In a recent chat with Goldmine Magazine, Colin shared insights behind several tracks from his latest release, “Man @ Work Vol. 2”.
Track 01: Into My Life
“‘Into My Life’ originally was a single that I had done for MCA which came out in 1990, and it became a big hit in Brazil because it was associated with a popular soap opera there. The single was as popular as any of the Men at Work songs there, and Men at Work were very popular in Brazil. The new recording features Scheila Gonzalez on saxophone, who has been in my live touring band for close to a decade. She is a great player and exciting to listen to and watch. Scheila is currently on ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic’s tour.”
Track 04: Oh California
“I wrote a lot of songs with my friend Michael Georgiades who lives up the road from me, and is a little older than I am. That was his music primarily along with the idea for the song. He is a Californian and remembers the glory days of the state, growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s when rock and roll was new, growing, and evolving. You tend to glamorize the past, but I still love being here. The people in this state have been very kind to me.”
Track 05: Frozen Fields Of Snow
“I was in the studio and visited by an older gentleman who told me his story, and I just wrote it down. I have an image of a guy standing in the kitchen after his family is gone and he is trying to figure out what to do with the house, with all his dreams and memories of being in it. He also had some struggles and served in the military. Fred Kron’s piano playing and string arrangements are gorgeous on the recording.”
Track 09: Here In My Hometown
“In Melbourne in the ‘70s, although it had such beauty, juxtaposing that was a lot of heavy drug use with heroin addiction. I lost a few friends to that, and this song is about one of those dear friends.”
Track 10: Next Year People
“I asked my friend Jeff Babko to orchestrate it, and he just got his wife, violinist Songa Lee, and a friend of hers, cellist Giovanna Clayton, to come up with some lovely parts. I was traveling and watched the Ken Burns documentary The Dustbowl about people during The Great Depression trying to carve out a living from the earth and doing the same thing every year and having it not work. It paralleled my thinking. I was wondering if my touring life was worth it year after year. In the end, I decided that it was indeed worth it, persevering as a touring musician, and sharing songs with so many people throughout the world.”
Man @ Work Volume 2 is the sequel to Colin’s 2002 best seller Man @ Work and offers fans an impeccable set of favorites from across Hay’s rich catalog, including Men at Work classics, solo album highlights, and new material. You can purchase the album on vinyl, CD, and as a digital download now. Click here for more info
