Bachman-Turner Overdrive Wrote This Song To Imitate the Beatles’ “Paperback Writer”

Sonically and chronologically speaking, we don’t often associate Bachman-Turner Overdrive with the Beatles, but the Fab Four is precisely who Randy Bachman was trying to emulate with his 1974 track, “Takin’ Care of Business.” Taking inspiration from record producer Stan Greenberg and the Beatles’ “Paperback Writer,” Bachman set out to write a song detailing Greenberg’s daily schedule, pulling some phrases from the producer verbatim for the lyrics.

Although it would take Bachman years to finally complete the song, he would later tell Guitar Player that it was his “gift from the songwriting gods.”

Randy Bachman Does The Beatles

In a 2024 interview with Guitar Player, Canadian rock ‘n’ roller Randy Bachman said he wanted to take a break from writing love songs and write something more matter-of-fact, like the Beatles’ “Paperback Writer.” The Fab Four’s track narrates the daily going-ons of an aspiring paperback writer pitching his books to various publishers. For Bachman, he opted to stay in the musical world instead of the literary universe.

Bachman recalled working with Stanley Greenberg, the son of Florence Greenberg, who owned the iconic Scepter Records. Stanley would wear a tweed business suit every day to the studio, even in near-triple-digit temps, because he wanted to look like George Martin. “Okay, you look like George Martin,” Bachman recalled telling the sharp-dressed record producer. “I want to write a song about you.”

The former Guess Who guitarist said he accompanied Stanley through his daily work schedule to find inspiration for his song. “We leave at 10 o’clock at night, and I asked him, ‘So, what happens in the morning when you get up and go to work?’ And he says, ‘Well, it’s crowded, and I take the 8:15 into the city.’ I start thinking: ‘I wake up in the morning, the alarm clock’s warning, I take the 8:15 into the city.’”

Bachman asked Stanley what happened next in his normal routine. “He says, ‘I smell makeup and hairspray. The girls on the train are trying to do their makeup to look pretty for their jobs. And then I walk to work and start my slavin’ job to get my pay.’ I thought, ‘Great! There’s a song!’”

How The Song Became a Bachman-Turner Overdrive Staple

At first, Randy Bachman’s tribute to Stanley Greenberg directly pulled from the Beatles’ “Paperback Writer.” But instead of singing the Fab Four’s iconic paperback wriiiiiter refrain, Bachman’s song said the phrase, white collar man. His bandmates in the Guess Who were less than impressed, saying that they would incur a lawsuit from the Beatles for the direct imitation. So, the song stayed in Bachman’s vault until two back-to-back moments helped bring “Takin’ Care of Business” to full fruition.

First, Bachman heard a DJ radio say the line, taking care of business, on the air, which he thought would be a great song lyric. The seed planted that day fully bloomed when Bachman arrived at a Bachman-Turner Overdrive gig and discovered that the band’s lead vocalist, C.F. Turner, had lost his voice. “I had to sing the last set on a Saturday night in a rock and roll club,” Bachman recalled, “and I’m not a singer.”

After struggling through a rendition of “Oye Como Va,” Bachman thought: why not try out his long-lost song, “White Collar Man”? “The band can’t say no,” he thought. “They are your hostage. I said to them, ‘Just play these three chords and follow me!’ When I got to the hook, I started singing, takin’ care of business.” The band started singing along with Bachman in the second chorus, and Bachman said, “I answered them with ‘Every day!’ and ‘Every way!’ And then—boom—it hit me. This is a classic!”

And indeed it was. Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Takin’ Care of Business” has become a classic rock staple and one of the band’s most iconic hits. It just needed seven years to marinate and one high-pressure gig to find its final form.

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