First Hit #1: January 15, 1983
There’s a nifty contrast between this and Men at Work’s previous hit. Who Can It Be Now was about a man who wouldn’t leave the house, and now we have a song about an Australian travelling the world. Which doesn’t mean there aren’t traces of paranoia in Down Under, it’s just presented in a different way. Superficially, it seems as though the song is about people thrilled to meet an Australian, and maybe they are, but the chorus ends with a vague warning, While we’re never actually told why there’s a thunder or why one should run and take cover, it’s still a dark undercurrent to a song that is otherwise a tribute to the country. There are hints outside of the song, such as the man that puts a sold sign in the middle of the gypsy camp in the video, suggesting that it involves commercialization. Myself, after their last hit, I think it’s just the group’s inherent paranoia, a fear that everything they’re clearly proud of could come crashing down. It might be a statement of pride in their country, and one that caught on internationally no less, but it’s also a reminder of why they should be proud in the first place, and the coming thunder is a way to keep it from being some unambiguous flag waving.
We Are Number Ones 
I see the “thunder” part as a bit of aggressive posturing, perhaps imagining one of the sports teams Australia might send overseas. Interesting that the two main assets of Australia, according to the song, are alcohol and sex.
The music has the same semi-reggae syncopation of their hit “It’s a Mistake.” The flute part quotes the copyrighted Australian children’s song “Kookaburra,” resulting in a lawsuit 20 years after this song was a hit. The “world music” sound of this song and Toto’s “Africa” predicts future trends of the 80s.
Also, the start of 1983 is a good place to ask once again: What musical trends of 1982 were not represented in the #1 slot all year? Not much, this time around. Oh, some individual artists were slighted. New wavers like Men Without Hats (“Safety Dance”) and Flock of Seagulls (“I Ran”) made their only splashes. Madness’ “Our House” put a ska band on the charts a decade ahead of No Doubt, but the song itself is more like the last gasp of British disco. Duran Duran and Huey Lewis are still on their way into the international consciousness. 70s artists (Alan Parsons, Billy Joel, The Clash, Don Henley, Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne, Kenny Rogers, Little River Band, Neil Diamond, Pointer Sisters, Roberta Flack, Van Halen) and 60s artists (Crosby, Stills, and Nash; Dionne Warwick) were producing some great tunes, but nothing that shaped the future of pop.