Jimmy Barnes | Working Class Man | Reaction 

Play this song in a traditional Aussie pub and watch everyone start singing to it, classic Aussie song known by generation

When you're in a pub and Working Class Man comes on you MUST scream it at full bellow - there is NO humming along.

In Australia we've taken our National Anthem and put the words to this tune ... there's a video of a comedian Adam Hills doing it and it's perfection! lol If you put this song on anywhere is Australia EVERYONE knows every single word xx

This song is best appreciated in a packed Aussie pub with the whole crowd going OFF! Not an Aussie that doesn't know this song - an anthem for our country.

He started as a rocker but when he was a little kid, he heard Mahalia Jackson sing and was so blown away by her blues voice, he swore he'd name his daughter after her, and he did. And as you know, his daughter Mahalia belts it out seriously brilliantly!!

this and Flames Trees...still to this day give me chills.

This song cemented Jimmy Barnes as a solo artist. Before that he was the frontman of Cold Chisel - one of the hardest drinking, drugging and rocking bands in the country. Jimmy was raised listening to Motown and blues. It runs in his veins.

An interesting fact for you. Jimmy Barnes is so good, that back in 85, just as this album was coming out, EDDIE VAN HALEN has asked Jimmy to join Van Halen after David Lee Roth has left. Jimmy declined as he wanted to concentrate on his solo career. It means something when a legendary guitarist knocks on your door and wants you to sing in his band. One of the greatest rock bands ever....

We Aussies just here knowing what was about to come 😁 I was wondering how long it would be before someone recommended this one. One of my favourite songs ♥️ We always knew him as a rocker, the soul singing was a pleasant surprise. Our boy Jimmy is certainly versatile.

Jimmy is the man, Every Aussie knows this song and every time I hear it, it brings a tear to my eye thinking of every "working class man" in my family, specifically my grandfather

Jimmy started out as the front man for Cold Chisel at the age of 17. He was a rocker until about 1995 he then released Soul deep his first soul/Blues album then Soul Deap 2 followed by Rythem and Blues. Check out his Album 30/30 hindsight he does his hits over a 30 year period but he collaborates with other singer's like Tina Arena, Mahalia Barnes, The living end his son David Campbell and others.

Jimmy Barnes is a legend. This is one of my mum's favourite songs. When she listens to it her neighbor's listen as well.

I've seen Jimmy so many times in concert I forget sometimes that the world doesn't love him like we do ... What an icon ❣️🇦🇺💐

As a former cane cutter at the time this song was released, I love the big emphasis on Queensland sugar cane harvesting. It reminds me of the only time I saw Jimmy out in public with his wife was somewhere around Cairns in North Queensland. That was back in the mid 80’s, and it only just occurred to me - I wonder if he was up there because of filming for this video? BTW, they did look good together as a couple and were obviously very much in love.

This song came out when I became a Dad for the first time, I spent endless hours dancing around my loungeroom to this song while holding my new boy. The song reminded me of my Dad, who died too young, and it always inspired me to be a man like he was.

I was lucky enough to see him sing this live last night.Along with all of his other classic hits. He was amazing!!

As a DJ, this song still goes off when I play it (which is at the end of every gig) Jimmy's voice is so amazing! I wonder, have you heard 'Good Times' with Jimmy and INXS? Also, a very underated song by Cold Chisel is 'Breakfast at Sweethearts'. I was a singer before I was a DJ and I won a lot of comps by singing Jimmy or John! I owe these guys A LOY of money lol

At an NRL Grand Final on live tv Jimmy sang this song & changed the last verse to "well he loved a little woman, but just don't tell his wife, cause she'll cut his balls off with a 6" carving knife". Classic Jimmy Barnes.

Listen too to Khe San - EVERY Aussie Knows it. Working Class Man, epitomises everything Australian & his first solo hit. Khe San a Chisel Classic - it was (& maybe still is) the Australian Cricket teams anthem.

Not one person in Australia that doesn't know this song. It's the Australian anthem for the blue collar working man and woman. Classic and legendary. Khe Sahn is another great song.

Amusing that this Aussie Anthem was written by an American. Jimmy had to pull out all stops to convince Jonathan Cain (Journey) to allow him to release his version first. So great that he did. In later years Jimmy replaced the lyric “Mid Western” with “Australian”

I grew up in Australia and have been living in Spain for over 30 yrs, but l can't shake this song out of my mind.

Another one of those songs that comes on in an Australian Pub.... and EVERYONE breaks out in song at the same time!

This was Jimmy’s anthem for me, I was 8 when this came out. This and Driving wheels are my favourites, and throw in Last frontier of the Barnstorming album. And yeah your right about him being a rocker. Just happens to have a shit load of soul too 😉😊👍🏻

For sure Jimmy is known as a rocker. But like you said he has soul too. His album souldeep is great. Jimmy has a few anthems I think, working class man, khan San, flame trees, cheap wine. Just off the top of my head.

Yes this is an Aussie anthem, everyone knows it & has grown up with it - can't believe you've never heard it before now ❤🇦🇺🇦🇺

Definitely jimmy's signature track and an anthem for us in Australia.

This takes me back to my teenage year's, rocking the cassette tape on my Sony double tape player WITH detachable speakers 😂 so good 👍🇦🇺

I'm so glad you got to Working class Man. The film clip is filmed mostly in Cairns Queensland. Love your reactions. 💞

Years ago in the 70's, up in Darwin rebuilding after Cyclone Tracy, Cold Chisel came to town and rocked our world. Working Class Man became our anthem that very night. On ya Jimmy.

He grips his attention with his fans being relatable with his lyrics. The power of his voice is unique and music is enjoyed throughout decades. Love love love

With this song.i pray for one boy.i meet to day living on the street without familly. I told myself why i am not rich enought.Thanks Jimmy with your energy and your voice

Every tradie on the road in the 80s had this song blaring out of his car!! Thumbs up for the working class man, and the hard childhood that shaped Jimmy (Swan) Barnes and made him our Australian! 🥰👍

Everyone knows every word to ‘working class man’ - genius!!😁😁😁

jonathon cain from journey wrote this and Stevie Van Zandt wrote Ride the night away another great song from jimmy barnes He began singing circa 1973-4 with a band called Fraternity replacing Bon Scott from ACDC fame

I was born into a poor working class family. My father worked in the bush clearing mallee scrub for the farmers before he headed off to the gold mines of New Guinea.. .. .. I finished school and headed off to the Iron Ore mines of the Pilbara for a decade before I started work in the foundries.. .. .. My step-son went off and became a chef before he headed off to the gold mines of Kalgoorlie... We are of the ''Working Class''... and this song is our anthem..

This is one of those songs when I get pissed at the pub and find the juke box and put this song on and crank the living shit of it! And belt it out along with Jimmy “He’s a working class maaaaaaaaaan!”

You are spot on. Jimmy was a rocker. It wasn't until Soul Deep album that had Stone Cold on it that I heard the soul in his voice. This is absolutely Jimmy's anthem, as You're the voice is to John Farnham. I was 8 years old when this came out, it's in my DNA. Like other people have commented here, every single Aussie knows every single word. Love your reactions!

This song was the theme song to the Michael Keaton movie "Gung Ho" aka "Working Class Man"

Love how you love Jimmy!!!! Honorary Aussie!!!!

Yes yes yes Aussie make amazing anthem songs

This was my introduction to Jimmy Barnes about a gazillion years ago. His voice blew me away and l just kept coming back for more. Him and Gary Moore constitute my youthful soundtrack.

Barnesy started singing prior to Cold Chisel, but quickly assimilated into the band. Jim has been producing a phenomenal vocal output for 48 year now (that I know of.....)

Jimmy started singing with Cold Chisel at Age 16…. Before they even had a record deal…. Left and joined Fraternity… for a short time… then recorded 5 Studio Albums with Chisel until 1984…. Then started his solo career and since 1998.. has been releasing Cold Chisel albums again in between His own solo material… Blood Moon ( Cold Chisel 2019) …. Flesh and Blood ( Jimmy Barnes 2021)….Soul Deep 30( 2022) his last two releases.

This is a classic, love this song

Watching your first time reaction and enthusiasm for something we Aussie's are so familiar with put's a smile on my face. Cheers mate, keep up the good work

He's sung everything from blues to rock to R&B. Jimmy has a wide vocal range.

I remember an interview about this with Jimmy talking about the end of the music video with the burning cane field… he was screaming for the song, yes, but also mostly screaming because the fire was making all these snakes and creepy crawlies rush out of the field at him! Apparently quite scary!

So yes, Jimmy Barnes started out as a gritty hard driving rocker fronting the legendary Cold Chisel. Some time you will probably get around to reviewing Khe Sahn - the song that brought the horror of being a returned Vietnam vet to the Australian conscience and was probably their biggest hit, Flame Tree is another that put on anywhere anytime everyone will start singing along, as they do with Working Class Man. While this may well be called Jimmy's anthem song it probably is not the only one. One of the really cool features of the video is the use of iconic imagery. The steel mill, which I am guessing is in New Castle and the sugar cane fields, probably in Northern Queensland (but could be anywhere along the northern east coast of New South Wales up through large portions of sub tropical and tropical Queensland) scream working class. The fires that rage in both settings speak to the struggle, difficulty and majesty of the life. It really is a great video. BTW they no longer do cane fires which use to be necessary prior to harvesting but there are few more spectacular sights than to pull up on the side of the road and watch. Words cannot do the scene justice.

I hope more cold chisel gets requested.... Cheap wine Forever now Shipping steel Breakfast at sweethearts And so many more

I met Jimmy Barnes and his wife not long after he suffered from some serious financial issues. He was making his comeback and I worked in the music industry, went to his launch party. It was very intimate, not very many people there. Lovely man and family, it makes me so happy watching you react.

It's hard to overstate just how legendary this song is in Australia. Literally everyone knows it and most would be able to sing it. Cant wait to get to see him live again in march ❤️

I saw Jimmy when he just released the Working Class album album over here in New Zealand. He was young, mean and lean and he sounded fantastic! Still one of the most enjoyable concerts I’ve ever been to.

Real Aussie Rock... Always has Soul.... Jimmy was one of the best....

Jimmy has an amazing, raw, honest 1 man show (sitting on stage talking) called 'Working class Man". If you get the chance it really is worth watching. His life was pretty rough and sad growing up. His family immigrated from Scotland to Sth Australia in a migrant hostel, those Hostels gave Australia and the world some of the best musicians including AC/DC. Jimmy played in his brothers band at 16 then joined CC in 1973 @ 17yrs old.

One of the greatest Australian rock anthems of all time

Man, you can definately sing this song. All of us Aussies do whenever it comes on in the pub.

Last weekend here in the Hunter Valley, Australia we had what is called The Red Hot Summer Tour. The line-up goes like this.... Jimmy Barnes, The Hoodoo Gurus, Vikka & Linda Bull (Vikka was sick so we had the pleasure of Mihalia Barnes), Diesel Jon Stevens & Chris Cheney. I was sitting there thinking you would have been in heaven. Amazing concert.

This song was actually written by an American, Johnathan Cain. He was the keyboard player for awesome yacht rockers Journey.

Apparently whilst filming the film clip Jimmy Barnes said that the fire behind him was getting that close to him it was burning him and he was freaking out but had to keep going to get it on film.

Barnes has done an whole album of soul songs and it’s pretty good

My father was a typical Aussie working class man, he could do every labouring job that he put his hand too..and I could remember him going to burn the sugarcane in the afternoon and then they'd go and cut the cane not long after, this was before the harvester came along..so this song touches my heart so much ❤ thanks Jimmy, you're a legend!

Remember, you said you weren’t born when Jimmy Barnes sang this- love you say this should be an Anthem 👍🏿 he was in my time line sweets - love your appreciation of our adopted Scottish family member who came here when he was young - he’s a brilliant music artist and family man - so glad he’s still being appreciated for his music way back 👍🏿❤️🇦🇺

THANK GOD.... it had to come.... glad you reacted to this......we have some great rock anthems here in Australia.... and Cold Chisel sang more than a few of them.

Love this song! As a Brit I’ve taken it as my anthem! 😂 JB is such a class act!

Jimmy Barnes started singing in Cold Chisel in 1973. He went solo in the 1980s and since then he's done a bunch of other stuff. He collaborated with The Wiggles on a Scottish themed album (Jimmy Barnes was born in Scotland). He has released his autobiography also titled Working Class Man. During covid lockdowns he did a lot of acoustic stuff with his family. And he has collaborated with a bunch of other artists, like his son David Campbell who is a swing singer.

Being Aussie and working class was a badge of PRIDE and honour when I was growing up (1980’s). Jimmy is God Tier for me 😭🦘❤️🔥

What I love about this video is that at the end when the sugarcane is being burnt off Jimmy once shared that there where thousands of bugs and rats running out of the fire. So he is singing and having rats run over his feet!

I have had the pleasure of seeing Jimmy in the local pubs as Cold Chisel...his voice is famous here😊

I feel like there’s “rock” then there’s “Aussie Rock” which consists of a mixture of different genres including country, soul, rock etc Love your work mate!

Jimmy Barnes grew up in a working class town, in South Australia, in the Town of Elizabeth on the outskirts of the SA capitol City of Adaide. The main industry in Elizabeth (named after Queen Elizabeth II) was the Holden′s car factory, with smaller industrial company's. So Jimmy knew the working class men( and women) very well. His family was working class. In the 1990's one a friend of a friend who had the house Jimmy's family lived in showed us the shed-turned-studio in the backyard where Jimmy and friends played the new music coming out of Britain and wrote their own stuff. Adelaide was a nursery for music due to the influx of British migrants with their music obsessed kids. It still is a breeding ground for the arts, including music. Jimmy earned the right to sing this masterpiece because he lived it as a kid.

My favourite all time Barnesy song 👍❤️🇦🇺

Jimmy Barnes is an Australian legend. Through Covid Jimmy and his wife played together putting it on RU-vid bring some sweet music to sooth our souls. Jimmy's songs will live on forever.

you are a natural Aussie!! we love our powerhouse singers.... thank you for showing the world xx

Cold Chisel was my favourite band when I was a teenager. Loved Jimmy - he was a wild man.

This song is about us honest working hard yakka gents.....Jimmy mate you are a legend🇦🇺👏

I'm a bit late to this party, but I saw Jimmy Barnes/Cold Chisel in late 1979, support band for Rod Stewart Do You Think I'm Sexy tour, it was a VFL Park. Scared the crap outta me, I was up in the stands and it MOVED, I thought we were going to crash. Anyway, it was fun! I love watching you enjoy our great Aussie music, but gotta say sometimes I end up bawling, God I miss the 80s, it was FUN! I want to go back and do it again.

1985…I wasn’t born yet 😂😂 dude, you make me feel so old 😂😂

My favourite all time song back in Australia Powerful working class song👍👍👍👍

This song is played at the end of the 1985 movie Gung Ho with Michael Keaton. The song plays at the end of the movie, it’s one of my new favorite older songs! He’s got a fantastic voice.

I met Jimmy when he was finishing a book signing at a mall I had no idea he was even at. Shook my hand and was so humble! Wish I had the balls to ask for a photo but I couldn’t 😆 absolute legend though!

The Smile on your face mate makes me so happy! Jimmy is the man!

You are spot on with this being an anthem for Jimmy, just as Your the Voice is for John. Every Aussie knows and in most cases have grown up listening to these brilliant, talented and very humble artists.......how lucky are we! 💕

Oh mate, been waiting for this since I found you Nick 👍👍👍👍 my teenage memories revolve around this !!!💕💕💕💕💕

He has so much soul. ❤

This is our heritage

You need to do Cold Chisel Forever Now, one of their greatest songs with Jimmy singing a little "softer".

He is in my top three fav singers because of your reactions . Cold is my favorite .

The amazing fact is that he is still around and was performing at least pre Covid-19, cause he definitely had lived the wild rock and roll lifestyle , alcohol and drugs etc. Now he has sobered up and is the grandfather to several children…

Jimmy is the Aussie king of rock for sure.

I keep coming back to this reaction... love your smile when he starts belting it!

We love Jimmy and even today in any pub or club u can guarantee if the DJ plays khe sahn the whole building is up singing along and anyone who doesn't is unaustralian

This sing always reminds me of my Dad . 🇦🇺

'Ain't No Second Prize' may be my favourite song of his from this era.

That gesture he makes at 6.36, that you replayed is the Aussie Salute i.e. brushing away a fly! Last Train out of Sydney is a beauty too! Thanks so much!

Jimmy made his name as the lead singer of Cold Chisel, which was classed as a rock band, but i would say even when signing rock with Chisel, there was soul and blues. He's a great storyteller, and vocalist with amazing power, but a really nice person & a great family man along with it. If you asked me, I would say he's a soul singer, because he always sings with so much felling in his voice...you always feel it. If you listen to a Chisel track like "Four Walls" you can here the soul & blues feeling behind it...a really short track that always grabs me emotionally or listen to "All For You"...

WORKING CLASS MAN song also featured in a MOVIE Called "GUNG Ho".... with MICHAEL KEATON,... About the Car Industry in USA.

The issue of the sound of soul & blues type elements incorporated into the Aussie rock music, if you look at the personal history of AC/DC's Bon Scott, you sort of find the key as to why that is. When Rock n Roll music was first introduced to Australia it was introduced at the same time, to the same places, as the blues and soul music, but also, possibly what you're hearing as well, is that the only musicians able to play it were Australian Folk musicians (their modern day equivalents, would be artists like John Butler Trio, or Matt Corby). Bon Scott is a great example as he began his career as a folk singer, and one of his last recordings with AC/DC, Ride On, is very much more Australian Folk than it is Rock when you play it. Yet, it was released as Rock. Australian Folk Music genre, because of the similar situation of the people who first invented that genre (convicts over here), will have similarities to Blues and Soul.

James Dixon Barnes, began singing in 1973, with Cold Chisel. He was just 16!!! He's only 65 now! Yes, he's predominantly known as a rock singer

Jimmy Barnes ❤❤❤ too many great songs