Studio Album · No. 1

Business as Usual Songwriting Credits by Men at Work

1981 Columbia 10 tracks 38:00

Produced by Peter McIan  ·  Engineered by Peter McIan, Jim Barbour, Paul Ray

Columbia New WaveReggae RockPop Rock
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 10 of 10 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 10 / 10 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Men at Work carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
10 trackswritten by Men at Work 0 tracksoutside writers
Men at Work's roles on this album

Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer0%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

10
Tracks
4
Lyricists
1
Producers
2
No.1 Singles
1981
Released
Data Insight

Hay writes eight of the ten and everyone else gets a look in: Strykert has four, Ham three, Speiser one. It is the only Men at Work album where four of the five members hold a credit.

Business as Usual came out on Columbia in November 1981 and spent fifteen weeks at number 1 on the Billboard 200.

Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Who Can It Be Now? #1
Colin Hay Colin James Hay Peter McIan Men at Work (Performer)
2
I Can See It in Your Eyes
Colin Hay Colin James Hay Peter McIan Men at Work (Performer)
3
Down Under #1
Colin HayRon Strykert Colin James HayRonald Graham Strykert Peter McIan Men at Work (Performer)
4
Underground
Colin Hay Colin James Hay Peter McIan Men at Work (Performer)
5
Helpless Automaton
Greg Ham Gregory Norman Ham Peter McIan Men at Work (Performer)
6
People Just Love to Play with Words
Ron Strykert Ronald Graham Strykert Peter McIan Men at Work (Performer)
7
Be Good Johnny
Colin HayGreg Ham Colin James HayGregory Norman Ham Peter McIan Men at Work (Performer)
8
Touching the Untouchables
Colin HayRon Strykert Colin James HayRonald Graham Strykert Peter McIan Men at Work (Performer)
9
Catch a Star
Colin Hay Colin James Hay Peter McIan Men at Work (Performer)
10
Down by the Sea
Colin HayRon StrykertGreg HamJerry Speiser Colin James HayRonald Graham StrykertGregory Norman HamJerry Harold Speiser Peter McIan Men at Work (Performer)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 10 contributors

More from Men at Work

Frequently Asked Questions Business as Usual

Who wrote Business as Usual?
Colin Hay on eight of the ten tracks, with Ron Strykert on four, Greg Ham on three and Jerry Speiser sharing "Down by the Sea".
How high did the singles chart?
"Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under" both reached number 1 on the Hot 100.
How did it sell?
The discography publishes certifications rather than a sales figure for it. It is certified 6x platinum in the US and 4x platinum in Australia.
Who engineered it?
Peter McIan, who also produced, with Jim Barbour and Paul Ray.
Who produced it?
Peter McIan.
Who sings "Helpless Automaton"?
Greg Ham, who also wrote it. It is one of two tracks on the album Hay does not sing.
How long is the album?
38:00 across ten tracks.

Sources