The Australian band Men at Work’s ‘Be Good Johnny‘ was the song playing on Boy Swallows Universe during the opening scenes as Lyle drives Eli and Gus to the factory where he works — Boy Swallows Universe, Episode 2, “Boy Gets Chop“.
The catchy synth pop song is an appropriate precursor for the following scenes with Lyle, Eli and Gus in the factory, meeting the owner and having to be on their best behavior.
But especially for Eli, who launches into an explanation of why his brother can tell the future.
Men at Work’s ‘Be Good Johnny‘ one of band’s first singles
‘Be Good Johnny‘ was one of Men at Work’s first singles releases, coming out as the third single from their debut studio album Business as Usual.
Although not as successful as the big hit from the album, the band’s now-signature song ‘Down Under‘, ‘Be Good Johnny‘ was still a big enough hit that it ranked on charts in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada.
In the United States, the catchy track climbed up to #3 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart (nowadays the Mainstream Rock chart).
‘Be Good Johnny‘ is a song directed towards a nine-year-old boy who, instead of living in the real world, is often living in the fantasy world in his head.
Something that could also be said of Boy Swallows Universe‘s Eli.
Listen to Men at Work’s ‘Be Good Johnny‘ as played in the beginning scenes of the second episode of Boy Swallows Universe in the track’s official music video, and via their Business as Usual album on Spotify.
The Aussie drama has been so successful, it has been trending on the Top TV Shows list on Netflix since its release on January 11th.