On the whole, the 1980s were a sad wasteland, musically speaking. “Glam Rock,” “hair bands,” really stinky analog synthesizers, and of course “Dexie’s Midnight Runners” pretty much destroyed FM for the better part of 10 years.

Happily, there were a few exceptions to the overall standard of crappiness. Grand Master Funk invented a genre and then got shut out of it. U2 succeeded with the “post-punk” sound where so many others failed. The Rolling Stones recorded their last album (all subsequent albums having been recorded by animatronic simulacra).

And then there was “Men at Work.” Now, you may fairly say that Men at Work’s sound has not aged especially well, and I’ll agree. But as the first real band from Australia to make it big in the US (anyone who mentions the group that can be formed from the anagram “Yuppi Lars” will be banned from my comments box. Don’t try me: I never bluff.) they had huge hurdles to overcome. And the undeniable musical ability that the band members brought, together with pretty good rhythm, clever words, and the most successful integration of a flute into popular music since Jethro Tull made it very sad that the band disintegrated in 1986.

But frontman Colin Hay has continued to record and write music, and has maintained a popularity just below that necessary to get onto any of the McStations owned by ClearChannel. Thankfully, a few of the better written popular TV shows are doing their best to bring Hay back to our attention, as the couldn’t-come-soon-enough” end of “alternative rock” has left radio stations with nothing but American Idol runners-up. The song below was featured prominently in a big Broadway-style (well, really “Rent-style”) finale to last week’s episode of Scrubs.

I like the use of the song, especially the way it was connected in the show to a death—the actual beginning of the new life that only love can usher in. But more to the point, I like the fact that the fecklessness of the way most of us live gets in the way of what is really worth thinking about. Or, rather, I like the way the song highlights that. It is unusual to find anything so Catholic on television.


(Theoretically, an mp3 can be found here, but it hasn’t worked for me today: http://colinhay.com/enter/media.html)

Any minute now
My ship is coming in
I'll keep checking the horizon
I'll stand on the bow
Feel the waves come crashing
Come crashing down down down on me

And you say
Be still my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in
But don't you understand
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

When I awoke today
Suddenly nothing happened
But in my dreams I slew the dragon
And down this beaten path
And up this cobbled lane
I'm walking in my old footsteps once again

And you say
Just be here now
Forget about the past
Your mask is wearing thin
Let me throw one more dice
I know that I can win
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

Any minute now
My ship is coming in
I keep checking the horizon
And I'll check my machine
There's sure to be that call
It's gonna happen soon soon soon
It's just that times are lean

And you say
Be still my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in
Don't you understand
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin
Yes and don't you understand
It's my very own plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin