Complete List Of Men At Work Songs From A to Z

Feature Photo: MTV, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Men at Work emerged from Melbourne at the end of the 1970s with a sound that was immediately recognizable. Colin Hay’s sharply phrased vocals and observant songwriting sat beside Ron Strykert’s guitar work, Greg Ham’s flute, saxophone, keyboards, and harmonica, John Rees’s bass, and Jerry Speiser’s drumming. Reggae rhythms, new wave tension, pop hooks, and a dry Australian sense of humor gave the band a character that separated it from nearly every other group reaching international radio at the time.

Hay and Strykert began as an acoustic duo before Men at Work took shape in 1979. The five-piece lineup built a following through Melbourne club dates and issued the self-released Down Under/Keypunch Operator single in 1980. Its early recording of “Down Under” used a different arrangement from the version that later became a worldwide hit, while “Keypunch Operator” captured the group before its major-label breakthrough.

After signing with CBS Records, Men at Work released “Who Can It Be Now?” in 1981. The song became a major Australian hit and helped launch the debut album Business as Usual. “Down Under” followed it to the top of the charts, and the album eventually spent 15 weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard 200. In the United States, “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Down Under” both reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The band’s second album, Cargo, was recorded while the success of the debut was still unfolding. Released in 1983, it produced “Overkill,” “It’s a Mistake,” “Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive,” and “High Wire.” The record kept the melodic accessibility of Business as Usual while moving into darker, more anxious territory. Non-album recordings and later bonus tracks from this period included “Shintaro,” “’Til the Money Runs Out,” “Fallin’ Down,” and live performances issued with the 2003 remaster.

John Rees and Jerry Speiser left before the third studio album, and Ron Strykert departed during its creation. Hay and Ham completed Two Hearts with additional musicians, releasing the album in 1985. “Everything I Need,” “Man with Two Hearts,” “Maria,” and “Hard Luck Story” marked the final chapter of the band’s first run before Men at Work stopped performing together later that year.

Hay and Ham revived Men at Work for South American touring in the 1990s. The reunion produced the live album Brazil ’96, followed by the international edition Brazil in 1998. Along with live versions of the band’s best-known recordings, the later edition introduced the studio recording of Greg Ham’s “The Longest Night,” the first new Men at Work studio track since Two Hearts.

Men at Work won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1983 and entered the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1994. After Ham’s death in 2012, Hay eventually returned to the name with a new touring lineup. In 2026, he continues to front Men at Work with San Miguel Perez, Yosmel Montejo, Jimmy Branly, Rachel Mazer, and Cecilia Noël, carrying the group’s catalog into another generation of live performances.

Complete List Of Men At Work Songs From A to Z

A–E

“Anyone for Tennis” – non-album B-side – 1981
“Batucada (Live)” – Brazil – 1998
“Be Good Johnny” – Business as Usual – 1981
“Be Good Johnny (Live)” – Brazil – 1998
“Blue for You” – Cargo – 1983
“Catch a Star” – Business as Usual – 1981
“Catch a Star (Live)” – Brazil – 1998
“Children on Parade” – Two Hearts – 1985
“Crazy” – non-album B-side – 1981
“Down by the Sea” – Business as Usual – 1981
“Down by the Sea (Live)” – Brazil – 1998
“Down Under” – Business as Usual – 1981
“Down Under (1980 Version)” – Down Under/Keypunch Operator single – 1980
“Down Under (Live)” – Brazil – 1998
“Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive” – Cargo – 1983
“Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive (Live)” – Brazil – 1998
“Everything I Need” – Two Hearts – 1985
“Everything I Need (Live)” – Brazil – 1998

F–J

“F-19” – non-album B-side – 1982
“Fallin’ Down (Live)” – Cargo (2003 Remaster) – 2003
“Giving Up” – Two Hearts – 1985
“Hard Luck Story” – Two Hearts – 1985
“Helpless Automaton” – Business as Usual – 1981
“Helpless Automaton (Live)” – Brazil – 1998
“High Wire” – Cargo – 1983
“I Can See It in Your Eyes” – Business as Usual – 1981
“I Like To” – Cargo – 1983
“I Like To (Live)” – non-album B-side – 1983
“Into My Life (Live)” – Brazil – 1998
“It’s a Mistake” – Cargo – 1983
“It’s a Mistake (Live)” – Brazil – 1998

K–O

“Keypunch Operator” – Down Under/Keypunch Operator single – 1980
“Man with Two Hearts” – Two Hearts – 1985
“Maria” – Two Hearts – 1985
“No Restrictions” – Cargo – 1983
“No Restrictions (Live)” – Brazil – 1998
“No Sign of Yesterday” – Cargo – 1983
“No Sign of Yesterday (Live)” – Brazil – 1998
“Overkill” – Cargo – 1983
“Overkill (Live)” – Brazil – 1998

P–T

“People Just Love to Play with Words” – Business as Usual – 1981
“Sail to You” – Two Hearts – 1985
“Settle Down My Boy” – Cargo – 1983
“Shintaro” – non-album B-side – 1983
“Snakes and Ladders” – Two Hearts – 1985
“Stay at Home” – Two Hearts – 1985
“Still Life” – Two Hearts – 1985
“The Longest Night” – Brazil – 1998
“The Longest Night (Live)” – Cargo (2003 Remaster) – 2003
“’Til the Money Runs Out” – non-album B-side – 1983
“Touching the Untouchables” – Business as Usual – 1981
“Touching the Untouchables (Live)” – Brazil – 1998

U–Z

“Underground” – Business as Usual – 1981
“Underground (Live, 2003 Remaster)” – Business as Usual (2003 Remaster) – 2003
“Underground (Live, Brazil)” – Brazil – 1998
“Upstairs in My House” – Cargo – 1983
“Upstairs in My House (Live)” – Cargo (2003 Remaster) – 2003
“Who Can It Be Now?” – Business as Usual – 1981
“Who Can It Be Now? (Live, 2003 Remaster)” – Business as Usual (2003 Remaster) – 2003
“Who Can It Be Now? (Live, Brazil)” – Brazil – 1998