Album: Bachman-Turner Overdrive II (1973)

Charted: 12

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• 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'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 Writer/s: Randy Bachman
  Publisher: CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 25

• Keith from OhioRandy tells the story of almost meeting Elvis [ no last name needed ] and he says " the boys met Elvis and never told me about it so i did not get to meet him'. Elvis ask "hey where is Randy the guy who wrote Taking Care Of business " and the boys suposeley told Elvis he couldn't make it, this was in 1973 when the song came out, but Elvis had been using the term TCB since 1969 Randy goes on to say Elvis said i got that from him, how could this be Elvis had been using it since 1969 and the song didn't come out until 1973?
• Spudth from New YorkRandy Bachman tells a slightly different version of the Pizza guy story to the professor of rock. I would tend to believe the story I saw him tell as it made sense. Andrew of London, we all know now that snopes is high on itself and not always correct.
• Annabelle from Eugene, OrI wonder what the "whistle up above" refers to. Are they working in a factory?
• Kim Greatrex from NjWhat are they yelling 2 minutes into the song that sounds like Brad Feldman? After wooh.
• Dave from Moscow, Russia FederationDoes anyone know how they got that strange 16-th note knocking sound that persists throughout the song? Like knuckles on a conga drum, or something. Too low in the mix to identify.
• Andrew from London, United KingdomHere's the link for the real story of the piano on the song:
  http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/tcob.asp
• Andrew from London, United KingdomThe story of the pizza man piano player is not correct. Look up Normal Durkee on snopes.com. He was a proper session musician who was working in the same studio when they recorded the song.
• Jason from Aurora, CoDavid in Birmingham, Al.
  It's like the way some people mis pronounce Neil Peart's last name. It's pronounced PEERT not Pert!
• David from Birmingham, AlBy the way, Randy's last name has been mispronounced by generations of deejays and fans. It's BACK-man...not BOCK-man.
• Ken from Louisville, KyThe lyrics say it all. Tired of the 9 to 5? Get a guitar, learn a few chords and be a rock star! It's easy! It sounds like a lyrics Frank Zappa would have written. Another song in the same vein is "Money For Nothing".
• Justin from Mt Vernon, WaI participated in the record setting for the largest jam session. That was a fun experience and It looks awesome on a resume, and yes it has got ten me a job!
• Jason from Denver, CoWhen I was a teenager growing up in Manistee, Michigan, My friends and I went to a place called "Johnny's of Custer" in Custer,Mich.We would go to the Saturday Night teen dance and do The Gator to this song.
• Ryan from Somewhere In, NjI guess it wasn't supposed to be about anything, but the first time I heard TCOB (noone menchoned that it was a famous Elvis Presley phrase), it sounded like Bachman was talking about how everyone who goes through so much fuss to get paid. There are few people in the world today that actually do what they love to do the most, and list it as a proffesion. It sounded to me like Bachman was trying to express that he loves to write and play music.
  
• Brian from New York, NyHas been played at Muts games for two years.
  
  Oh, did I say Muts? Most people spell it with an E but Yankees fans spell it with a U!
• Nunzio from Darwin, AustraliaThis goes about 4mins 45sec on the original 45 but
  when K-Tel records did a comp in 74 called MIND BENDER it was cut back to 3 mins. It's the last track side 1. Vers 2 is gone & so is one of the instramental breaks. Elton Johns "Sarturday Nights
  Alright..." (4.55) was cut to 2.50 on same LP.
• George from Ottawa, CanadaA fellow by the name of Norman Durkee plays piano on this song. The story behind his performance on the song is that Mr. Durkee was a pizza delivery guy who dropped into the wrong studio with a pizza (apparently that had been ordered by Steve Miller who reportedly was in another studio in the building) and he commented to Randy Bachman that the song needed some spicing up with a bit of honky-tonk-like piano and he showed Randy what he had in mind. BTO decided to give the idea a try and liked it and made the recording with Mr. Durkee. He gets piano-palying credit for the song on the album cover.
• Allan from Vanderhoof, CanadaAs Maurie noted, Randy put out a CD, Every Song Tells a Story, which is actually the soundtrack to a TV special. The story he tells about the creation of TCB takes a while, but it's great. It incorporates a sore-throated singer, Santana, a Vancouver DJ and a Beatles rip-off - among other things. Randy is a natural storyteller, great CD.
• Rob from Vancouver, CanadaC-Fun is a ladies talk radio station these days. Nice ref Fiona.
• Fiona from Napier, New Zealand"It's BTO -- they're Canada's answer to ELP! Their big hit was TCB! That's how we talked in the 70's. We didn't have a moment to spare."
  
  Sorry, couldn't resist.
• Katheren from Augusta, MeThis is one of my fav songs
  - Katheren, Augusta, ME
  I like this song
  - Katheren, Augusta, ME
  countless sports teams used this song as a theme in the 70's and early 80's while showing highlights on tv.....i remember the chicago white sox used this as a theme one year....
  - Scott, chicago, IL
  this is an awsome song.
  - Dani, Winnipeg, Canada
  I hate this song..........Reminds me of work
  - Jade, Chippewa Falls, WI
  This is Homer Simpson's favorite song. On one of their episodes The Guess Who play and Homer requests that they play Takin Care of Business. Of course they tell him they dont play that song, he refuses to listen.
  - Zach, Faribault, MN
  The title of this song came to Randy Bachman while he was listening to a Vancouver radio stion and the DJ on the air at the time (on CFUN radio - DARYL BURLINGHAM better known as "Daryl B") would always say "... Hey it's Daryl B on CFUN radio, and we're taking care of Business..." and Randy thought that would make a good title to a song! Folks if you are a Guess Who fan like I am.. you NEED to get Randy's new CD.. "Every Song Tells a Story" it was recorded Live in Vancouver, and he tells the story of all his hits! its an amazing CD! www.randybachman.com
  - Maurie, Toronto, Canada
  
• Scott from Chicago, Ilcountless sports teams used this song as a theme
  in the 70's and early 80's while showing highlights on tv.....i remember the chicago white sox used this as a theme one year....
• Dani from Winnipeg, Canadathis is an awsome song.
• Jade from Chippewa Falls, WiI hate this song..........Reminds me of work
• Zach from Faribault, MnThis is Homer Simpson's favorite song. On one of their episodes The Guess Who play and Homer requests that they play Takin Care of Business. Of course they tell him they dont play that song, he refuses to listen.
  
• Maurie from Toronto, CanadaThe title of this song came to Randy Bachman while he was listening to a Vancouver radio stion and the DJ on the air at the time (on CFUN radio - DARYL BURLINGHAM better known as "Daryl B") would always say "... Hey it's Daryl B on CFUN radio, and we're taking care of Business..." and Randy thought that would make a good title to a song! Folks if you are a Guess Who fan like I am.. you NEED to get Randy's new CD.. "Every Song Tells a Story" it was recorded Live in Vancouver, and he tells the story of all his hits! its an amazing CD! www.randybachman.com
  

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