Two Hearts

by

Men at Work

Edit

Looking back, it's pretty obvious why this album was the death knell for Men at Work. It has nothing to do with quality - this is a great record - but everything to do with tone and subject matter. This was a darker, even angry version of the beloved boys from down under, who were sitting on top of the world just two short years prior. Intra-band fractures left the group as a threesome by the time the record was released. Colin Hay has since lain it out that this band was pretty much breaking up during the height of its success, because they just couldn't get along. "Two Hearts" is where it all takes a nasty turn. Lyrics from this album include lines like "torture and maim," "don't ask me to pray to Jesus," references to hangers-on and thieves in "Snakes and Ladders," a sad story of immigration and a loveless marriage in "Maria," an ode to agoraphobia in "Stay at Home," and the spitting "Sail to You," which takes on jolly old England for turning Australia into a prison colony. Not quite a vegemite sandwich, folks. The world was not ready for this, coming from its favorite happy-go-lucky party band. But, if you can accept this album on its own terms, it is an immensely rewarding experience. The music is more muscular, the arrangements more mature. "Still Life," is one of the best MAW tracks ever, really capturing the exhilarating tunnel-vision that occurs when you are trying desperately to hold on to a relationship that is slipping from your grasp. I suppose there are some who will never be able to take MAW seriously, but this is not the Bay City Rollers covering Nick Cave. This is the sound of adult musicians who captured the flag of success together and now know it's all running down the drain. Like I said, it's pretty obvious why this was the end.

I don't like this album as much as Business As Usual, but I think I like it better than Cargo. I ran into this album on the discount rack in '93 and had already been listening to the previous two albums for many years, so I decided to give it a whirl. This is definitely not "Business As Usual 2". The songs have a sound a little different from the previous two albums, and I like it. "Stay At Home" is hilarious and could be my biography, and "Still Life" is incredibly powerful. Too bad the radio didn't give this album any air play. I'm glad I found this on CD!