Men At Work’s “Down Under” may have come out in the ’80s but it’s still a huge hit, especially in Australia, and now the tune is being recognized for its success. The track has just been honored with APRA AMCOS’ Billions Award, handed out for achieving over one billion streams across all streaming platforms.
“I think that more than anything, the way that the song felt was that I had this deep love for this country, but not in a flag waving way, in a very deep spiritual way,” frontman Colin Hay, who is currently on tour in Australia, shares. “I didn’t quite understand what it was, but I can still feel it, I can’t often put it into words.” He adds, “I love the place so much. That’s what the song is, it’s about love and celebration in a very true way.”
The second single from the band’s debut album Business As Usual, “Down Under” was released in 1981, and topped both the U.S. and U.K. chart simultaneously, and also topped the charts in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Denmark, Switzerland and Italy. It went on to hold the number one spot in the U.S. for four weeks, with the track selling two million copies.
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