Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive and Overkill

One of my all time favorite bands is Men at Work. I've met their lead singer, Collin Hay. This two for one deal comes from the 1983 release Cargo. They had two songs that are Paranormal Tunes. I'll present both here to ya.
The first is a fun spoof on the horror classic 'Dr. Jeckyl and Mr.Hyde' where mad scientist Dr. Jeckyl does experiments on himself and finds himself transforming into another unsavory nightmare calling himself Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde is not a nice fellow. In Men at Works song, however,the mad scientist, Dr. Heckyll is a total nerd who wants to transform into a pop/ socialite by means of science and magic. Does it work? You be the judge. I think this song touches on the fundamental human experience of 'how do I, or can I fit in'. The ever elusive question of how do I get to be accepted. It's fun that it is set as a 'camp fire' tail here in.
We'll start here then go on to our next selection.

   So, there is a bunch more on this particular video clip than just the video for Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive.
Here's the lyrics and then we'll be on to... Overkill.

Dr. Heckyll works late in the laboratory
Where things are not as they seem
Dr. Heckyll wishes nothing more desperately
Than to fulfill all of his dreams
Letting loose a scream in the dead of night
As he's breaking new ground
Trying his best to unlock all the secrets
But he's not sure what he's found
Dr. Heckyll is his own little guinea pig
'Cos they all think he's mad
set his sights on the search of a life time
And he's never, never sad

Whoa oh, it's off to work he goes
In the name of science and all it's wonders...

(Chorus) This is the story of Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive
They are a person who feels good to be alive
This is the story of Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive
Believes the underdog will eventually survive

Not long now till the ultimate experiment
He's breaking all the rules
He wants to cure all matter of imbalances
In this world of fools
He locks the door and looks around nervously
He knows there's no one there
He drinks it down and waits for a reaction
To all his work and care

Hey, hey he fumbles for what to say
He loves the world except for all the people...

(chorus) This is the story of Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive
They are a person who feels good to be alive
This is the story of Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive
Believes the under dog will eventually survive

Whoa oh, it's out at night he goes
He slips easily into conversation
Oh, hey, hey, he's cool in every way
Sometimes he loves to sing that old black magic

(chorus) This is the story of Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive
They are a person who feels good to be alive
This is the story of Dr.Heckyll & Mr. Jive
Believes the underdog will eventually survive (repeat)

 Next on our list, from the same album is the song Overkill. This one is less humorous, but not overly heavy. It is just a very sexy haunting song that mentions that '... ghosts appear and fade away'. I've loved this song from the very first listen so many years ago. I'll include the Men at Work version, and the Colin Hay acoustic version.
 The band, Men at Work, did not take to the song when it was presented to them by front man Colin Hay. It did, however, go on to be the biggest hit from the Cargo album and continues to be a popular song on the radio and in various domestic settings where pop music is heard (department stores, super markets etc.)
 With out any further delay... Overkill

The acoustic version by Colin Hay has all the lyrics included, so I won't bother to be redundant and re post them all here.  Anyway, no matter how you slice it, Overkill is a fabulously gorgeous song. In the original, the keyboards, sax and guitar solo are all driven by the powerfully presented vocals. In the more subdued acoustic version, it is just as intense, just more straight forward due to the vocal and guitars only.
I hope you enjoy this gem!
See you soon with more Paranormal Tunes!