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/
Taking Care of Business
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 lyrics of “Takin Care Of Business” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive describe the daily routine of office workers commuting into the city on the train. The song talks about how people in the office work hard to make a living and receive their pay every day. The writer of the song, Randy Bachman, describes himself as self-employed and working at “nothing all day”. The song celebrates the freedom of being self-employed and doing what you enjoy. The lyrics suggest that work should be fun and not a burden, and that self-employment is the best way to achieve this.
The song is a classic rock anthem and was released in 1973. It has since become an iconic song that has been used in countless movies, TV shows, and commercials. The catchy chorus "takin' care of business" has become a popular catchphrase and has been used in a variety of settings. The song's upbeat tempo and catchy guitar riffs make it a party favorite.
Line by Line Meaning
They get up every morning from their alarm clock's warning
Every morning, they wake up to the sound of their alarm clock.
Take the 8:15 into the city
They take the 8:15 train into the city.
There's a whistle up above and people pushin', people shovin'
There's a train whistle and lots of people moving and pushing around them in the train station.
And the girls who try to look pretty
There are women trying to look attractive.
And if your train's on time, you can get to work by nine
If the train arrives on time, they can get to work at 9am.
And start your slaving job to get your pay
When they arrive at work, they start their demanding job in order to earn money.
If you ever get annoyed, look at me I'm self-employed
If they ever get tired of their job, they remind themselves that they are self-employed and work on what they love to do all day.
I love to work at nothing all day
They love working at what they do all day, which is essentially their passion.
And I'll be takin' care of business (every day)
Every day, they focus on their work and take care of it.
Takin' care of business (every way)
They take care of their work in every possible way.
I've been takin' care of business (it's all mine)
They have been taking care of their business and it belongs solely to them.
Takin' care of business and working overtime, work out
They work hard on their business every day, even overtime, to make it successful.
If it were easy as fishin' you could be a musician
If making music was easy as fishing, anyone could be a musician.
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
If you have the ability to create music, whether loud or soft.
Get a second-hand guitar, chances are you'll go far
If you get a used guitar and are talented, chances are you will be successful as a musician.
If you get in with the right bunch of fellows
If you surround yourself with the right people in the music industry.
People see you havin' fun just a-lying in the sun
People perceive musicians as having fun and carefree lives.
Tell them that you like it this way
If people question how you spend your time, simply say it's how you like it.
It's the work that we avoid, and we're all self-employed
Many people don't want to work and wish they could be self-employed.
We love to work at nothing all day
Self-employed people enjoy working on things they are passionate about all day long.
And we be taking care of business (every day)
Self-employed people work on their business every single day.
We be takin' care of business (it's all mine)
Their business is solely their own responsibility.
Takin' care of business and working overtime
They work hard on their business even beyond standard working hours.
Take good care of my business
Take good care of my business when I'm not around.
When I'm away, every day
Even when the singer is not physically present, their business still requires attention every day.
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