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/
The Letter
Bachman-Turner Overdrive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I ain't got time to take no fast train
Oh, the lonely days are gone
I'm coming home
Oh, my baby she wrote me a letter
I don't care how much money I got to spend
I won't find my way, way back home again
I'm coming home
Yeah my baby, she wrote me a letter
Well she wrote me the letter
Said that she couldn't live without me no more
Listen to me mister please don't you ever
My baby once more
Anyway
I don't care how much I've gotta spend
I'm gonna find my way, gonna find my way back home again
Oh, the lonely days are gone
I'm coming home, yeah
Well my baby she wrote me a letter
Yeah
Well she wrote me a letter
Said she couldn't live without me no more
Oh listen to me mister don't jump the rail
For my baby once more
Anyway
Give me a ticket for an aeroplane
I ain't got time to take no fast train
Oh, the lonely days are gone
I'm coming home
Yeah, my baby she wrote me a letter
My baby wrote me a letter
My baby wrote me a letter
My baby wrote me a letter
The lyrics to Bachman-Turner Overdrive's song The Letter tell a story of a man who receives a letter from his lover and believes it's time to come home to her. He asks for a ticket for a plane because he doesn't have the luxury of taking the time to ride a train, and he doesn't care how much it costs. He's determined to find his way back home to be with the writer of the letter. She wrote it to tell him that she couldn't live without him anymore, and he's thrilled about it. He begs the listener not to make the same mistake he did and jump the rail for their lover.
The song is filled with emotion and urgency, as the man tries to get back to his lover. He's been lonely for far too long, and he's finally found a path back to the love of his life. The repetition of the line "my baby she wrote me a letter" reinforces the importance of the letter and the impact it has on his decision to come home. The song's upbeat tempo and catchy melody make it a memorable and enjoyable piece of classic rock.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me a ticket for an aeroplane
I need a plane ticket to get home quickly
I ain't got time to take no fast train
Taking a fast train won't be quick enough for me to get home
Oh, the lonely days are gone
I'm no longer lonely since I'm returning home soon
I'm coming home
I'm finally returning home to my loved one
Oh, my baby she wrote me a letter
My significant other wrote me a letter informing me that she misses me and needs me home
I don't care how much money I got to spend
I'm willing to spend any amount of money to get home quickly
I won't find my way, way back home again
I won't give up until I find my way back home
Well she wrote me the letter
My significant other wrote me a letter expressing her love and need for me to come home
Said that she couldn't live without me no more
My significant other can't go on living without me by her side
Listen to me mister please don't you ever
Please listen to me and don't give up on finding true love
My baby once more
I can't wait to be with my significant other once again
I'm gonna find my way, gonna find my way back home again
I'm determined to find my way back home to reunite with my significant other
My baby wrote me a letter
My significant other expressed her love and need for me to come home in writing
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: WAYNE CARSON THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind