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Men at Work were one of the more surprising success 
stories of the new wave era, rocketing out of Australia 
in 1982 to become the most successful artist of the 
year. With its Police-styled rhythms, catchy guitar 
hooks, wailing saxophones, and off-kilter sense of 
humour, the band's debut album "Business as Usual", 
became an international blockbuster, breaking the 
American record for the most weeks a debut spent at 
the top of the charts. Their funny, irreverent videos 
became MTV favorites, helping send "Who Can It Be 
Now?" and "Down Under" to number one. Men at 
Work's momentum sustained them through their 
second album, 1983's Cargo, before the bottom fell out 
of the band's popularity. After releasing Two Hearts in 
1985, Men at Work broke up, becoming one of the 
better-remembered phenomenons of new wave. 
Colin Hay (lead vocals, guitar), a native of Scotland 
who moved to Australia at the age of 14, formed Men 
at Work as an acoustic duo with Ron Strykert (guitar, 
vocals) in Melbourne in 1979. Within a few months, 
the duo had expanded to a full group with the addition 
of John Rees (bass), Greg Ham (saxophone, flute, 
keyboards), and Jerry Speiser (drums). Over the next 
two years, the band became regulars at the Cricketer's 
Arms Hotel bar and on Australia's pub circuit, 
eventually becoming the highest-paid unsigned band 
in the country. By 1981, they had landed a contract 
with Australian Columbia, who released "Who Can It 
Be Now?" by the end of the year. The single became 
an huge hit, as did their debut album, Business as 
Usual, upon its spring 1982 release. Featuring 
contributions by Hay, Strykert, and Ham, Business as 
Usual spent ten weeks at the top of the Australian 
charts, beating a record held by Split Enz's True 
Colours. The album was released in America in the 
summer, and within a few weeks "Who Can It Be 
Now?" began its climb to the top of the U.S. charts. In 
November, Business as Usual hit the top of the charts, 
where it would stay for 15 weeks. "Down Under" 
became the group's second American number one 
early in 1983 and it became the band's first British hit 
single; the song reached number one in both countries 
simultaneously. In February, the band was named the 
Best New Artist of 1982 at the Grammys. 

Men at Work's second album, Cargo, had been 
recorded during the summer of 1982, but its release 
was delayed because of the remarkable success of 
the debut. Largely written by Hay, Cargo reached 
number three in the U.S. and generated the Top Ten 
singles "Overkill" and "It's a Mistake." Following an 
extensive tour, during which the group co-headlined 
the US Festival with the Clash and the Stray Cats, Men 
at Work took an extended break in 1984, which 
caused Spesier and Rees to leave the band. They 
were replaced by session musicians for the group's 
third album, 1985's Two Hearts. Though the record 
went gold in the U.S., it was a considerable 
commercial disappointment, failing to generate one 
Top 40 single. Following the release of Two Hearts, 
the band broke up. Out of the remaining members, Hay 
was the only one to pursue a solo career, but neither 
of his two American solo albums  Looking for Jack 
(1987) and Wayfaring Sons (1990)  were successes. 
Hay continued to release albums in Australia during the 
'90s; he also began an acting career. He and Ham 
re-formed Men at Work in 1998, issuing the live hits 
collection Brazil.