Format 7" Genre Pop rock
new wave | Recorded Spring 1981 Length 3:23 | |
B-side "Anyone for Tennis" (instrumental) Released 6 June 1981 (Australia)
13 August 1982 (US) | ||
"Who Can It Be Now?" is a song recorded by Australian band Men at Work. It was first released as a single in Australia in June 1981, prior to the recording of their 1981 debut album Business as Usual, on which the track was later included.
Contents
"Who Can It Be Now?" reached no. 2 on the Australian singles chart in August that year, and also hit no. 45 in New Zealand. Released in Canada in early 1982, the track peaked at no. 8 in late July. This spurred an American release of the song, and the single, by now well over a year old, went on to hit no. 1 in the US in October 1982. "Who Can It Be Now?" was also a modest hit in the UK, reaching no. 45. As one of Men at Work's biggest hits, it was featured on their later compilation albums, and a live version can be found on Brazil. The song remains a popular symbol of new wave music and has been featured on numerous 1980s compilations. The band performed both this song and "Down Under" live on Saturday Night Live on 23 October 1982.
Content
"Who Can It Be Now?" was inspired by Colin Hay having been hounded by bill collectors prior to making it big. The lyrics feature the narrative of a reclusive and paranoid man who hears knocking at his house door and wishes to be left in solitude. The presence of a "childhood friend" is mentioned, and the bridge lyrics give the impression that the narrator fears once again being taken away to a mental institution. Musically, the song features prominent saxophone lines provided by Greg Ham and a mid-tempo beat. Its chorus vocals, which make up the song title, feature a melody that is echoed through saxophone in a call and response fashion. The second chorus pushes the anxious lyrics further and becomes flush with vocal harmony.
Reception
David Fricke of Rolling Stone commended it by noting "Ham's blowsy sax and the rousing chorus of voices raised in alcoholic harmony spark the rugged boogie of 'Who Can It Be Now?'" AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the song an "excellent single that merged straight-ahead pop/rock hooks with a quirky new wave production and an offbeat sense of humor." Heather Phares reviewed the song specifically and summed up by saying "In keeping with current trends but just quirky enough to be instantly memorable, the song seems custom-built for repeated play; it's easy to see why it became one of 1982's biggest hits, as well as a definitive new wave single."