Colin Hay: Kilwinning, Melbourne and Down Under | Ultimate Aussie Pub Rock Reunion

Why fans still care

Down Under went to number 1 in Australia, the US and the UK, and it has passed a billion streams. The National Film and Sound Archive describes it as an unofficial Australian anthem. COLIN HAY sang it and co-wrote it with Ron Strykert. Then he kept going, as a solo songwriter, an All-Starr Band member and a touring act on two continents.

Early life

He was born in Kilwinning, in Ayrshire, and his family moved to Melbourne in 1967, when he was 14. In 1978 he started a duo with guitarist Ron Strykert, and that duo grew into Men At Work.

Career chapters

1. 1967family moves to Melbourne
2. 1978duo with Ron Strykert
3. 1979Men At Work form in Melbourne
4. 1981Down Under enters the Australian Top 40
5. 1982Who Can It Be Now? reaches number 1 in the US
6. 1983Down Under number 1 in the US and UK; Grammy for Best New Artist
7. 1987Looking for Jack
8. 1996Men At Work tour again
9. 2004Garden State uses a Hay song
10. 2022Now and the Evermore; Lime Cordiale release Colin
11. 2023APRA Ted Albert Award
12. 2026Red Hot Summer Tour with Men At Work

Men At Work 1979 to 1986

The hit-era line-up was Hay, Strykert, Greg Ham, John Rees and Jerry Speiser. Who Can It Be Now? went to number 1 on the US Hot 100 dated 30 October 1982. Down Under followed it to the top in January 1983, for four weeks in the US and three in the UK. Business as Usual spent 15 weeks at number 1 in America. Overkill and It’s a Mistake were US Top 10 hits as well. By the mid-1980s the original band had come apart.

Solo 1987 onwards

Looking for Jack came out in 1987. He set up his own label, Lazy Eye Records, and a home studio in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles, where he writes and records. Zach Braff brought him onto Scrubs, and Garden State used I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You. He also plays in the All-Starr Band of Ringo Starr, Who’s Who number 5 in Ultimate Beatles Reunion.

Men At Work again 1996 onwards

Men At Work toured again from 1996 with Greg Ham. In 2026 the band toured the US with Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife, then came home for the Red Hot Summer Tour. Australian Crawl co-headline that run, with James Reyne, Who’s Who number 7, out front. Colin Hay Acoustic Band shows start in Milwaukee on 22 January 2027.

Craft, sound and style

The song

Down Under was a Hay and Strykert co-write. Stereogum links it to Barry Humphries’ Barry McKenzie character. Greg Ham played the flute riff everyone hums.

Home studio

He writes and records at home, in Topanga Canyon. Man @ Work (2003) and Man @ Work Vol. 2 (2025) revisit the band songs in his own way.

The set list

He describes his solo shows simply: “I lightly pepper the show with hits.”

Stories people still tell

1. The America’s Cup.

   When Australia won the America’s Cup in September 1983, Down Under became the unofficial anthem of the win. It went back into the Top 40 that October.

2. Superman.

   Asked about the peak years, he said: “I felt like Superman.”

3. The song called Colin.

   In 2022 Lime Cordiale released a tribute song called Colin, and Hay sang on the final chorus. “His solo acoustic stuff is so bloody stunning,” said Louis Leimbach.

4. Colin Hay Day.

   Minnesota proclaimed 30 October 2025 Colin Hay Day.

Legacy

Down Under has passed a billion streams and earned the APRA AMCOS Billions Award. In 2023 APRA gave him the Ted Albert Award. “I think services is the key word here,” he said. Ringo Starr told him: “you deserve it and I love you.” In 2026 he’s still on the road with Men At Work.