated synth and other things from the 80s…here was a band that played instruments and I should have really liked…they should have been up my alley but I just never connected with them as much. I didn’t dislike them but didn’t really like them…they were just there.
The remix is interesting I have to say…I do like parts of it and the filter on his voice.
They’re kind of gimmicky. There are lots of great Australian bands that emerged in that era – Go-Betweens, Midnight Oil, The Church, Hoodoo Gurus. It’s weird that Men at Work were the ones that hit big early with a worldwide hit. Although they were good looking and it was the MTV era.
Maybe you pointed something out I didn’t think about…gimmicky…they were…maybe that is the reason they didn’t click with me.
I have since found the garage-punk-power pop bands there also during the time like The Stems. The country did have a lot of talent.