Takin ' Care of Business ( song ) - wikipedia Takin ' Care of Business ( song ) This article is about the song by Bachman - Turner Overdrive. For the album by Charlie Rouse, see Takin ' Care of Business ( album ). `` Takin ' Care of Business '' 7 '' Single cover Single by Bachman -- Turner Overdrive from the album Bachman -- Turner Overdrive II B - side `` Stonegates '' Released January 1974 Recorded 1973 Genre Pop rock Length 4 : 50 Label Mercury Songwriter ( s ) Randy Bachman Producer ( s ) Randy Bachman Bachman -- Turner Overdrive singles chronology `` Let It Ride '' ( 1974 ) `` Takin ' Care of Business '' ( 1974 ) `` You Ai n't Seen Nothing Yet '' ( 1974 ) `` Let It Ride '' ( 1974 ) `` Takin ' Care of Business '' ( 1974 ) `` You Ai n't Seen Nothing Yet '' ( 1974 ) `` 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. Contents 1 Development 2 Chart performance 2.1 Weekly charts 2.2 Year - end charts 3 Pop culture 3.1 Elvis and the TCB Band 4 References Development 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. '' In the early arrangement for the song, which had the working title `` White Collar Worker '', the chorus riff and vocal melody were similar to that of The Beatles ' `` Paperback Writer ''. When Bachman first played this version for Burton Cummings, Cummings declared that he was ashamed of him and that The Guess Who would never record the song because the Beatles would sue them. Bachman still felt like the main riff and verses were good, it was only when the song got to the chorus that everyone hated it. While BTO was still playing smaller venues in support of its first album, Bachman was driving into Vancouver, British Columbia for a gig and listening to the radio when he heard a particular DJ 's ( Daryl B) 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. After this, he rewrote the lyrics to `` White Collar Worker '' with a new chorus and the title `` Takin ' Care of Business ''. Along with this he wrote a revised guitar riff, which was the I - VII - IV progression played with a shuffle. 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. The song was recorded by Bachman -- Turner Overdrive 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. `` Takin ' Care of Business '' spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, longer than any other BTO single. The original studio version, recorded at Kaye - Smith Studios in Seattle, Washington, features prominent piano, played by Norman Durkee. Durkee, an accomplished musician who would become musical director for Bette Midler and Barry Manilow, was recording commercials in the next studio when sound engineer Buzz Richmond asked him to play on `` Takin ' Care of Business ''. With paid - by - the - hour musicians waiting, Durkee had only a few minutes to spare. Quickly conferring with Randy Bachman, he scribbled down the chords, and, without listening to the song beforehand, recorded the piano part in one take. The fact that Durkee wrote the chords down on a pizza box may have been the source of the long - standing myth -- mischievously propagated by band members -- that the part had been played by a pizza deliveryman who had heard the track being played back, and then cajoled the band into giving him a chance to add piano to it. In 2011, Bachman said it was the most licensed song in Sony Music 's publishing catalogue. It is often referred to as `` the Provincial rock anthem of Manitoba. '' Bachman himself uses the song as the theme song for his CBC Radio music show, Vinyl Tap. Chart performance Weekly charts Chart ( 1974 ) Peak position Australia 14 Canada RPM US Billboard Hot 100 12 Year - end charts Chart ( 1974 ) Rank Canada 46 US Billboard 63 Pop culture In 1980, Kurtis Blow did a cover of Takin ' Care of Business on his self - titled debut album, with Mercury Records. Elvis and the TCB band During his last few years of life, Elvis Presley adopted `` Taking Care of Business in a Flash '' as a motto, abbreviated as TCB and associated with a lightning bolt. The logo can be seen on one of his airplanes, and is still used in Elvis merchandise. His entertainment room at Graceland also shows his dedication to that motto. His last backup group was called the TCB Band, which still plays under the name. Elvis had been a major influence on Bachman, who in 2010 said he had been aware of rumors about the origins of the TCB name but had not had them confirmed until watching a documentary about Elvis in which his widow confirmed the BTO connection. In an interview with Larry London of Voice of America, Bachman commented that Elvis had recorded a version of the song but that it would probably never be released. In 2004, Bachman rewrote the song into a Christmas version titled `` Takin ' Care of Christmas '', which was released on a holiday CD of the same title. References ^ Jump up to : Gary James interview with Randy Bachman at www.classicbands.com Jump up ^ Interview track on King Biscuit : Bachman -- Turner Overdrive, King Biscuit Flower Hour Records Jump up ^ `` Bachman - Turner Overdrive - Chart History ''. billboard.com. Retrieved March 6, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Takin ' Care of Business ''. Snopes.com. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Behind the Four - Wheel Drive ''. Mark After Dark interview with Robbie Bachman at www.newyorkwaste.com Jump up ^ Patch, Nick ( 2011 - 09 - 07 ). `` In ' Vinyl Tap Stories, ' Randy Bachman tells 50 years of rock ' n ' roll tales ''. winnipegfreepress.com. Retrieved 8 September 2011. Jump up ^ Steffen Hung. `` Forum - 1970 ( ARIA Charts : Special Occasion Charts ) ''. Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016 - 06 - 02. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada ''. Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Top Pop Singles '' Billboard December 28, 1974 : Talent in Action - 8 Jump up ^ Pat Pemberton, `` Bachman - Turner Overdrive Inspired Elvis to Take Care of Business '', Spinner ( AOL.ca ), July 15, 2010. Assessed March 25, 2012. Jump up ^ AllVoices, `` Randy Bachman Interview on VOA 's Border Crossings Part 1 video : Randy Bachman talks about the return of classic rock bands like Bachman - Turner Overdrive, his radio show `` Randy 's Vinyl Tap, '' and why he never met Elvis Presley '' Archived September 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine., 2010. Assessed March 25, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Takin ' Care Of Christmas ''. cduniverse.com. Bachman -- Turner Overdrive Billy Chapman Blair Thornton Brent Howard Fred Turner David Reimer Garry Peterson Jim Clench John Cody Marc LaFrance Mick Dalla - Vee Randy Bachman Randy Murray Robbie Bachman Tim Bachman Vince Ditrich Studio albums Bachman -- Turner Overdrive ( 1973 ) Bachman -- Turner Overdrive II ( 1973 ) Not Fragile ( 1974 ) Four Wheel Drive ( 1975 ) Head On ( 1975 ) Freeways ( 1977 ) Street Action ( 1978 ) Rock n ' Roll Nights ( 1979 ) Bachman -- Turner Overdrive ( 1984 ) Trial by Fire : Greatest and Latest ( 1996 ) Live albums B.T.O. Live -- Japan Tour ( 1977 ) Live Live Live ( 1986 ) Best of Bachman -- Turner Overdrive Live ( 1994 ) Motorcity Detroit USA Live ( 1997 ) King Biscuit Flower Hour : Bachman -- Turner Overdrive ( 1998 ) Compilation albums Best of B.T.O. ( So Far ) ( 1976 ) You Ai n't Seen Nothing Yet ( 1983 ) BTO 's Greatest ( 1986 ) The Anthology ( 1993 ) Takin ' Care of Business ( 1998 ) Best of B.T.O. ( Remastered Hits ) ( 1998 ) 20th Century Masters : The Millennium Collection : The Best of Bachman -- Turner Overdrive ( 2000 ) The Very Best of Bachman -- Turner Overdrive ( 2001 ) Bachman -- Turner Overdrive Gold ( 2005 ) Singles `` Blue Collar '' ( 1973 ) `` Let It Ride '' ( 1974 ) `` Takin ' Care of Business '' ( 1974 ) `` You Ai n't Seen Nothing Yet '' ( 1974 ) `` Roll On down the Highway '' ( 1975 ) `` Hey You '' ( 1975 ) `` Down to the Line '' ( 1975 ) `` Take It Like a Man '' ( 1976 ) `` Lookin ' Out for Number 1 '' ( 1976 ) `` Gimme Your Money Please '' ( 1976 ) `` My Wheels Wo n't Turn '' ( 1977 ) `` Shotgun Rider '' ( 1977 ) `` Down the Road '' ( 1978 ) `` Jamaica '' ( 1979 ) `` Heartaches '' ( 1979 ) `` Service with a Smile '' ( 1984 ) `` For the Weekend '' ( 1984 ) `` The House of the Rising Sun '' ( 1996 ) NBA on TBS Related programs NBA on TNT NBA All - Star Weekend NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Championship Related articles Ratings Atlanta Hawks broadcasters Key figures Marv Albert Tim Brando Kevin Calabro Chip Caray Skip Caray Jim Durham Mike Gorman Kevin Harlan Verne Lundquist Bob Neal Mel Proctor Dick Stockton Ron Thulin Pete Van Wieren Color commentators Danny Ainge John Andariese Rick Barry Hubie Brown Quinn Buckner Doug Collins Chuck Daly Mike Fratello Walt Frazier Jack Givens Mike Glenn Rod Hundley Steve Jones John MacLeod Don Nelson Bill Raftery Doc Rivers Oscar Robertson Bill Russell John Thompson Dick Versace Bill Walton Studio hosts Vince Cellini Fred Hickman Ernie Johnson Jr. Studio analysts Scott Hastings Kenny Smith Reggie Theus Peter Vecsey Sideline reporters Kevin Kiley Cheryl Miller Craig Sager Contributors Bryan Burwell Jim Huber NBA Drafts 1985 1986 Music `` The Payback '' `` Catch Us If You Can '' `` Takin ' Care of Business '' `` Bad '' `` Higher Ground '' Lore Christmas Day Celtics -- Pistons rivalry Charlotte Hornets Founded in 1988 Formerly the Charlotte Bobcats ( 2004 -- 2014 ) Based in Charlotte, North Carolina Franchise History Seasons 1988 Expansion Draft 2004 Expansion Draft Draft history All - time roster Head coaches Accomplishments Broadcasters Current season Arenas Charlotte Coliseum Spectrum Center Administration Owner Michael Jordan President of basketball operations / General manager Mitch Kupchak Head coach James Borrego General managers Scheer Bass Bickerstaff Higgins Cho Kupchak G League affiliate Greensboro Swarm Retired numbers 13 Hall of Famers Robert Parish Alonzo Mourning Dave Cowens Larry Brown Culture and lore Buzz City George Shinn Hugo Charlotte Honey Bees `` Grandmama '' `` Zo '' Patrick K. Doughty NBA Playoff appearances ( 10 ) 1995 2014 2016 Media TV Fox Sports Carolinas Fox Sports Southeast Radio WFNZ Announcers Eric Collins Dell Curry Stephanie Ready Steve Martin Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Takin%27_Care_of_Business_(song)&oldid=841981778 '' Categories : 1973 songs 1974 singles Bachman -- Turner Overdrive songs Mercury Records singles New York Mets Songs about labor Songs written by Randy Bachman Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 19 May 2018, at 11 : 43 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the song taking care of business about
Answer: a recording technician who worked on The Guess Who's recordings