New wave (nueva ola) es un término global para varios estilos pop/rock de fines de la década de 1970 y mediados de la década de 1980, con vínculos con el punk y ciertos géneros del rock de los años 1970. Inicialmente, al igual que con el posterior rock gótico, la new wave se mantuvo prácticamente análogo al post-punk antes de ramificarse como un género distintamente identificado (aunque la new wave apareció primero que el post-punk), incorporando música electrónica, experimental, mod, disco y pop. Posteriormente engendró subgéneros y fusiones, incluyendo new romantic y rock gótico.
Se puede decir que son la banda australiana más famosa de todos los tiempos después de AC/DC. Más populares aún que INXS o la Little River Band, Men At Work es la única agrupación de esas tierras que ha logrado ocupar el primer lugar tanto en Estados Unidos con sencillos y con álbumes.
La historia de Men At Work empieza con el cantante Colin Hay, nacido y criado en Escocia. Su padre tenía una tienda de artículos musicales en Glasgow. Fue allí donde aprendió a tocar todos los instrumentos. En 1967, cuando tenía 14 años, su familia se muda a Australia. Para hacer la mudanza menos pesada, el padre le regala a Colin un amplificador de 15 vatios.
Travelling in a fried-out Kombi
On a hippie trail, head full of zombie
I met a strange lady, she made me nervous
She took me in and gave me breakfast
And she said
Do you come from a land down under?
Where women glow and men plunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover
Buying bread from a man in Brussels
He was six foot four and full of muscle
I said: Do you speak-a my language?
He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich
And he said
I come from a land down under
Where beer does flow and men chunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover
Lying in a den in Bombay
With a slack jaw and not much to say
I said to the man: Are you trying to tempt me?
Because I come from the land of plenty
And he said
Oh! Do you come from a land down under (oh, yeah yeah)
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover
Living in a land down under
Where women glow and man plunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover
Living in a land down under
Where women glow and man plunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover
Living in a land down under
Where women glow and man plunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover