Takin' Care Of Business

"Takin' Care Of Business" was written by Bachman-Turner Overdrive guitarist Randy Bachman, who also sang lead on the track. He explained to classicbands.com that he came up with the idea in the late '60s while he was still a member of The Guess Who. Bachman loved "Paperback Writer" by The Beatles, and he used that music to create a song about going to work called "White Collar Worker," which needed a new hook to complete. The song lay dormant until Bachman formed Bachman-Turner Overdrive. They were playing a show when lead singer Fred Turner's voice gave out. Forced to sing for a set, Bachman told the band to "Play these three chords over and over - C, B flat, and F - endlessly and when I get to the hook, help me out." Bachman was listening to C-Fox radio on the way to the club and heard the DJ say they were "Takin' Care of Business," which gave him the idea for the hook. Singing his lyrics to "White Collar Worker," Bachman sang "Takin' Care of Business" in the breakdown, and he had his song. The band captured the feel of jamming in the club by having Bachman sing it, which Turner appreciated since it would give his voice a rest at their shows. Bachman had a sore throat and a head cold when he recorded his vocals.

The song propelled the phrase "Takin' care of business" into the popular lexicon, forever to be used by athletes, performers and the common man to indicate they are on the job. Although "Takin' care of business" had never before been sung in a popular song, it was far from the first use of the phrase in the musical landscape. Elvis Presley loved the saying - he wore a "TCB" necklace and called his backing group "The TCB Band." Aretha Franklin alluded to it in her hit cover of "Respect," where she sang, "Take care, TCB."

While the song title implies an industrious responsibility, a closer listen reveals that it's more of a slacker anthem. The singer is presumably unemployed, and he "loves to work at nothing all day."