DJ Allyn – The Soundtrack for my Life

Takin Care of Business ~ Bachman-Turner Overdrive  

Bachman-Turner Overdrive (frequently known as BTO) is a Canadian rock group from Winnipeg, Manitoba, that enjoyed a string of hit albums and singles in the 1970s.

The precursor to BTO was the band Brave Belt formed in Winnipeg in 1971 by Randy Bachman and Chad Allan, both formerly of The Guess Who, and drummer Robin “Robbie” Bachman. Randy initially planned to just produce the album for Allan, but eventually both he and Robbie stepped in to provide much of the instrumental work. When the record label wanted them to tour, Randy called fellow Winnipeg bassist/vocalist C.F. “Fred” Turner to perform in the band’s scheduled gigs by the suggestion of Neil Young.

The band had already mulled over using their surnames (à la Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young). While on their way back from a gig in Toronto, the group had spotted a copy of a trucker’s magazine called Overdrive at a Windsor truckstop, after which Turner wrote “Bachman-Turner Overdrive” and the initials “B.T.O.” on a serviette. The rest of the band decided the addition of “Overdrive” was the perfect way to describe their music.

Takin’ Care of Business

Randy Bachman wrote Takin’ Care of Business while still a member of The Guess Who.  His original idea was to write about a recording technician who worked on The Guess Who’s recordings. This particular technician would take the 8:15 train to get to work, inspiring the lyrics “catch the 8:15 to the city.” The standard uniform worn by technicians at the studio was a white collared shirt, which gave Randy the name “White Collar Worker.”

The guitar riff Randy had arranged for the song was blatantly that of The Beatles’ “Paperback Writer.” When Randy first played this for Burton Cummings, Burton declared that he was ashamed of him.

Sometime later Randy was driving and listening to the radio when he heard that particular radio show’s catch phrase “Takin’ Care of Business.” After this he rewrote the lyrics to “White Collar Worker” with a new chorus and the title “Takin’ Care of Business.” Along with this he wrote a new guitar riff, which was simply a I-VII-IV progression, played with a shuffle. (though the I-VII-IV progression is quite common, the riff became quite famous) The was recorded by Bachman-Turner Overdrive for their second album Bachman-Turner Overdrive II. It would reach #12 on Billboard and become B.T.O.’s most well known song.

You get up every morning from your 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 and get your pay
And if you ever get annoyed, look at me I’m self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day

And we’ll be taking care of business everyday
Taking care of business every way
I’ve been taking care of business, it’s alright
Taking 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 having fun just a-lying in the sun
You 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 been taking care of business everyday
Taking care of business every way
We’ve been taking care of business, it’s alright
Taking care of business and working overtime, work out

Taking care

They get up every morning from your 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 always look pretty

And if your train’s on time, you can get to work by nine
And start your slaving job and get your pay
Well, if you ever get annoyed, look at me, I’m self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day

And I’ll be taking care of business everyday
Taking care of business every way
I’ve been taking care of business, it’s alright
Taking care of business and working overtime, work out

Takin’ care of business, alright
Takin’ care of business
Takin’ care of business

Takin’ care of business, everyday
Takin’ care of business, ba-ba-baby
Takin’ care of business, it’s all mine
Takin’ care of business

And we’ll be takin’ care of business all night long
There’s business to be done

Other Songs Posted for this Artist

• April 2, 2009 -- Let it Ride ~ Bachman-Turner Overdrive
• February 23, 2009 -- Not Fragile ~ Bachman-Turner Overdrive