Featured Unknown/Underrated Song of the Rock Era: BTO's "Takin' Care of Business"

If you don't succeed at first, try, try again.  We've all heard it, and this group in 1974 had yet to enjoy a Top 10 song, so they released a third single.  It didn't reach the Top 10 either, peaking at #12.  The problem was that it was a huge success; unfortunately, the people that put music charts together had the wrong methodology to put their charts together.  Because by all accounts, this song was a smash hit (and Top 10 song) everywhere it was played--I was working at a radio station at the time and saw it.  In fact, our station (KFXD) placed this song in the Top 10 for the year.  Office Depot certainly saw the value when they adopted it as their theme song.  Any radio station that didn't play this song back then (and for that matter doesn't play it now) was (and is) out of touch.

Takin' Care of Business

Bachman-Turner Overdrive

 

Lyrics and Music by Randy Bachman

 

You get up every morning
From your 'larm 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
Whooooo
All right

[Instrumental Interlude]

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

You get up every morning
From your 'larm 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

[Brief Instrumental Interlude]

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
Whoooo
Takin' care of business
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

[Fades Out]