Takin' Care of Business (1974) 6/16/20

Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings did NOT get along. Sure, they had a number of hits together as members of The Guess Who, but they were always butting heads.

For example: Bachman wrote a song called “White Collar Worker,” and pitched it to Cummings...who thought it sounded like a rip-off of the Beatles' “Paperback Writer” and rejected it outright.

He wasn't completely wrong, but Bachman was angry. In fact, it was one of the MANY reasons why Bachman left the group to start Bachman-Turner Overdrive with Fred Turner.

Still, Randy continued to work on the song, rewriting the chorus and tinkering with the verses. He kept the main guitar riff and some of the original lyrics, including “..take the 8:15 into the city...” but thought a change of title might help pull things together even more.

One day, as he was driving to a gig in Vancouver, British Columbia, he heard a DJ on the radio say he was “Takin' Care of Business.” Randy finally had his new title.

That night at the concert, Fred Turner's voice gave out, and after Randy jumped in and sang a few songs, he instructed the rest of the group to play the “White Collar Worker” chord progression over and over...and as they did, he sang his new version of the song, sprinkling his updated lyrics with the brand new title.

The crowd went nuts...and a “Great Song of 1974” was born!

With BTO being a Canadian group, you'd expect the song to be a hit in Canada, and it was, reaching #3 on their Top 40. In the US, it peaked at #12 on the Hot 100. It also has staying power. You can still hear it played regularly on classic rock stations in both countries.

BTO: “Takin' Care of Business” and making a “Great Song of the '70s!