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Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Takin' Care Of Business

Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Takin' Care Of Business Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Bachman-Turner Overdrive II
Released: 1973

Takin' Care Of Business Lyrics

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 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 taking care of business (every day)
Taking care of business (every way)
I've been taking care of business (it's all mine)
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
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)
Taking care of business (every way)
We be been taking care of business (it's all mine)
Taking care of business and working overtime

Mercy
Whoo
All right

Take good care of my business
When I'm away, every day
Whoo

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 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 taking care of business (every day)
Taking care of business (every way)
I've been taking care of business (it's all mine)
Taking care of business and working overtime, take care

Takin' Care Of Business, whoo
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business
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
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business

Writer/s: BACHMAN, RANDY
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Takin' Care Of Business Song Chart

This song was written by Randy Bachman , who also sang lead on the track. He explained to classicbands.com that he came up with the idea for the song in the late-'60s while he was still a member of The Guess Who. Bachman loved "Paperback Writer" by The Beatles, and he used that music to create a song about going to work called "White Collar Worker," which needed a new hook to complete. The song lay dormant until Bachman formed Bachman-Turner Overdrive and were playing a show when lead singer Fred Turner's voice gave out. Forced to sing for a set, Bachman told the band to "Play these three chords over and over - C, B flat, and F - endlessly and when I get to the hook, help me out."

Bachman was listening to C-Fox radio on the way to the club and heard the DJ say they were "Takin' Care of Business," which gave him the idea for the hook. Singing his lyrics to "White Collar Worker," Bachman sang "Takin' Care of Business" in the breakdown, and he had his song.

The band captured the feel of jamming in the club by having Bachman sing it, which Turner appreciated since it would give his voice a rest at their shows. Bachman had a sore throat and a head cold when he recorded his vocals.

The song propelled the phrase "Takin' care of business" into the popular lexicon, forever to be used by athletes, performers and the common man to indicate they are on the job.

Although "Takin' care of business" had never before been sung in a popular song, it was far from the first use of the phrase in the musical landscape. Elvis Presley loved the saying - he wore a "TCB" necklace and called his backing group "The TCB Band." Aretha Franklin alluded to it in her hit cover of "Respect," where she sang, "Take care, TCB."

Randy Bachman: "Ralph (Murphy) and I wrote a song in '67 called 'A Little Bit Of Rain.' That riff is used in the middle of 'Takin' Care Of Business,' just to break the monotony because 'Takin' Care Of Business' was three chords over and over and over. It had no bridge. No hook. No song format, other than that it was 'Louie Louie.' Endless, mind-bashing of three chords. And the original version, as I explained at the Ryman, had twelve chords. That's why nobody liked it. It had an incredible number of chords."

While the song title implies an industrious responsibility, a closer listen reveals that this song is more of a slacker anthem. The singer is presumably unemployed, and he "loves to work at nothing all day."

Norman Durkee played the piano on this track. So who is this Norman fellow? John Presho, who knew Bachman and worked security at their concerts, gives this account:
"Randy Bachman told me that when BTO was in the recording studio the record producer wasn't happy with the raw version of that song. BTO took a time out, ordered a pizza and went back to work on the song. A while later there was a knock on the studio door and it was the pizza delivery man. After giving the band their pizza he commented that 'Takin' Care of Business' was a great song but it needed some piano playing. The pizza man introduced himself as Norman and said that he was a piano player. BTO thanked and tipped him and sent him on his way. Hours later with no improvement in the song they decided to call Norman, but no one got his phone number or could remember the name of the pizza place. BTO called a half dozen pizza houses before they were able to track him down. The band paid Herman's $75 to join the musicians union so he could play the piano in the recording studio."

Throughout the early '90s, this was used in commercials for Office Depot to promote their business services. Hillary Clinton used it at many of her campaign events in 2008 when she ran for president of the US.

A cover of this song was included on the first rap album released by a major label. It happened in 1980 when Kurtis Blow recorded it for his self-titled album.

This holds the record for largest guitar jam in history. On May 7, 1994, Bachman led 1,322 mostly-amateur guitarists in a performance of this that lasted 68 minutes. The event was held in Vancouver.

The Guess Who played this on their 2000 reunion tour. Bachman was in The Guess Who before leaving to form Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

Randy Bachman and C.F Turner reunited in 2000 for an appearance on The Simpsons that featured this song. At a concert, Homer heckles the band until they play this, then tells them to "Get to the 'working overtime' part."

The song title as well as the band's name are mentioned in the Crude but humorous video game Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, where a character claims the song was written about her. (thanks, Logan - Troy, MT)

Bachman's autobiography is titled Randy Bachman, Takin' Care Of Business.