Men at Work are an ARIA Music Award winning and Grammy winning rock band th… Read Full Bio ↴Men at Work are an ARIA Music Award winning and Grammy winning rock band that formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1979. Considered a popular part of the new wave movement in Australia, the band's best known line-up consisted of Colin Hay (vocals, guitar), Ron Strykert (guitar, vocals), John Rees (bass), Greg Ham (saxophone, flute, keyboards), and Jerry Speiser (drums). They are best known their worldwide hit singles "Who Can It Be Now?", "Down Under", and "Overkill". Their initial line-up had many successful tours and released three albums, 'Business as Usual' (1981), 'Cargo' (1983), and 'Two Hearts' (1985), before disbanding in 1985.

Men at Work won the 1983 Grammy Award for "Best New Artist", beating an impressive set of rivals including Asia, Jennifer Holliday, The Human League, and Stray Cats.. In August 1983, they ware given a Crystal Globe Award for $100 million worth of record business by their U.S label. That same year, in Canada, they were awarded a Juno Award for "International LP of the Year". At the ARIA Music Awards of 1994, they were inducted into the related Hall of Fame.

In terms of songs, their work has remained considerably popular. In May 2001, "Down Under" was listed at No. 4 on the APRA Top 30 Australian songs. In October 2010, 'Business as Usual' was listed in the book of 100 Best Australian Albums. According to Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane, the group's "phenomenal success inextricably created worldwide interest in Australia and Australian music" irrespective "of the band's fairy-tale rise to prominence". He's also said that they "simply opened the floodgates with little more than a clutch of great songs" and were "Australia's most famous group".

Men at Work have sold over 30 million albums worldwide in total. The band's singer-songwriter frontman, Colin Hay, pursued a solo career after it folded. In 1996, Hay and Ham reformed the band with replacement members. With new wave fans enjoying hearing 80s hits again live, the band had several popular tours. Sadly, Ham was found dead in his home in April 2012, and the future of Men at Work remains unclear.

People Just Love to Play with Words
Men at Work Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm not tryin' to impress you with my lines
They don't mean nothin' at all
It's just another expression of mine
It don't mean nothin' at all
Mystifying, Oh no
Crystalizing, you know

People just love to play with words

People just love to play, haven't you heard?
People just love to play with words
People just love to play, haven't you heard?

There are two sides, a win or loss
What's two down and four across?
Analyzing and implying, you know

People just love to play with words
People just love to play, haven't you heard?

People just love to play with words
People just love to play, haven't you heard?...

Overall Meaning

In Men at Work's song "People Just Love to Play with Words," the singer acknowledges that his lyrical expressions are not meant to impress the listener, and that they may not necessarily have any significant meaning. They are simply another form of self-expression. The lyrics also touch on the idea that people enjoy playing with words and language, with lines like "People just love to play with words, haven't you heard?" The singer mentions the analytical and implied aspects of language, reinforcing the idea that words and their meanings can be dissected and interpreted in various ways.

The chorus is catchy and memorable, with a repetitive melody that reinforces the song's central theme. The song is musically upbeat and fun, mirroring the playful nature of the lyrics. The melody is accompanied by a mix of instruments, including an electric guitar riff and percussion.

Men at Work's "People Just Love to Play with Words" was released in 1985 on their album "Two Hearts." The song was not released as a single, but it did receive some airplay on radio stations. The album was not as commercially successful as the band's previous releases, and it marked the beginning of the end of their time in the spotlight. Despite this, the song remains a fun and playful representation of the band's upbeat style and catchy melodies.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm not tryin' to impress you with my lines
I don't want to impress you with my words

They don't mean nothin' at all
My words don't have any particular meaning

It's just another expression of mine
I'm just expressing myself

It don't mean nothin' at all
My expression doesn't have any particular meaning

Mystifying, Oh no
It's not intended to be mysterious

Crystalizing, you know
I'm trying to clarify

People just love to play with words
People enjoy playing with language

People just love to play, haven't you heard?
Didn't you know that people enjoy playing with words?

There are two sides, a win or loss
There are two possible outcomes

What's two down and four across?
What's the answer to a crossword puzzle clue?

Analyzing and implying, you know
Figuring out what something means and implying something else