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/
Takin
Bachman-Turner Overdrive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take the 8:15 into the city
There's a whistle up above and people pushin', people shovin'
And the girls who try to look pretty
And if your train's on time, you can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job to get your pay
If you ever get annoyed, look at me I'm self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day
And I'll be takin' care of business (every day)
Takin' care of business (every way)
I've been takin' care of business (it's all mine)
Takin' care of business and working overtime, work out
If it were easy as fishin' you could be a musician
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
Get a second-hand guitar, chances are you'll go far
If you get in with the right bunch of fellows
People see you havin' fun just a-lying in the sun
Tell them that you like it this way
It's the work that we avoid, and we're all self-employed
We love to work at nothing all day
And we be taking care of business (every day)
Takin' care of business (every way)
We be takin' care of business (it's all mine)
Takin' care of business and working overtime
Mercy
Whoo
Alright, ow
Take good care of my business
When I'm away, every day
Whoo
They get up every morning from their alarm clock's warning
Take the 8:15 into the city
There's a whistle up above and people pushin', people shovin'
And the girls who try to look pretty
And if your train's on time, you can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job to get your pay
If you ever get annoyed, look at me I'm self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day
And I be takin' care of business (every day)
Takin' care of business (every way)
I've been takin' care of business (it's all mine)
Takin' care of business and working overtime, take care
Takin' care of business, whoo
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business (yep)
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business (every day)
Takin' care of business (every way)
Takin' care of business (it's all mine)
Takin' care of business and working overtime, whoo
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business
We be takin' care of business
We be takin' care of business, whoo
Takin' care of business, oh yeah
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of
The song "Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) is a classic rock anthem that celebrates the working person's daily grind while also promoting the idea of self-employment as a way out of that grind. The opening lines describe the familiar routine of getting up early, taking the train to the city, and dealing with the chaos of rush hour. The song suggests that the traditional nine-to-five job is dull and unfulfilling, and that self-employment is a way to avoid the drudgery of office life.
The chorus repeats the phrase "takin' care of business" over and over again, emphasizing the idea that work is an essential part of life, but it doesn't have to be a chore. The verses also mention the idea of finding creative fulfillment through music, with the suggestion that anyone can become a musician if they have the drive and the right connections.
Overall, "Takin' Care of Business" is a catchy, upbeat tune that encourages listeners to find their own path in life and take charge of their destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
You get up every morning from your alarm clock's warning
You wake up every day when your alarm clock sounds
Take the 8:15 into the city
You ride the 8:15 train to get to the city
There's a whistle up above and people pushin', people shovin'
There's a train whistle and people are crowded, trying to get on the train
And the girls who try to look pretty
There are girls who want to look nice
And if your train's on time, you can get to work by nine
If your train arrives on schedule, you can start work at 9am
And start your slaving job to get your pay
You begin your job to earn money
If you ever get annoyed, look at me I'm self-employed
If you get fed up with being employed, look at me because I work for myself
I love to work at nothing all day
I love to work at doing nothing all day
And I'll be taking care of business (every day)
I will manage my affairs regularly
Taking care of business (every way)
I will handle my business in all aspects
I've been taking care of business (it's all mine)
I have been managing my own business exclusively
Taking care of business and working overtime, work out
I will manage my work and overtime properly
If it were easy as fishin' you could be a musician
If being a musician were easy, anyone could do it
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
If you could produce loud or soft music
Get a second-hand guitar, chances are you'll go far
If you buy a cheap guitar, you might get lucky and become famous
If you get in with the right bunch of fellows
If you associate yourself with the right group of people
People see you having fun just a-lying in the sun
People will see you having fun, relaxing in the sun
Tell them that you like it this way
Tell them that you enjoy living like this
It's the work that we avoid, and we're all self-employed
We try to avoid working, and we all work for ourselves
We love to work at nothing all day
We enjoy working at doing nothing all day
And we be taking care of business (every day)
We will manage our affairs every day
We be been taking care of business (it's all mine)
We have been managing our own business exclusively
Taking care of business and working overtime
We will manage our work and overtime properly
Take good care of my business
Take good care of my affairs
When I'm away, every day
While I'm gone, every day
We be takin' care of business
We are managing our business
Takin' care of business
Managing our affairs
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Randy Bachman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@roman14032
the piano on this song was recorded by a guy who was delivering pizza to the studio that night
he told them the tune sounded cool but needed piano
they said they don't have a piano player in the band
he said "let me do it"
they let him do it
he did it
one take, no rehearsal
that guy is now one of the most respected classical musicians in the world
norman durkee
@shawndooley7778
Just introduced my 3 year old daughter to this song, she's now going round the house "taking care of busses. " attagirl
@domenikschmitz334
My two year old daughter loves it, too!
@pauljordan4452
Good on you. I'm now a self employed author, despite disability, and was introduced by my dad to a lot of good music at her age!
@xyzdna5288
CORRECT, IM THE MAN.....
@xyzdna5288
Well, money isn’t the only thing in life. Buddy, I’m just gonna make music and find a fine ass girlfriend...Woo hoo
@xyzdna5288
An I don’t want No swears in my future music.. Bad words lead to bad things good words good things, be Nice 💐
@peregrinefalcon2131
I always crack up when Homer Simpson yells "Skip to the working overtime part!"
@Andrew-zo5po
Thats how I got here
@killme8941
I'm here from american dad
@jj-ce8bb
My brother introduced me to this