Men At Work – Overkill

Cargo, 1983: Colin Hay writes the fear after the hit

In March 1983, Men At Work released Overkill as the first American single from their second album Cargo. Columbia issued it; Peter McIan produced. Colin Hay wrote the song alone. The sessions ran in 1982 across AAV in Melbourne, Paradise Studios in Sydney, and Westlake Audio in Los Angeles. The album itself was held back because Business as Usual (1981) was still selling worldwide; Cargo finally arrived in Australia in April 1983 and went to number 1 on the Kent Music Report.

Around Hay stood Greg Ham on saxophone and keys, Ron Strykert on guitar, John Rees on bass, and Jerry Speiser on drums. After the reggae-tinged bounce of Down Under and Who Can It Be Now?, Overkill slows the pulse. You hear a round bass line, a soft sax figure, and Hay singing about lying awake with too many thoughts. Cash Box praised that sax line when the single hit US radio. The lyric is about success that will not quiet down: fans, travel, and the sense that something is always about to go wrong. Hay has said the song came from feeling paranoid and overworked once the first album turned into a non-stop schedule. The B-side on the US single was Till the Money Runs Out. At about three minutes forty-four, the album cut leaves space for the sax to answer the vocal instead of packing another chorus gag.

The single peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early June 1983, number 5 in Australia, and reached the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, and Norway. Men At Work toured hard through 1983 to support the album. The video kept the five faces on MTV while the song itself sounded more private than the cartoon Australia of the previous hits. Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive had led in Australia; Overkill was the cut that told American listeners the band could write a quieter chart single.