‘Takin' Care of Business’ is a song written by Randy Bachman and first recorded by Canadian rock group Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO) for their 1973 album Bachman–Turner Overdrive II. The lead vocal is sung by Randy. The song was recorded by Bachman–Turner Overdrive in late 1973 for their second album Bachman–Turner Overdrive II. It reached number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (August 10, 1974), number 6 on the Cash Box Top 100, and number 3 on the Canadian RPM charts, and would become one of BTO's most enduring and well-known songs.
Randy Bachman had developed what would later become ‘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 "take the 8:15 into the city". Unfortunately, the other members of the band were not keen enough to turn the idea into a song.
While BTO was still playing smaller venues in support of its first album, Bachman was driving into Vancouver for a gig and listening to the radio when he heard local DJ Daryl B's catch phrase "We're takin' care of business". Lead vocalist Fred Turner's voice gave out before the band's last set that night. Bachman sang some cover songs to get through the last set, and on a whim, he told the band to play the C, B-flat and F chords (a I-VII-IV progression) over and over, and he sang "White Collar Worker" with the new words "Takin' Care of Business" inserted into the chorus. Recalled Randy: "When we finished the song that night, people kept clapping, stomping, and shouting 'takin' care of business' over and over. So we picked up the tempo again and reprised the song for another ten minutes. Afterwards, we all knew we had something."
After this, he rewrote the lyrics to ‘White Collar Worker’ with a new chorus and the title ‘Takin' Care of Business’. The new lyrics also take a self-ironic glance at the idea of glamorous rock stars who don't really need to work, contrasted with working-class men. Bachman says he then handed over the lyrics to Fred Turner with the thought that Turner would sing the lead vocal. But Turner handed them back, saying Randy should sing the lead as it would give himself a needed vocal break when the band performed live.
‘Takin' Care of Business’ spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, longer than any other BTO single. Cash Box called it "hard rock with a strong blues base ," stating that "Randy Bachman's lead vocals are perfect and the group's music is unbeatable." Record World said that "Old 'TCB' expression now comes to mean 'total colossal boogie.'"
Label – Mercury
Songwriter – Randy Bachman
Producer – Randy Bachman
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]You get up every morning from alarm clock's warning
Take the 8:15 into the city
There's a whistle up above and people pushing, people shoving
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 slavin' jobs and get your pay
If you ever get annoyed, look at me, I'm self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day
[Chorus]
And I've been 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
Whoo
[Guitar Solo]
[Verse 2]
If it were easy as fishing, you could be a musician
If you could make sounds loud or mellow
Get a secondhand 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
[Chorus]
And we've been takin' care of business, every day
Takin' care of business, every way
We've been takin' care of business, it's all mine
Takin' care of business and working overtime
Funky
[Guitar Solo]
[Bridge]
Whoo
All right, ow!
I love it!
Take good care of my business
When I'm away, every day
Whoo!
[Guitar Solo]
(Ha ha, whoo hoo, oh yeah)
[Verse 1]
You get up every morning from alarm clock's warning
Take the 8:15 into the city
There's a whistle up above and people pushing, people shoving
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 slavin' jobs and get your pay
If you ever get annoyed, look at me, I'm self-employed
I love to work at nothing all day
[Chorus]
And I've been 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
[Chorus]
Takin' care of business, whoo!
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business, yo
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, working overtime, whoo!
[Outro]
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business
We've been takin' care of business
We've been takin' care of business, whoo!
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business
Takin' care of business