Who Can It Be Now?

Writing and recording

Around 1979, lead vocalist Colin Hay wrote the music for "Who Can It Be Now?" in a tree house he and his girlfriend made in Bermagui, New South Wales. The lyrics would not come until 1981, when Hay was living in an apartment complex in St Kilda, Victoria. He lived next to drug dealers, and people would often confuse Hay's apartment for the dealers'. The number of people that would knock on his door unnerved him to the point where he was scared to open his door, regardless of who was there. At the time, Hay was also anxious about his music career, which had yet to take off. In a 2015 interview, Hay explained: "I was trying to get out of the situation I was in, which is that I didn't really have any money...It seemed at that particular time everyone who knocked on my door wanted something from me that I either didn't have or didn't want to give them. That could be money, or it could simply be time that I didn’t want to give them."

Men at Work began recording their debut album Business as Usual, which featured "Who Can It Be Now?", in 1981 with producer Peter McIan. The song opens with a saxophone hook by Greg Ham; Hay had originally written the saxophone section later in the song, but McIan suggested moving the hook to the introduction. While recording the song, McIan wanted a saxophone solo and told Ham to play anything just to get the sound. McIan used Ham's improvised composition as the solo in the song.

Critical 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?'"

In a retrospective review, 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." By contrast, Barney Hoskyns of NME called it an "abomination".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

References

1. "Kent Music Catalogue Service – New Listings: 25 May 1981". [[Kent Music Report]].
2. McFarlane, Ian. (1999). "Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop". Allen & Unwin.
3. Reed, Ryan. (2 March 2011). "Colin Hay Is Still at Work, 25 Years After 'Down Under'". [[Metro Pulse]].
4. Phares, Heather. "Who Can It Be Now? – Song Review".
5. Kent, David. (2007). "Australian Top 20 Book 1940–2006". Australian Chart Book.
6. (4 January 1982). "Kent Music Report Issue 393".
7. "Australian Music Awards". Ron Jeff.
8. Kawashima, Dale. (15 February 2017). "Special Interview with Colin Hay, Renowned Singer/Songwriter and Former Leader of Men at Work".
9. Partridge, Kenneth. (6 January 2015). "Men at Work's 'Who Can It Be Now?' blurs the line between private and crazy".
10. Fricke, David. (22 July 1982). "Men at Work – Business As Usual".
11. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Men at Work – Business as Usual". AllMusic.
12. Gimarc, George. (2005). "Punk Diary: The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock, 1970-1982". [[Hal Leonard Corporation]].
13. (4 January 1982). "National Top 100 Singles for 1981". [[Kent Music Report]].
14. "Le Détail par Artiste".
15. (27 November 1982). "Hits of the World".
16. "Classifiche". [[Musica e dischi]].
17. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M)".
18. "Business as Usual – Awards". [[AllMusic]].
19. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending OCTOBER 23, 1982".
20. (25 December 1982). "Top Pop Singles".