"Takin' Care of Business" (1973): how one of the main rock hits of the 70s was created, which later became the main soundtrack to the film of the same name in the 90s.

"Takin' Care of Business" (translated as "take care of business" or "get things in order") is a fairly old term, dating back to at least the 1900s. The rock band Bachman-Turner-Overdrive (BTO) popularised the saying in their 1973 song "Takin' Care of Business". They recorded the track for their 1973 album entitled "Bachman-Turner Overdrive II". Although the track didn't make the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, it eventually became a very big hit! It was the composition "Takin' Care of Business" that became one of the main rock themes of the comedy film "How to Succeed in Business" starring James Belushi! And today we're here to remember its story.....

How was the song created? Background and recording...

The song was written by Randy Beckman: the musician wrote the hit song while he was a member of The Guess Who. According to Backman, the inspiration for the song came from The Beatles' "Paperback Writer": an early version of the future hit had the working title "White Collar Worker" and... was rejected. When Backman played it to Burton Cummings, the latter declared that "he was ashamed of him" and that "The Guess Who would never record that song because the Beatles would sue them"! Backman then hid his creation, and only remembered it with the band Bachman-Turner-Overdrive.

As the story goes, Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO), a band formed by Backman after leaving The Guess Who, was doing a week-long series of Canadian Club shows before heading into the studio to record their second album. During the Saturday night show, Fred Turner lost his voice and vocalist duties fell to Beckman... A limited set of songs came to an end - but not the show itself. Backman was forced to recall his rejected creation... He borrowed the title "Takin' Care of Business" from radio DJ C-Fox, a phrase Randy heard on the way to the club. After instructing the rest of the band to play a simple three-chord sequence, Beckman sang the lyrics to "White Collar Worker," replacing "Takin' Care of Business" with the original title in the chorus. Thus, the band and the crowd witnessed this marvellous birth of an instant classic....

When BTO went into the studio to record a track for their second album, they recorded it pretty much as it was performed on stage, along with Beckman's vocals! This track also featured one Norman Durkee, who played piano... Who was this man, and how did he come to be in the studio with Bachman-Turner Overdrive? Well: it's a very interesting story, reminiscent of the plot of some film... John Presho, who knew Backman and worked as a security guard at their concerts, tells the following:

"Randy Beckman told me that when BTO were in the recording studio, the producer was unhappy with the raw version of this song. The BTO took time out, ordered a pizza and went back to work on the song. There was a knock on the studio door and it turned out to be a pizza delivery man. After giving the band the pizza, he said that "Takin' Care of Business" was a great song, but it was a bit lacking in piano... The pizza delivery guy introduced himself as Norman and said he was a pianist. The BTO thanked him, tipped him and sent him on his way. After a few hours, when the song didn't improve, they decided to call Norman, but no one had written down his phone number and they couldn't remember the name of the pizza place... The BTO called half a dozen pizza places before they could track him down. The band paid Norman $75 for a brief introduction to their line-up so he could play piano in the recording studio..."

As a result, it was this song that popularised the phrase "take care of business": later on, many people started using the phrase "Takin' Care of Business" in their conversation, thus emphasising that they are busy working... However, while the title of the song implies diligent responsibility, a closer listen reveals that this song is more like... a slacker's anthem! The song's protagonist is supposedly unemployed, and he "likes to stay off work all day."

"And if your train is on time
You can get to work by nine
And start your working day to get paid.
And if you're ever annoyed
Then look at me: I'm self-employed.
I love wasting an entire day..."

Use in the comedy "How to Succeed in Business" starring James Belushi

"How to Succeed in Business" is a great American comedy from 1990: the main roles in it were played by Charles Grodin and James Belushi. And as you may have noticed, the title of the film closely echoes the title of the BTO song... And for good reason! Written by Beckman and initially rejected by The Guess Who, the song became the title track of Arthur Hiller's film!

One character in the film is a car thief serving another sentence in prison. The other is constantly inundated with a growing collage of charts, notes and records... Jimmy Dworsky is a car thief: he's serving his time behind bars, but just days before he's set free, he gets a ticket to the World Series Finals featuring his favourite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs! From that moment on, all our hero cares about is seeing the game with his own eyes. And, as we can tell, as a true baseball fan - he absolutely doesn't care about the consequences... Jimmy Dworsky escapes from prison! On his way to the mast he finds a lost organiser book: in it Jimmy discovers the key to a luxury villa...

As the events unfold, it becomes clear that the organiser belonged to Spencer Barnes, a workaholic marketing manager: he needed the boss's villa for the most important business meeting of his career... But - in an instant, all Spencer's plans collapse like a house of cards: now he is behind bars, while Jimmy Dworsky enjoys a luxurious life... Dworsky pretends to be Barnes: he also goes instead of him to the business meeting, and disrupts it....

In the end, Jimmy and Spencer's paths cross: Jimmy returns to prison as if he never left, while Spencer finds a new job and rebuilds a damaged relationship with his wife....

In general - this is a good American comedy, which, at first, was received by critics very coldly: many found the film unfunny, too predictable, as well as unkind to women! However - even such criticism did not prevent Hiller's film from being a success: the comedy was a great success at the box office - box office receipts totalled $20 million! As for Backman's song, it became one of the most enduring and well-known in BTO's repertoire: the composition spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, longer than any other single by the band.

Interesting facts

• In the early 1990s, the track was used in Office Depot (an American office supplies retailer) adverts to promote its business services. In 2008, Hillary Clinton used it in many of her campaign events when she first ran for President of the United States.
• A cover of this song was included on the first rap album released by a major label! This happened in 1980, when Curtis Blow recorded "Takin' Care of Business" for his album of the same name.

• In the early 2000s, the song appeared on The Simpsons: at a concert, Homer harasses the BTO band until they play the song, then tells them to "Go to 'overtime!'"

• The song title, as well as the name of the band itself, is referenced in the humorous video game Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude.
• Randy Beckman titled his autobiography "Randy Beckman, Taking Care of Business."