Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder? That’s the sound of Men at Work frontman Colin Hay rocking his iconic Aussie anthem “Down Under” in a nostalgic sing-along performance! The crowd sang along to every line of the Aussie radio staple, although Hay didn’t need any help, as the 63-year-old rocker can still hit all the high notes. American flutist Gina Luciani performed that deliciously hooky opening melody at the show and later shared the feel-good performance on her YouTube channel.
The Music Man is confident in saying that “Down Under” is one of those songs that never gets old. There are few other Australian hits that can get everyone in the room moving like “Down Under” can, and the audience proved it by grooving up a storm to Hay’s reggae rhythm guitar. Many commenters called the 1981 hit the unofficial Australian anthem, and maybe there’s some truth to that, as surely many Aussies know more words to “Down Under” than the official anthem.
Luciani’s upload of the performance went down a treat on YouTube. After viewers tuned in 4.7 million times, the video became the most popular performance of “Down Under” on the platform. Fans celebrated the rock anthem with comments such as “I’m very proud to be an Aussie. This is definitely a national icon,” and “As an Aussie I love that so many people around the world still embrace this song. It really is as much of an Aussie icon as Mick Dundee, Steve Irwin and Vegemite sandwiches.”
Men at Work’s most famous performance is their 1981 appearance on Countdown. Hay irreverently performed “Down Under” with a golf club instead of a microphone on the show and explained his choice in the video description: “Countdown was a big show in Australia. It broke bands nationally and internationally sometimes. It was a show where people mimed their songs, and I wanted to make it obvious by singing into a golf club.”
Men at Work released the best-known version of “Down Under” on November 2, 1981, as the second single from their debut studio album Business as Usual. Hay and the band’s lead guitarist Ron Strykert wrote the music, while Hay penned the unforgettable lyrics. Men at Work scored their first number one single in Australia with “Down Under.” The song also topped the charts in numerous other markets including the US, UK, Canada, Italy, Denmark, and Ireland.