Down Under (Acoustic) – Colin Hay

Colin Hay of ’80s staple Men at Work has released some really cool acoustic versions of their songs over the years, with a lot coming from his solo album Man @ Work. His take on the group’s most popular song, “Down Under,” is really unique in style but still maintains the mellowed-out sound and possibly exemplifies the journeyman storytelling of the song.

Colin tells the story of an Aussie and his various encounters around the globe with different characters along the way. He makes a ton of references pertaining to Australia and the slang that’s often used down under and even ventures into an opium den at one point.

I’ve linked around five different versions of this song below, with each being slightly different. My favorite, besides the one from Men @ Work, is the re-release from 2012, which is a really stripped-down version featuring just him, a guitar, and a didgeridoo.

Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2S7mqhDBg0

Link to Live – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG7CUPcc7l0

Link to 2012 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ-rchK8WJQ

Link to Men at Work – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s

Live with Ringo – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AufMa3dGhHI