The precursor to BTO was the band Brave Belt, which was formed in 1970 by Randy Bachman and Chad Allan (both of The Guess Who), Robbie Bachman and Fred Turner. An original form of the group included musician Keith Emerson of The Nice (and later of Emerson, Lake & Palmer), but he was dropped due to illness. After two moderately successful Brave Belt albums came out, Allan was replaced by Tim Bachman, the third of the Bachman brothers, and the band changed its name to Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
Hailing from Winnipeg, Canada as stated before, BTO released their first album under that name in the spring of 1973. Their second album was Bachman-Turner Overdrive II, and it became a massive hit in the US and their native Canada. It also yielded their best-remembered single, "Takin' Care of Business" written by Randy Bachman. BTO were one of the early hard rock bands which opted for songs backed by catchy melodies and powerful riffing. The band also promoted a strait-laced lifestyle due to the Mormon religious beliefs of Randy Bachman.
Tim Bachman left because of limited performance skills and personal lifestyle issues, and was replaced by Blair Thornton. The first album with the modified lineup, 1974's Not Fragile became a hit, including the #1 single "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". The band continued to steadily produce successful albums through the mid-1970s including Four Wheel Drive and Head On (both 1975).
After the release of Freeways in 1977, Randy Bachman left the group for a solo career and another band, Ironhorse. Randy was replaced by Jim Clench, formerly of April Wine, and BTO released a pair of albums before breaking up in 1979. They reunited in 1983, leading to a lawsuit between the brothers, as one group, led by Randy, toured as Bachman-Turner Overdrive and another, led by Robbie, toured as BTO (Robbie Bachman, Fred Turner, Blair Thornton, and Randy Murray). Interestingly enough, in 1984 the line up for Bachman-Turner's first studio LP in 5 years consisted of Randy and Tim Bachman, Fred Turner and Garry Peterson on drums. In 1986 they were the opening band for the newly reformed Van Halen. By that time Fred Turner had left the band, probably to join the "other" BTO. Robbie Bachman's BTO toured and performed until early 2005.
Musicians Randy Bachman and Fred Turner reunited in 2010 for a tour and collaboration on new songs. In 2010, they notably played the half-time show at the Grey Cup in Edmonton, AB.
Website: http://www.bachmanandturner.com/
Blue Collar
Bachman-Turner Overdrive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'll walk mine
And should we meet
Would you spare me some time?
'Cause you should see my world, meet my kind
Before you judge our minds
Sleep your sleep
I'm awake and alive
I keep late hours
You're nine to five
So I would like you know I need the quiet hours
To create in this world of mine
Blue collar
I'd like you to know at four in the morning
Things are coming mine
All I've seen, all I've done
And those I hope to find
I'd like to remind you at four in the morning, my world is very still
The air is fresh under diamond skies
Makes me glad to be alive
You keep that beat
And I keep time
Your restless face
Is no longer mine
I rest my feet while the world's in heat
And I wish that you could do the same
Blue collar
Ah, blue collar
The song Blue Collar by Bachman-Turner Overdrive is a poignant representation of the life of the working class. The song is a dialogue between two people who come from different backgrounds, with different routines and work schedules. The singer is a blue-collar worker who works late hours and thinks deeply about the world around him, whereas the other person is a typical nine-to-fiver who sleeps through the night.
The singer is asking the other person to take a look at his world before forming any judgments. He points out that their lives are very different from each other - the blue-collar worker's life is full of hard work and long hours, whereas the other person has a more relaxed and comfortable lifestyle. The singer also acknowledges that he needs the quiet hours to create something meaningful in his life.
The song is a celebration of the blue-collar workers who, despite working long hours and doing hard labor, still find ways to be creative and make something meaningful out of their lives. The singer's world may be noisy and hard, but it is still a world worth living in. The song reminds us that hard work and dedication can lead to a great sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
Walk your street
Live your life, go your own way
And I'll walk mine
I'll do the same, I'll live my life the way I want to
And should we meet
And if our paths cross
Would you spare me some time?
Will you take some time to listen to what I have to say?
'Cause you should see my world, meet my kind
Before you judge me or my lifestyle, you should try to understand where I come from and who I am
Before you judge our minds
Don't make assumptions about what I'm thinking or who I am without getting to know me first
Blue collar
I'm a member of the working class, I work with my hands and get my hands dirty
Sleep your sleep
Go to bed, rest and dream
I'm awake and alive
I'm up and ready to create or work, I have energy and ambition
I keep late hours
I work into the night, I'm committed to my craft
You're nine to five
You have a regular job that starts and ends at certain times
So I would like you know I need the quiet hours
I require time alone and in silence to focus on my work and create
To create in this world of mine
To make something that's important to me, to express myself through my work
I'd like you to know at four in the morning
I want to let you know that early in the morning, when others are sleeping, I'm working and creating
Things are coming mine
New ideas and inspirations are coming to me
All I've seen, all I've done
My experiences in life, both good and bad
And those I hope to find
My goals and aspirations for the future
I'd like to remind you at four in the morning, my world is very still
I want to let you know that early in the morning, when most people are asleep, everything is quiet and peaceful in my world
The air is fresh under diamond skies
The air outside is refreshing and clear, and the stars are shining brightly in the sky
Makes me glad to be alive
I feel grateful and fortunate to be alive and able to experience these moments
You keep that beat
You have your own path in life, your own things to do
And I keep time
I have my own pace, I do things in my own way
Your restless face
Your face shows stress, anxiety, and frustration from your lifestyle
Is no longer mine
I don't feel that same stress and frustration anymore, because I'm doing what I love and following my own path
I rest my feet while the world's in heat
I take a break and relax while others are busy and stressed out
And I wish that you could do the same
I hope that someday you'll find your own path and be able to enjoy life like I do
Ah, blue collar
Being a member of the working class is a part of who I am and I'm proud of it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHARLES TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@caseyhenry4217
Walk your street
And I'll walk mine
And should we meet
Would you spare me some time?
'Cause you should see my world, meet my kind
Before you judge our minds
Blue collar
Sleep your sleep
I'm awake and alive
I keep late hours
You're nine to five
So I would like you know I need the quiet hours
To create in this world of mine
Blue collar
I'd like you to know at four in the morning
Things are coming mine
All I've seen, all I've done
And those I hope to find
I'd like to remind you at four in the morning, my world is very still
The air is fresh under diamond skies
Makes me glad to be alive
You keep that beat
And I keep time
Your restless face
Is no longer mine
I rest my feet while the world's in heat
And I wish that you could do the same
Blue collar
Ah, blue collar
@georgeegermayer6528
this song doesn't get nearly the credit it truly deserves
@rjjcms1
Much as I enjoy You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet in its own way,hearing this is a pleasant surprise. A hit in the US but in the UK,apparently.
@charleshill5093
This is probably Bachman-Turner Overdrive at their finest they made a lot of great Tunes but this is one of my all-time favorites
@kenmartin6776
Right-on! Excellent writing, by C.F. Turner!
@ETandAssociates
Charles Hill, I agree. The first time I heard Blue Collar very, very early one morning, I thought BTO was a jazz/rock/fusion band. I'd never heard of them until then.
Blue Collar epitomizes the combined genius of Bachman and Turner and will remain their most iconic song. The tempo change at 4:38 is one of the best I've ever heard.
@caryd23
I agree!
@janicetorrey8132
This is one of my favorite songs. It takes me back to Loveland, CO in the 70s. Sitting on my friends’ front porch very late on a warm summer night, listening to this song with drink in hand, talking about saving the world. Sadly, he died in 2017, but hearing this and remembering Dave is awesome!
@bryantrenholm385
Yep - take out the "probably".
@jmichael34
I hear this song and think back to summer 1973 as a blue collar worker on third shift at Allied Chemical in Toledo. I'd take my break in the middle of the night and sit on the outside scaffolding to escape the heat and gaze at the starlit sky. The nighttime was so quiet and calm, and this perfect song was playing in my head.
@simguns8388
Same here. Except I was at the Sherwin William's Factory in Dayton Ohio.