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.
The Longest Night
Men at Work Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stare at us eyes in wonder
Like beggars at a feast
We can't even, count the number
What you gonna do?
Send them table scraps we're leaving
One who care are few
Most spend there time, with useless meaning
Do you think that it will be alright?
Tell me mother,
Will we make it through?
We make it through the hungry night.
Somewhere in the west
Gold teeth, but sometime is gleaming
We know we are the best
Even know, the beasts lie screaming
We've got power to spare
A new clear day
Is dawning they say
But tell us, don't you dare
The piper has a price that we pay
Dear preacher,
Do you think that we'll see the light?
Tell me teacher,
Well we make it through?
We make it through the darkest night.
Two faces in the south
The first one has a look of
With fine words in his mouth
His heart is black,
As ghetto chimneys
What you gonna do?
To hide the shame,
Contain their anger.
What you gonna say?
You walk the line, of constant danger
Dear brother,
You think we'll have to stand and fight?
Tell me sister, Will we make it through?
We make it through the longest night.
Dear father,
Do you think it's gonna be alright?
Tell me teacher,
Do you think that we'll see the light?
Tell me brother,
You think we'll have to stand and fight?
Tell me sister,
Will we make it through?
Make it through the longest night.
The Men at Work's song The Longest Night speaks about the struggles that people face in their daily lives. The lyrics describe four different scenarios, each dealing with different issues but all pointing towards the hardships faced by society. The song starts off by talking about people who are in a state of wonder, looking for help like beggars at a feast, but not receiving any. This portrays the sense of hopelessness that many people face when their needs are not met, and they are left with nothing but scraps.
The second scenario is set in the west, where people with gold teeth have power, and the beasts are screaming. Here, the song describes the imbalance of power in society, where the rich and powerful hold all the cards while others are left to fend for themselves. The third scenario talks about hiding shame and containing anger, showcasing how people often have to put on a façade to mask their true feelings, especially in difficult situations.
The final scenario talks about the darkness that people face and the need for hope. The song talks about standing and fighting together, in the hope that they can make it through the longest night, a metaphorical reference to the difficult situations people face. Overall, the song is a commentary on the struggles faced by society and the need for collective action to overcome them.
Line by Line Meaning
Wind is in the east
The wind is blowing from the east
Stare at us eyes in wonder
People look at us with amazement
Like beggars at a feast
We are like poor people at a rich man's party
We can't even, count the number
We can't even count how many people are staring at us
What you gonna do?
What are you going to do about it?
Send them table scraps we're leaving
We'll give them the leftovers because we're leaving
One who care are few
Only a few people care
Most spend there time, with useless meaning
Most people waste their time with meaningless things
Dear father,
Addressing to father figure
Do you think that it will be alright?
Do you think everything will turn out okay?
Tell me mother,
Addressing to mother figure
Will we make it through?
Will we survive?
We make it through the hungry night.
We'll make it through the difficult situation
Somewhere in the west
Somewhere in the western direction
Gold teeth, but sometime is gleaming
Someone with gold teeth but sometimes they shine
We know we are the best
We believe we are better than others
Even know, the beasts lie screaming
Even though the animals are making a noise
We've got power to spare
We have more power than we need
A new clear day
A new, bright day
Is dawning they say
People say a new day is coming
But tell us, don't you dare
But you better not tell us
The piper has a price that we pay
There's always a cost to pay
Dear preacher,
Addressing to preacher figure
Do you think that we'll see the light?
Do you think we'll find enlightenment?
Tell me teacher,
Addressing to teacher figure
Well we make it through?
Will we survive?
We make it through the darkest night.
We'll make it through the worst situation
Two faces in the south
Two-faced people in the southern direction
The first one has a look of
The first one looks like
With fine words in his mouth
The person speaks well
His heart is black,
The person is evil
As ghetto chimneys
Like chimneys in the ghetto (poor areas)
What you gonna do?
What are you going to do about it?
To hide the shame,
To cover up the disgrace
Contain their anger.
Control their rage
What you gonna say?
What are you going to say about it?
You walk the line, of constant danger
You're always in a risky situation
Dear brother,
Addressing to brother figure
You think we'll have to stand and fight?
Do you think we'll need to defend ourselves?
Tell me sister,
Addressing to sister figure
Will we make it through?
Will we survive?
Make it through the longest night.
We'll survive the most challenging situation
Dear father,
Addressing to father figure
Do you think it's gonna be alright?
Do you think everything will turn out okay?
Tell me teacher,
Addressing to teacher figure
Do you think that we'll see the light?
Do you think we'll find enlightenment?
Tell me brother,
Addressing to brother figure
You think we'll have to stand and fight?
Do you think we'll need to defend ourselves?
Tell me sister,
Addressing to sister figure
Will we make it through?
Will we survive?
Make it through the longest night.
We'll survive the most challenging situation
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: GREGORY HAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
oaklandstroke
Their shows at the Greek in Berkeley were the first concert tickets I ever bought. October 7th and 8th, 1983. Incredible experience. Often when a band plays an unknown tune to a large audience, the reaction is mannered and unenthusiastic. In this case, the combo of such an evocative tune and Colin walking through the crowd was electrifying. I distinctly remember the crowd holding their collective breath, riveted to him and the music, and just exploding at the end. An experience I will never forget, and this instantly became my favorite song of theirs. I was so disappointed it wasn't on the Cargo follow-up.
ldolphin34
Even more powerful live than studio, this might be the best work no one knows by this moving band.
dave idmarx
@Paul Argyropoulos They had a few great songs that were seemingly ready to go in '83 that just disappeared. This one, Coldfinger, Fallin' Down and Mr. Entertainer would've all been great on a 1984 MAW album had Colin not fired John and Jerry.
Paul Argyropoulos
Totally agree. When heard this on the HBO Special back in the 80s, I was like on the edge of my seat waiting for the new album so this could be on it...and it wasn't. And then it wash;t on Two Hearts and I was like WTF?
Josh Arazi
The first band I fell in love with...still to this day I never tire from hearing their music. I remember recording this HBO concert on the VCR and thinking this song was incredible.
Bruce Lager
This song, and this version of this song, is far and away my favorite M.A.W piece. It is simply brilliant! This first time I heard them do this song live, I was blown away.
Ian C. Thomas
What a sublime songwriter Greg Ham was. This is my favourite Men at Work song, and that's saying something!
TooHounds
Wow, these guys were incredible
James R
A fantastic and haunting song!
Biffa Bacon
Pure class & raw talent from all the band members.....