Down Under (song)
Encyclopedia
"Down Under" is a pop song recorded by Men at Work
for their debut album Business as Usual (1981). The song went to #1 on American, British, Canadian and Australian charts.
It was reissued in 1982, and is the only Men at Work song to go to #1 in the United Kingdom, and their only single to make the UK top 20. It has become a popular and patriotic song in Australia
.
, and about his interactions with people he meets on his travels who are interested in his home country.
One of the verses refers to Vegemite
sandwiches, among other things; the particular lyric "He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich" has become a well-known phrase.
Colin Hay
told Songfacts: "The chorus is really about the selling of Australia in many ways, the over-development 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."
Slang
and drug terms are used in the lyrics: Here "fried-out" means overheated, Kombi refers to the Volkswagen Type 2
combination van, and having "a head full of zombie" refers to the use of a type of marijuana. Cultural slang is also used: after the second verse the refrain is "where the beer does flow and men chunder"; "chunder" means vomit
.
part in the song was allegedly based around the tune of "Kookaburra
", a well-known Australian children's rhyme. (See Copyright lawsuit below for more details.) Originally, "Down Under" was released as the B-side to "Keypunch Operator", a rare custom-pressed single by Men at Work; some of the guitar melodies from that version were further developed into flute parts on the later release.
The music video was filmed in a number of places, including Lake Mackenzie on Fraser Island. The video also features several litre
-size cans of what appear to be Foster's Lager
(although the brand is removed), a beer drank mainly outside Australia while being marketed as Australian.
The song is a perennial favourite on Australian radio and television
, and topped the charts in the U.S. and UK simultaneously in early 1983. It was later used as a theme song by the crew of Australia II
in their successful bid to win the America's Cup
in 1983. Men at Work played this song in the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics
, alongside other Australian artists. It was also often played after Australian athletes had received medals during competition, as they walked around the venue on a parade lap after the medal ceremony.
In May 2001, Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary by naming the Best Australian Songs
of all time, as decided by a 100 strong industry panel, "Down Under" was ranked as the fourth song on the list.
In October 2006, Triple M
had the Essential 2006 Countdown of the most popular songs of all time, voted by the listeners. "Down Under" was the number 3 voted/ranked song.
The song was ranked #96 on VH1
's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s
in October 2006.
The song has been used as the entrance music for various professional Australian sportsmen, including darts player Simon Whitlock
, cruiserweight boxer Danny Green
(for his fight against Roy Jones, Jr. on 2 December 2009) and snooker player Neil Robertson
.
The song was played extensively during the September 2009 One-Day International cricket series between England and Australia, which Australia took by six matches to one.
soundtrack. The song was also used in advertisements for the Disney/Pixar movie Finding Nemo
, though it never appears in the film itself.
In the Scrubs
episode "My Hard Labor
", John Dorian
daydream
s that his pregnant girlfriend gives birth to Colin Hay
, who subsequently sings "Down Under". Also, in the episode "My Porcelain God
", when Dr. Kelso questions J.D. and Dr. Kevin Casey about strange noises the patients have been hearing, J.D. suggests they may be hearing the song. He sings a small portion of the song and asserts that if that is what the patients were hearing, it wasn't him.
Colin Hay had his version as well as an acoustic version on his album Man @ Work.
This song is played during the end credits of the Paul Hogan
movie Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles
. The song is also partially played in the documentary television series, The Adventure of English
, to help illustrate Australia's newfound confidence in its linguistic identity in the late 20th Century.
This song can also be heard in the episode of "The Topaz Connection" in the Knight Rider TV series from 1982, while Michel is driving to Las Vegas.
In 2008, Australia's national airline Qantas
rolled out a TV advertising campaign as "The World's Most Experienced Airline" with a prominent instrumental composition of "Down Under" as the background music.
The song was also used in the video game Saints Row 2
.
Professional snooker player Neil Robertson
, darts player Simon Whitlock
and mixed marital artist Kyle Noke
use Down Under as their walk-on music.
Australian pitcher Josh Spence used the song as his entrance music when he pitched at Arizona State University in 2009.
band Pennywise
, as a bonus track on the album Straight Ahead
. While Pennywise is an American band, they frequently tour Australia, and often play the song at live shows as a tribute to their many Australian fans.
UK punk-pop band Cranial Screwtop
recorded a version of the song for their 2006 album, "Too Fast for Technology".
British ska punk
band spunge also covered the song on their 2004 covers album That Should Cover It!
and regularly perform the song at live shows.
The punk rock
band Funeral Dress
also had a version of the song on its album A Way of Life
.
During the 1980s Yossi and Avi Piamenta recorded traditional Jewish wedding lyrics to the tune of the song. The name of this song is Asher Bara Sasson ve'Simcha. It is often played at Orthodox Jewish weddings and celebrations. Whilst the composition remains unaffected none of the lyrics relate to the original song.
In 1985 Lithuanian rock band Antis
made a cover of the song, which became one of their most well known hits. It was called "Zombiai" (the Lithuanian word for zombies). This Lithuanian version had unique lyrics which represented ironic attitude towards Soviet regime (Lithuania was part of Soviet Union at the time), but some parts remain very similar. "Gyvenk kaip galima švariau, Pikti kenkėjai budi tundroj. Paklausyk, paklausyk ar girdi - Zombiai atrieda, atidunda." which means "Live as clean as possible, Angry pests are on the watch in tundra, Listen to, listen to, do you hear - Zombies roll in and thunder".
A Finnish
cover version titled "Tervetuloa Länteen, Andrej" (Welcome to west, Andrej) of the song was released by Vilperin Perikunta in 1992. The original story of the song was changed to tell a tale of Andrej, a Russian
proletarian who travels to Finland to search for a job and better life in a welfare state. In the chorus Finland is described as "road to the top of heaven" and "road to freedom" for a Russian
. In this cover version the flute parts were played with violin
and a banjo
lick was added to the background.
In 2001, a performance of the song by the Red Army Choir
was released on the CD Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge
. The song was performed in the manner of a Russian folk song and featured clapping, and accordion
. The song is also featured in the 2008 game Saints Row 2
.
This song was partly sung by Peter Griffin from the television show Family Guy
in the episode "Long John Peter
".
On the television show Yes Dear, Jimmy and his friend Brian refer to the song when being annoyed that Greg thinks the lyric is, "Vegemite sandwich" when they think it is, "dynamite, sum-bitch".
Washington based band 'The Sunbeams' recorded their own take on the song.
In 2009 the song resurfaced on the TV show Australia's Got Talent
where Jay Parrino aka 'JP the one man band' used a looping pedal to create a unique rendition of the song, which even Colin Hay himself heralded as the "best version of the song he'd ever heard".
The B Foundation, a surf-rock/reggae band from Los Angeles, covered the song in their album, Souvenirs, Novelties, and Party Tricks.
", written by Marion Sinclair for a Girl Guides competition in 1935. Sinclair died in 1988 and the rights to the Kookaburra song were deemed to have been transferred to publisher Larrikin Music
on 21 March 1990. In the United States, the rights are administered by Music Sales Corporation in New York City.
In June 2009, 28 years after the release of the recording, Larrikin Music sued Men At Work for copyright infringement, alleging that part of the flute riff of "Down Under" was copied from "Kookaburra". The counsel for the band's record label and publishing company (Sony BMG Music Entertainment and EMI Songs Australia) claimed that, based on the agreement under which the song was written, the copyright was actually held by the Girl Guides Association.
On 30 July, Justice Peter Jacobson of the Federal Court of Australia made a preliminary ruling that Larrikin did own copyright on the song, but the issue of whether or not Hay and Strykert had plagiarised the riff was set aside to be determined at a later date.
On 4 February 2010, Justice Jacobson ruled that Larrikin's copyright had been infringed because "Down Under" reproduced "a substantial part of Kookaburra".
When asked how much Larrikin would be seeking in damages, Larrikin's lawyer Adam Simpson replied: "anything from what we've claimed, which is between 40 and 60 per cent, and what they suggest, which is considerably less." In court, Larrikin's principal Norman Lurie gave the opinion that, had the parties negotiated a licence at the outset as willing parties, the royalties would have been between 25 and 50 per cent. On 6 July 2010, Justice Jacobson handed down a decision that Larrikin receive 5% of royalties from 2002. In October, 2011 the band lost its final court bid when the high court of Australia refused to hear an appeal.
Until this high-profile case, "Kookaburra"'s standing as a traditional song combined with the lack of visible policing of the song's rights by its composer had led to the general public perception that the song was within the public domain.
The revelation of "Kookaburra"'s copyright status, and more-so the pursuit of royalties from it, has generated a negative response among sections of the Australian public. In response to unsourced speculation of a Welsh connection, Dr Rhidian Griffiths pointed out that the Welsh words to the tune were published in 1989 and musicologist Phyllis Kinney stated neither the song's metre nor its lines were typical Welsh.
Since the verdict, Colin Hay has continued to insist that any plagiarism was wholly unintentional. He says that when the song was originally written in 1978, it did not have the musical passage in question, and that it was not until two years later, during a jam rehearsal session, that flautist Greg Ham improvised the riff, perhaps subconsciously recalling "Kookaburra". Hay has also added that Ham and the other members of the band were under the influence of marijuana during that particular rehearsal.
Men at Work
Men at Work are an Australian rock band who achieved international success in the 1980s. They are the only Australian artists to have a simultaneous #1 album and #1 single in the United States . They achieved the same distinction of a simultaneous #1 album and #1 single in the United Kingdom...
for their debut album Business as Usual (1981). The song went to #1 on American, British, Canadian and Australian charts.
It was reissued in 1982, and is the only Men at Work song to go to #1 in the United Kingdom, and their only single to make the UK top 20. It has become a popular and patriotic song in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Lyrics
The lyrics are about an Australian traveller circling the globe, proud of his nationalityNationality
Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....
, and about his interactions with people he meets on his travels who are interested in his home country.
One of the verses refers to Vegemite
Vegemite
Vegemite is a dark brown Australian food paste made from yeast extract. It is a spread for sandwiches, toast, crumpets and cracker biscuits, and filling for pastries...
sandwiches, among other things; the particular lyric "He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich" has become a well-known phrase.
Colin Hay
Colin Hay
Colin James Hay is a Scottish-Australian musician, who made his mark during the 1980s as lead vocalist of the Australian band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist.- Early life and Men at Work :...
told Songfacts: "The chorus is really about the selling of Australia in many ways, the over-development 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."
Slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
and drug terms are used in the lyrics: Here "fried-out" means overheated, Kombi refers to the Volkswagen Type 2
Volkswagen Type 2
The Volkswagen Type 2, officially known as the Transporter or Kombi informally as Bus or Camper , was a panel van introduced in 1950 by German automaker Volkswagen as its second car model – following and initially deriving from Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1 , it was given the factory...
combination van, and having "a head full of zombie" refers to the use of a type of marijuana. Cultural slang is also used: after the second verse the refrain is "where the beer does flow and men chunder"; "chunder" means vomit
Vomiting
Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose...
.
Cultural significance
The fluteFlute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
part in the song was allegedly based around the tune of "Kookaburra
Kookaburra (song)
"Kookaburra" is a popular Australian nursery rhyme and round about the Kookaburra , written by Marion Sinclair .-Composition:...
", a well-known Australian children's rhyme. (See Copyright lawsuit below for more details.) Originally, "Down Under" was released as the B-side to "Keypunch Operator", a rare custom-pressed single by Men at Work; some of the guitar melodies from that version were further developed into flute parts on the later release.
The music video was filmed in a number of places, including Lake Mackenzie on Fraser Island. The video also features several litre
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
-size cans of what appear to be Foster's Lager
Foster's Lager
Foster's Lager is an internationally distributed Australian brand of 5.0% abv pale lager, It is a product of Foster's Group brewed under licence in several countries, including the U.S. and Russia...
(although the brand is removed), a beer drank mainly outside Australia while being marketed as Australian.
The song is a perennial favourite on Australian radio and television
Australian television
Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with stations 3DB and 3UZ using the Radiovision system by Gilbert Miles and Donal McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Brisbane in 1934....
, and topped the charts in the U.S. and UK simultaneously in early 1983. It was later used as a theme song by the crew of Australia II
Australia II
Australia II is the Australian 12-metre-class challenge racing yacht that was launched in 1982 and won the 1983 America's Cup for the Royal Perth Yacht Club...
in their successful bid to win the America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
in 1983. Men at Work played this song in the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, alongside other Australian artists. It was also often played after Australian athletes had received medals during competition, as they walked around the venue on a parade lap after the medal ceremony.
In May 2001, Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary by naming the Best Australian Songs
APRA Top 30 Australian songs
APRA's Top 30 Australian songs between 1926 and 2001 was a list created by the Australasian Performing Right Association to celebrate its 75th anniversary...
of all time, as decided by a 100 strong industry panel, "Down Under" was ranked as the fourth song on the list.
In October 2006, Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
had the Essential 2006 Countdown of the most popular songs of all time, voted by the listeners. "Down Under" was the number 3 voted/ranked song.
The song was ranked #96 on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s
The Greatest (TV series)
The Greatest is a VH1 series. Each episode counts down either songs, albums, music videos, moments, musicians, or celebrities of a particular category.-Episodes:-References:...
in October 2006.
The song has been used as the entrance music for various professional Australian sportsmen, including darts player Simon Whitlock
Simon Whitlock
Simon Whitlock is an Australian professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, although he did have a spell playing in the rival organisation, the British Darts Organisation. He uses the nickname The Wizard for his matches...
, cruiserweight boxer Danny Green
Danny Green
Daniel "Danny" Green is an Australian professional boxer and the former IBO cruiserweight champion.- Amateur boxing career and the Olympics :...
(for his fight against Roy Jones, Jr. on 2 December 2009) and snooker player Neil Robertson
Neil Robertson (snooker player)
Neil Robertson is an Australian professional snooker player and the 2010 World Champion and World #4...
.
The song was played extensively during the September 2009 One-Day International cricket series between England and Australia, which Australia took by six matches to one.
Other appearances
A version of this song is on the Kangaroo JackKangaroo Jack
Kangaroo Jack is a 2003 American comedy film directed by David McNally, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Anderson, Christopher Walken, Estella Warren and Adam Garcia...
soundtrack. The song was also used in advertisements for the Disney/Pixar movie Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo is a 2003 American comi-drama animated film written by Andrew Stanton, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and produced by Pixar. It tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin who, along with a regal tang called Dory , searches for his abducted son Nemo...
, though it never appears in the film itself.
In the Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
episode "My Hard Labor
My Hard Labor
"My Hard Labor" is the second episode of season seven and 141st episode of the American sitcom Scrubs. It aired on November 1, 2007 on NBC.-Plot:...
", John Dorian
John Dorian
John Michael "J.D." Dorian, M.D. is a fictional character on the American comedy-drama Scrubs, played by Zach Braff. He is the narrator and main character of the series. He provides voice-over to the series which fills the roles of his internal thoughts and an overall narration in the show, often...
daydream
Daydream
A daydream is a visionary fantasy, especially one of happy, pleasant thoughts, hopes or ambitions, imagined as coming to pass, and experienced while awake. There are many types of daydreams, and there is no consistent definition amongst psychologists. The general public also uses the term for a...
s that his pregnant girlfriend gives birth to Colin Hay
Colin Hay
Colin James Hay is a Scottish-Australian musician, who made his mark during the 1980s as lead vocalist of the Australian band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist.- Early life and Men at Work :...
, who subsequently sings "Down Under". Also, in the episode "My Porcelain God
My Porcelain God
"My Porcelain God" is 13th episode of season three and the 59th episode overall of the American sitcom Scrubs. It originally aired on February 17, 2004 on NBC.-Plot:...
", when Dr. Kelso questions J.D. and Dr. Kevin Casey about strange noises the patients have been hearing, J.D. suggests they may be hearing the song. He sings a small portion of the song and asserts that if that is what the patients were hearing, it wasn't him.
Colin Hay had his version as well as an acoustic version on his album Man @ Work.
This song is played during the end credits of the Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan, AM is an Australian actor best known for his role as Michael "Crocodile" Dundee from the Crocodile Dundee film series, for which he won a Golden Globe award.-Early life and career:...
movie Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles
Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles
Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles is a 2001 Australian-American comedy film, directed by Simon Wincer and starring Paul Hogan. It is the sequel to the 1988 film Crocodile Dundee II, which itself was the sequel to 1986's Crocodile Dundee and the third and final film of the trilogy...
. The song is also partially played in the documentary television series, The Adventure of English
The Adventure of English
The Adventure of English is a British television series on the history of the English language presented by Melvyn Bragg as well as a companion book, also written by Bragg...
, to help illustrate Australia's newfound confidence in its linguistic identity in the late 20th Century.
This song can also be heard in the episode of "The Topaz Connection" in the Knight Rider TV series from 1982, while Michel is driving to Las Vegas.
In 2008, Australia's national airline Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
rolled out a TV advertising campaign as "The World's Most Experienced Airline" with a prominent instrumental composition of "Down Under" as the background music.
The song was also used in the video game Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2 is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 systems. It is the second title in the Saints Row series, after the release of Saints Row in 2006. It is succeeded by Saints Row: The...
.
Professional snooker player Neil Robertson
Neil Robertson (snooker player)
Neil Robertson is an Australian professional snooker player and the 2010 World Champion and World #4...
, darts player Simon Whitlock
Simon Whitlock
Simon Whitlock is an Australian professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, although he did have a spell playing in the rival organisation, the British Darts Organisation. He uses the nickname The Wizard for his matches...
and mixed marital artist Kyle Noke
Kyle Noke
Kyle Noke is an Australian professional mixed martial artist who currently fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Noke has also fought for EliteXC and the Australian fighting promotion Spartan Reality Fight...
use Down Under as their walk-on music.
Australian pitcher Josh Spence used the song as his entrance music when he pitched at Arizona State University in 2009.
Cover versions
Another version of the song was released in 1999 by the punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Pennywise
Pennywise (band)
Pennywise is a Californian punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California, formed in 1988. The name is derived from the monster, It, from the Stephen King novel of the same title....
, as a bonus track on the album Straight Ahead
Straight Ahead (Pennywise album)
- Trivia :The bonus track "Down Under" from the album´s Australian release is a cover of Men at Work´s same titled song and a tribute to the many Australian Pennywise fans.- Personnel :* Jim Lindberg - Vocals* Fletcher Dragge - Guitar* Randy Bradbury - Bass...
. While Pennywise is an American band, they frequently tour Australia, and often play the song at live shows as a tribute to their many Australian fans.
UK punk-pop band Cranial Screwtop
Cranial Screwtop
Cranial Screwtop are an English punk-influenced rock band which plays 1980s pop songs in a punk style, the only specialist covers band of its type currently in the UK. The band's sound is distinguished by their use of kazoos...
recorded a version of the song for their 2006 album, "Too Fast for Technology".
British ska punk
Ska punk
Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
band spunge also covered the song on their 2004 covers album That Should Cover It!
That Should Cover It!
That Should Cover It! is a covers album by the Tewkesbury ska punk band Spunge. It also contains three re-recorded songs from earlier in the band's career and two completely new songs. It was released on February 23, 2004, on the band's own label Dent'All Records.The CD-ROM also contains the music...
and regularly perform the song at live shows.
The punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Funeral Dress
Funeral Dress
Funeral Dress is a street punk band from Belgium who formed in 1985. Their big hits include "I'm in Love with Oi", "Free Beer for the Punx", "Party Political Bullshit", "Party On", "Freedom and Liberty", "Belgium's Burning". The band toured the US several times and is planning a tour in Russia in...
also had a version of the song on its album A Way of Life
A Way of Life
A Way of Life is a British film released in 2004 starring Stephanie James and Brenda Blethyn. It is directed by former child actor Amma Asante, and was filmed in South Wales...
.
During the 1980s Yossi and Avi Piamenta recorded traditional Jewish wedding lyrics to the tune of the song. The name of this song is Asher Bara Sasson ve'Simcha. It is often played at Orthodox Jewish weddings and celebrations. Whilst the composition remains unaffected none of the lyrics relate to the original song.
In 1985 Lithuanian rock band Antis
Antis
Antis is a Lithuanian postmodernist rock band. The name is the Lithuanian word for "duck" and is also slang for a false mass media sensation.-Establishment:In 1986 in the last days of the Soviet Union, there was an alternative music explosion in Lithuania...
made a cover of the song, which became one of their most well known hits. It was called "Zombiai" (the Lithuanian word for zombies). This Lithuanian version had unique lyrics which represented ironic attitude towards Soviet regime (Lithuania was part of Soviet Union at the time), but some parts remain very similar. "Gyvenk kaip galima švariau, Pikti kenkėjai budi tundroj. Paklausyk, paklausyk ar girdi - Zombiai atrieda, atidunda." which means "Live as clean as possible, Angry pests are on the watch in tundra, Listen to, listen to, do you hear - Zombies roll in and thunder".
A Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
cover version titled "Tervetuloa Länteen, Andrej" (Welcome to west, Andrej) of the song was released by Vilperin Perikunta in 1992. The original story of the song was changed to tell a tale of Andrej, a Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
proletarian who travels to Finland to search for a job and better life in a welfare state. In the chorus Finland is described as "road to the top of heaven" and "road to freedom" for a Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
. In this cover version the flute parts were played with violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and a banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
lick was added to the background.
In 2001, a performance of the song by the Red Army Choir
Red Army Choir
The A.V. Alexandrov Russian army twice red-bannered academic song and dance ensemble , in short, the Alexandrov ensemble is a performing ensemble that serves as the official army choir of the Russian armed forces...
was released on the CD Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge
Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge
Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge is an album released by Austereo in 2001 featuring musical challenges posed by radio comedian Andrew Denton to musicians, generally selecting a song in a style in contrast to their own...
. The song was performed in the manner of a Russian folk song and featured clapping, and accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
. The song is also featured in the 2008 game Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2 is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 systems. It is the second title in the Saints Row series, after the release of Saints Row in 2006. It is succeeded by Saints Row: The...
.
This song was partly sung by Peter Griffin from the television show Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
in the episode "Long John Peter
Long John Peter
"Long John Peter" is the twelfth episode and the season finale of the sixth season of the animated series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 4, 2008...
".
On the television show Yes Dear, Jimmy and his friend Brian refer to the song when being annoyed that Greg thinks the lyric is, "Vegemite sandwich" when they think it is, "dynamite, sum-bitch".
Washington based band 'The Sunbeams' recorded their own take on the song.
In 2009 the song resurfaced on the TV show Australia's Got Talent
Australia's Got Talent
Australia's Got Talent is an Australian reality television talent show which premiered on 18 February 2007 on the Seven Network. The show was based on the Got Talent series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell...
where Jay Parrino aka 'JP the one man band' used a looping pedal to create a unique rendition of the song, which even Colin Hay himself heralded as the "best version of the song he'd ever heard".
The B Foundation, a surf-rock/reggae band from Los Angeles, covered the song in their album, Souvenirs, Novelties, and Party Tricks.
Copyright lawsuit
The flute part of the recording of the song is allegedly based on the children's rhyme "KookaburraKookaburra (song)
"Kookaburra" is a popular Australian nursery rhyme and round about the Kookaburra , written by Marion Sinclair .-Composition:...
", written by Marion Sinclair for a Girl Guides competition in 1935. Sinclair died in 1988 and the rights to the Kookaburra song were deemed to have been transferred to publisher Larrikin Music
Larrikin Records
Larrikin Records is a record company founded in 1974 by Warren Fahey. Larrikin started as an independent label and was sold in 1995 to Festival Records....
on 21 March 1990. In the United States, the rights are administered by Music Sales Corporation in New York City.
In June 2009, 28 years after the release of the recording, Larrikin Music sued Men At Work for copyright infringement, alleging that part of the flute riff of "Down Under" was copied from "Kookaburra". The counsel for the band's record label and publishing company (Sony BMG Music Entertainment and EMI Songs Australia) claimed that, based on the agreement under which the song was written, the copyright was actually held by the Girl Guides Association.
On 30 July, Justice Peter Jacobson of the Federal Court of Australia made a preliminary ruling that Larrikin did own copyright on the song, but the issue of whether or not Hay and Strykert had plagiarised the riff was set aside to be determined at a later date.
On 4 February 2010, Justice Jacobson ruled that Larrikin's copyright had been infringed because "Down Under" reproduced "a substantial part of Kookaburra".
When asked how much Larrikin would be seeking in damages, Larrikin's lawyer Adam Simpson replied: "anything from what we've claimed, which is between 40 and 60 per cent, and what they suggest, which is considerably less." In court, Larrikin's principal Norman Lurie gave the opinion that, had the parties negotiated a licence at the outset as willing parties, the royalties would have been between 25 and 50 per cent. On 6 July 2010, Justice Jacobson handed down a decision that Larrikin receive 5% of royalties from 2002. In October, 2011 the band lost its final court bid when the high court of Australia refused to hear an appeal.
Until this high-profile case, "Kookaburra"'s standing as a traditional song combined with the lack of visible policing of the song's rights by its composer had led to the general public perception that the song was within the public domain.
The revelation of "Kookaburra"'s copyright status, and more-so the pursuit of royalties from it, has generated a negative response among sections of the Australian public. In response to unsourced speculation of a Welsh connection, Dr Rhidian Griffiths pointed out that the Welsh words to the tune were published in 1989 and musicologist Phyllis Kinney stated neither the song's metre nor its lines were typical Welsh.
Since the verdict, Colin Hay has continued to insist that any plagiarism was wholly unintentional. He says that when the song was originally written in 1978, it did not have the musical passage in question, and that it was not until two years later, during a jam rehearsal session, that flautist Greg Ham improvised the riff, perhaps subconsciously recalling "Kookaburra". Hay has also added that Ham and the other members of the band were under the influence of marijuana during that particular rehearsal.
Chart positions
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
1 |
| Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
1 |
| German Singles Chart | 9 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 |
| Netherlands Singles Chart | 2 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
External links
- Down Under-covered. BBC News article decodes the lyrics
- Legacy Recordings - Men at Work
- Sony BMG - Men at Work
- Listen to a clip from 'Down Under' and read more about it on australianscreen online
- 'Down Under' was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia Registry in 2007