Someone once asked Colin Hay if he would say pursuing a career as a songwriter was worthwhile.
“Here’s a song that took me 40 minutes to write, and it’s sustained me for 40 years,” Colin told The Birchmere recently when closing the first of two sold-out performances. So, the answer is “yes.”
Colin then played a lovely stripped down version of “Down Under,” originally recorded with the band Men at Work, the outfit that catapulted him to fame.
In a solo concert at The Birchmere on Nov. 13, Colin reflected much on fame through humorous anecdotes about his career as a solo artist born in Scotland, emigrated to Australia, and eventually naturalized as an American citizen. The Birchmere was packed with admirers, many of whom likely heard several of these stories at previous Colin Hay shows. But that was more than OK: Colin had plenty of new off-the-cuff things to say — and part of the reason you go to a Colin Hay show is to spend some time with the man. He’s warm and funny, but he’s also strong yet gentle. His perseverance is one of his defining traits, but he always takes the time to stop and appreciate the moment.
Although Colin performed a handful of Men at Work songs — opening with “Who Can It Be Now?” (1981) and playing “It’s a Mistake” (1983) in the middle — Colin’s early solo albums took the spotlight on Nov. 13. He crafted many of his stories to explain how those solo records got their titles, usually through how he was inspired to write the title track or another song.
For example, Colin was in Los Angeles and encountered Jack Nicholson in 1986, and the encounter inspired a song about “the illusion that happiness is a thing that can be achieved, and can remain constant,” he says. The song became the title track to his first solo album, and just as importantly, it began his relationship with Los Angeles, the place he has called home for the last several decades.
Watch the official music video for “Looking for Jack” by Colin Hay on YouTube:
Several songs were inspired by Colin’s father, who passed away in Australia in 2010 at the age of 87. Colin happens to be in Scotland tonight (Nov. 19) for a show on his United Kingdom tour, and there’s little doubt that the ghost of his Glaswegian dad will keep him company throughout the show. After Colin’s dad passed, he wrote “Goodnight Romeo” in tribute to him for the 2011 album Gathering Mercury.
In the middle of the show, Colin performed “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You,” a 1991 song from his album Transcendental Highway that also ended up on the soundtrack of the 2004 movie Garden State. Colin feigned indignation that the soundtrack album was certified platinum, thus elevating his song more than its original album did.
Toward the end of the show, Colin covered “Driving With the Brakes On” by Del Amitri — “a beautiful song” that he wishes he wrote. Then he introduced “Overkill” by Men at Work as a song that he offered the band, who were initially unsure but soon embraced it. And Colin expressed amusement that people have embraced “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin” (2000) as a wedding song when in fact it’s ironically about escaping your current circumstances.
Colin Hay is a remarkable singer-songwriter who is also a worldly, restless, and comforting soul. He’s been on a real streak lately: performing with Ringo Starr and His All-Starr band regularly, taking his new-look Men at Work on the Road to open Toto, and now to make time for an international solo tour. You should make some time for him, and come away feeling a bit wiser about the world!
Here are some photos of Colin Hay performing live at The Birchmere on Nov. 13, 2025. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
