down under

Men at Work had a worldwide smash with this cheeky celebration of their homeland. Colin Hay recalls: "It's a very important song for me. It always felt like a strong song, right from the start. Originally, the idea came from a little bass riff that Ron Strykert, the guitar player for Men at Work, had recorded on a little home cassette demo. It was just a little bass riff with some percussion that he played on bottles which were filled with water to varying degrees to get different notes. It was a very intriguing little groove. I really loved it, it had a real trance-like quality to it. I used to listen to it in the car all the time. When I was driving along one day in Melbourne, the chords popped out and a couple of days later I wrote the verses."

The song has become embraced as a patriotic anthem by his countrymen; but Hay says: "The chorus is really about the selling of Australia in many ways, the over-development of the country. It was a song about the loss of spirit in that country. It's really about the plundering of the country by greedy people. It is ultimately about celebrating the country, but not in a nationalistic way and not in a flag-waving sense. It's really more than that...It's ironic to me that so many people thought it was about a specific thing and that really wasn't the intention behind the song. If you listen to 'Born In The USA,' it's a similar song in that there's a lot of nuance missed because people like drinking beer and throwing their arms up in the air and feeling nationalistic. It's ultimately a song about celebration, but it's a matter of what you choose to celebrate about a country or a place. White people haven't been in Australia all that long, and it's truly an awesome place, but one of the most interesting and exciting things about the country is what was there before. The true heritage of a country often gets lost in the name of progress and development."

'Down Under' went to number one in Australia in December of 1981 for four weeks. A month later, it hit number one in New Zealand. Eight months later, it went to the top of the charts in Canada. It was at number one simultaneously in Ireland, the UK, and the US on January 29, 1983. It also hit number one in Denmark and Switzerland.

Traveling in a fried-out Kombie

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 muscles

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."

Lyin' 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,

"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."

Yeah!

Living in 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!

Living in 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!

In case you're wondering:

"A Fried out Kombi" is a broken-down VW Kombivan.

"Head full of Zombie" refers to a powerful type of marijuana.

"Vegemite" is a fermented yeast spread popular in Australia.

"Chunder" is Aussie slang meaning to vomit.

Larrakin Music sued Hay and Strykert in 2009, claiming they took the flute riff for the song from Marion Sinclair's children's rhyme 'Kookaburra'. They eventually were given a judgement to pay out five percent of royalties earned since 2002. Hay says:

"I'll go to my grave knowing 'Down Under' is an original piece of work. In over twenty years no one noticed the reference to 'Kookaburra.' Marion Sinclair never made any claim that we had appropriated any part of her song, and she was alive when 'Down Under' was a hit. Apparently she didn't notice either." See what you think.

waiting for a girl like you

Foreigner striped down to a quartet and had the biggest number two of all time with this sensitive ballad. 'Waiting for a Girl like You' was written by Mick Jones and Lou Gramm and opened up the band to pop and adult contemporary audiences. Original member Ian McDonald and keyboardist Al Greenwood were ousted from the band so that Jones and Gramm could have more control of the direction of the music. The working title of their next album was 'Silent Partners', and the quartet brought in session players to fill in as needed. For the iconic synthesizer, they hired Thomas Dolby, who was still working on his debut album 'The Golden Age of Wireless'. 'Waiting for a Girl like You' was certified Gold in the US. The soothing love song was a departure from their hard rock sound and peaked at number one on the new Billboard Rock Tracks chart; but it was held for a record ten weeks at number two on the pop chart by Olivia Newton-John's 'Physical', which itself was a racy departure from her sensitive balladry, and then by Hall and Oates' 'I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)'. The success of the song helped to make the album '4' the band's only number one on the album chart in the US, where it sold over six million copies.

http://www.foreigneronline.com/

So long, I've been looking too hard, I've waiting too long

Sometimes I don't know what I will find

I only know it's a matter of time

When you love someone... When you love someone...

It feels so right, so warm and true, I need to know if you feel it too

(Aaah-aaah) maybe I'm wrong

(Aaah-aaah) won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong?

(Aaah-aaah) this heart of mine has been hurt before

(Aaah-aaah) this time I wanna be sure

I've been waiting, for a girl like you

(Ooh-ooh-ooh) to come into my life (life)

I've been waiting, for a girl like you

(Waiting for a girl) and a love that will survive

I've been waiting (I've been waiting) for someone new

(New) To make me feel alive, ah-ah

Yeah, waiting for a girl like you (waiting for a girl) to come into my life

(Aaah-aaah... Aaah-aaah...)

You're so good, when we make love it's understood

It's more than a touch or a word we say

Only in dreams could it be this way

When you love someone... Yeah, really love someone...

(Aaah-aaah) now I know it's right

(Aaah-aaah) from the moment I wake up till deep in the night

(Aaah-aaah) there's no where on earth that I'd rather be

(Aaah-aaah) than holding you, tenderly

I've been waiting, for a girl like you

(Ooh-ooh-ooh) To come into my life (life)

I've been waiting, for a girl like you

(Waiting for a girl) and a love that will survive

I've been waiting (I've been waiting) for someone new

(New) To make me feel alive, ah-ah

Yeah, waiting (waiting) for a girl like you

(Waiting for a girl) to come into my life

Oooh-oooh, oooh-oooh, I've been waiting

Aaah-aaah, (waiting for you) oooh-oooh, oooh

(Aaah-aaah) oooh-oooh, I've been waiting

(Waiting) I've been waiting, yeah

I've been waiting for a girl like you, I've been waiting

Won't you come into my life? (Life?) My life?

(It's been so long) I've been waiting for a girl like you

I've been waiting, (I've been waiting) oh-oh

don't you want me

The Human League had their greatest success with the synthesized soap operatic sour grapes of this duet that was released against their wishes. The band had splintered over disagreements on whether to pursue a more commercial sound, with original members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh leaving to form Heaven 17. Philip Oakey hired Ian Burden to play synthesizer and found teenage friends Joanne Catherall and Susanne Sulley dancing in a Sheffield nightclub and invited them to come on tour. Virgin Records suggested this new band work with veteran producer Martin Rushent who moved sessions to Genetic Studios in Reading to get them away from the tension at Monumental Studios in Sheffield which they had shared with Heaven 17. Another synth player Jo Callis was also brought in to fill out the sound while their visual art director Philip Adrian Wright learned to play some synthesizer and contributed to the songwriting. Callis, Oakey, and Wright co-wrote 'Don't You Want Me' Inspired by A Star Is Born, Oakey wove a dark tabloid story into this "nasty song about sexual power politics"; making it a duet with Sulley, while Callis and Wright composed the synthesized instrumentation. Rushent and Callis did the very commercial final mix, which the rest of the band thought went too far from the moody vibe of the rest of 'Dare'. It was left at the end of the record.

Virgin A&R Simon Draper was insistent that they release it as a single. According to Sulley, the band was reluctant: "We'd already had three singles from 'Dare': 'Sound of the Crowd', 'Love Action' and 'Open Your Heart'. We genuinely thought people would be bored of us and wouldn't buy another single. Also 'Don't You Want Me' was our Des O'Connor record, not really representative of the rest of the album." Oakey says, "It was the radio. They took the album to these clever people working in radio stations round the country. They all came back and said, 'You've got to put that out as a single.'"

They were all surprised when it raced to the top of the British charts selling almost a million and a half copies. Six months later it hit number one in the US and went Gold.

You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I met you.

I picked you out, I shook you up

And turned you around, turned you into someone new.

Now five years later on you've got the world at your feet.

Success has been so easy for you.

But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now,

And I can put you back there too.

Don't, don't you want me?

You know I can't believe it

When I hear that you won't see me.

Don't, don't you want me?

You know I don't believe you

When you say that you don't need me.

It's much to late to find

When you think you've changed your mind.

You'd better change it back or we will both be sorry.

Don't you want me, baby?

Don't you want me, oh?

Don't you want me, baby?

Don't you want me, oh?

I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar,

That much is true.

But even then I knew I'd find a much better place

Either with or without you.

The five years we have had have been such good times,

I still love you.

But now I think it's time I live my life on my own.

I guess it's just what I must do.

Don't, don't you want me?

You know I can't believe it

When I hear that you won't see me.

Don't, don't you want me?

You know I don't believe you

When you say that you don't need me.

It's much to late to find

When you think you've changed your mind.

You'd better change it back or we will both be sorry.

Don't you want me, baby?

Don't you want me, oh?

Don't you want me, baby?

Don't you want me, oh?

Don't you want me, baby?

Don't you want me, oh?

Don't you want me, baby?

Don't you want me, oh?

Don't you want me, baby?

Don't you want me, oh?

B-side 'Seconds' was written about the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

physical

Olivia Newton-John had second thoughts about releasing this suggestive workout that was banned on many radio stations but went on to become the biggest hit of her career and started a whole new aerobic fashion...and you know what I mean. Olivia recalls: "I had a bit of a panic session. I went, 'Oh my God! I can't put this out. It's way too radical! What are people going to think of me?' I said to my manager, 'You've got to pull it. It's too cheeky.' And he said, 'It's too late, it's gone to radio.' Of course, it went to number one in like four weeks. I've learned to live with it."

Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick wrote 'Let's Get Physical' to get away from the emotional love songs and focus on the physical side. John Farrar produced the song and Steve Lukather played the guitar solo. The iconic video pushed a storyline of exercise; but didn't really fool anybody. It did create a whole new look for the 80's. Olivia says, "It's such a great song and it's so catchy. By putting on the headband and making it about exercise, it kind of started a whole trend." 'Physical' was an international smash. It spent ten weeks at number one in the US, making it one of the biggest hits of all time!

I'm saying all the things that I know you'll like

Making good conversation

I gotta handle you just right

You know what I mean

I took you to an intimate restaurant

Then to a suggestive movie

There's nothing left to talk about

Unless it's horizontally

Let's get physical, physical

I wanna get physical

Let's get into physical

Let me hear your body talk, your body talk

Let me hear your body talk

I've been patient, I've been good

Tried to keep my hands on the table

It's gettin' hard this holdin' back

If you know what I mean

I'm sure you'll understand my point of view

We know each other mentally

You gotta know that you're bringin' out

The animal in me

Let's get physical, physical

I wanna get physical

Let's get into physical

Let me hear your body talk, your body talk

Let me hear your body talk

Let's get physical, physical

I wanna get physical

Let's get into physical

Let me hear your body talk, your body talk

Let me hear your body talk

Let's get physical, physical

I wanna get physical

Let's get into physical

Let me hear your body talk, your body talk

Let me hear your body talk

Let's get animal, animal

I wanna get animal

Let's get into animal

Let me hear your body talk

Let me hear your body talk

This unplugged Bosa-Nova version was released on her Australian duets album as a hidden track in 2002.

Physical (samba version). Olivia Newton-John. from Naturalmente on Vimeo.

best that you can do

Christopher Cross sailed to the top of the charts and got caught between the moon and New York City with the sentimental sweep of this yacht rock serenade. Before 'Arthur's Theme' was part of the soundtrack for the film 'Arthur' starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli, it was a song that Minnelli's ex-husband Peter Allen had written with Carole Bayer Sager years before. Allen had come up with the line, "When you get caught between the moon and New York City" when his flight got stuck waiting to land at JFK airport in New York. Bayer Sager and her future husband Burt Bacharach reworked the song with Christopher Cross for the film. The song was a huge hit, topping charts in Canada, Japan, Norway, and the US; and it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

Once in your life you find her

Someone that turns your heart around

And next thing you know you're closing down the town

Wake up and it's still with you

Even though you left her way across town

Wondering to yourself, "Hey, what've I found?"

When you get caught between the Moon and New York City

I know it's crazy, but it's true

If you get caught between the Moon and New York City

The best that you can do ......

The best that you can do is fall in love

Arthur he does as he pleases

All of his life, he's mastered choice

Deep in his heart, he's just, he's just a boy

Living his life one day at a time

And showing himself a really good time

Laughing about the way they want him to be

When you get caught between the Moon and New York City

I know it's crazy, but it's true

If you get caught between the Moon and New York City

The best that you can do .....

The best that you can do is fall in love

When you get caught between the Moon and New York City

I know it's crazy, but it's true

If you get caught between the Moon and New York City

The best that you can do .....

The best that you can do is fall in love