I had a great interview with Hay a couple years ago [which you can find elsewhere on this blog]. I look forward to hearing the fresh versions...
A newly recorded version of the hit Men at Work song “Down
Under” will be released globally on Compass Records in celebration of
the song’s 30th anniversary. Colin Hay re-recorded the
song without the “Kookaburra” flute line which is the subject of a drawn
out and embittered lawsuit in Australia.
The track will be released as
part of an EP (available on iTunes July 31) which will
include three versions of the song: newly recorded studio, solo acoustic and live, solo, story-song takes (the latter finds Hay
humorously describing how he wrote song. The three track EP will be
released exclusively through iTunes with the single "Down Under 2012"
available through other digital outlets including compassrecords.com.
Marketing executives at Telstra, the Australian network provider,
tapped the track as the theme for their Olympic games advertising
campaign. "Down Under" has been the unofficial anthem of Australian
sports since it was adopted by the Australian team during the 1983
America’s Cup which Australia won.
Telstra chose "Down Under" as the
centerpiece for their campaign in recognition of its unparalleled
representation of the Australian national spirit. The campaign features
Colin Hay in a series of 30-and 60-second commercials singing the song
with groups of various sizes, ranging from people on the street to a
children’s chorus up to a football stadium of 60,000.
In addition to
their TV campaign, Telstra is promoting the song through broadcasters
Bigpond, Ninemsn, and worldwide via a social media campaign on Youtube,
Facebook, Flikr, and more. Australian TV Channel 9 will also air a
three-minute ‘making of’ video during the Olympics. Compass Records Group
will be promoting the release of the digital EP with a “Down Under”
trivia contest and social media campaign targeting Hay fans.
In 2009, a multi-million dollar lawsuit was filed by Larrikin Music
Publishing against EMI Music Publishing and co-writers Colin Hay and
Ron Strykert for allegedly plagiarizing the folk melody “Kookaburra Sits
in the Old Gum Tree.” Despite overwhelming popular support for Hay, the
court ruled that the two-bar flute line did infringe on the original
copyright, though ultimately the claimant was rewarded a fraction of
what they were seeking.
Media attention surrounding this was
further heightened this year with the death of Greg Ham, Men at Work
co-founder, saxophonist and flute player who played the melody off the
top of his head while recording the song.
The current re-release of the song and the simultaneous media
campaign will serve as a vehicle for illustrating the integrity of the
song.
Comments Hay:
“Fortunately on the eve of the 30th
anniversary of the song Telstra, the communications company, have
decided to license "Down Under" and are about to show it on the telly,
as well as the cyber-world to hopefully inspire our athletes at the
upcoming Olympics. I was happy to help, and along with my friend Dorian
West, created a spirited version of the song featuring footballers, pub
goers, sailors on the Thames, school kids in Sydney, and, well, you get
the idea. This led me to the idea of re-releasing "Down Under 2012"
(without the so-called infringing flute line), to re-establish the song
in the consciousness of the public, and in so doing, highlight that the
power and strength of the song lies in its original words and music. It
speaks for itself."
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