How Bachman Turner Overdrive’s inside joke became a hit song - Behind The Song: Classic Rock Chronicles

Summary

Behind The Song: How Bachman Turner Overdrive’s Inside Joke Became a Hit Song

Podcast Information:

Title: Behind The Song
Host/Author: The Drive | Hubbard Radio
Episode: How Bachman Turner Overdrive’s Inside Joke Became a Hit Song
Release Date: September 20, 2023

Introduction

In the September 20, 2023 episode of "Behind The Song" presented by The Drive | Hubbard Radio, host Janda Lane delves into the fascinating story behind Bachman Turner Overdrive’s (BTO) unexpected hit, "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet." This episode explores how a song born out of an inside joke among band members transformed into a chart-topping sensation.

Formation and Early Struggles of BTO

Bachman Turner Overdrive, a renowned Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, was formed by three Bachman brothers—Randy, Tim, and Robbie—along with C.F. Turner on bass. Randy Bachman, previously a member of The Guess Who, left the band in 1973 due to personal differences and decided to form a new group with his brothers. Initially named Brave Belt, the band underwent lineup changes, including the addition of Chad Allen Turner on bass, recommended by Neil Young, Randy’s longtime friend.

However, it wasn't until Chad Allen Turner left the band that they adopted the name Bachman Turner Overdrive, inspired by their last names and the word "Overdrive," which they felt encapsulated their sound perfectly.

Randy Bachman recounted a pivotal moment in the band's early days:

"I emptied my own bank account to fund recording our demo tapes and sent those tapes to over 20 labels, but every one of them passed on what they heard." (00:00:45)

This period was marked by significant financial and emotional investment, with Randy personally financing the band's demo recordings. Despite the rejections, a stroke of luck came when Charlie Fosh, Vice President of A&R at Mercury Records, accidentally retained their demo tape instead of discarding it. Janda highlights this serendipitous event:

"Their tape didn't make it all the way to the trash can, and Charlie decided to give it a listen." (00:01:30)

This chance decision led to BTO securing a record deal with Mercury Records, setting the stage for their subsequent success.

Rise to Fame and the Birth of "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"

BTO's initial releases, including their first two albums, helped establish their presence in the rock scene. However, it was their third album, "Not Fragile," released in September 1974, that propelled them to unprecedented heights.

Janda explains the significance of "Not Fragile":

"This third album with the newly revamped lineup went all the way to number one in Canada and in the US." (00:02:20)

The album featured "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," a song that was not originally intended for public release. Randy Bachman shared the humorous origin of the track:

"I wrote it as a joke aimed at my brother Gary, who was managing the band and had a speech impediment." (00:03:15)

Intending it as a playful jest, Randy crafted the song with a stutter, believing only Gary would listen to it. The lyrics were improvised, serving purely as a setup for the joke:

"The lyrics were really just written off the cuff with the only intention to have something to stutter to for the joke that I was playing on Brother Gary." (00:04:00)

However, fate had other plans. When Charlie Fosh reviewed the tracklist for "Not Fragile," he felt something was missing and inquired if there were additional songs. Randy hesitated but eventually presented "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," expecting it to be excluded:

"It's a joke. I'm laughing at the end. It's sharp, it's flat. I'm stuttering on it to do this thing for my brother." (00:04:45)

Contrary to Randy's expectations, Fosh loved the song and insisted it be included. Randy attempted to re-record it but abandoned the effort, fearing the new version sounded like a "weird Sinatra ripoff" (00:05:10). They retained the original recording and sent it to radio stations, where it quickly gained traction.

Unexpected Success and Legacy

The song's ascent was nothing short of meteoric. Despite its humble and humorous beginnings, "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and achieved international acclaim. Randy expressed his surprise:

"I couldn't believe people would want to hear it. They did." (00:06:30)

The lyrics, initially intended for Gary, took on a life of their own. Randy revealed that the phrase "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" was inspired by something his wife frequently told him:

"The lyrics were just something my wife used to say to me." (00:07:15)

As the song gained popularity, an interesting change occurred in Gary's life:

"As soon as it became a hit, Gary stopped stuttering." (00:07:45)

"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" not only solidified BTO's place in rock history but also underscored the unpredictable nature of music and its impact.

Aftermath and Band Dynamics

Following the success of "Not Fragile," BTO released three more albums. However, internal dynamics shifted when Randy Bachman decided to leave the band in 1977 to explore other ventures. This departure marked the beginning of a series of hiatuses and reformations for BTO.

Janda touched upon the personal and professional challenges the band faced:

"There were sibling lawsuits over using the name BTO between the brothers." (00:08:50)

Tragedy struck the band in recent years with the passing of Robbie Bachman in January 2023 and Tim Bachman in April 2023. Despite these losses, Randy Bachman continues the BTO legacy alongside his son, musician Tal Bachman.

Conclusion and Legacy

"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" remains a testament to the unpredictable journey of a song and its creators. BTO's story, from struggling to secure a record deal to achieving global success, highlights the blend of talent, chance, and perseverance inherent in the music industry.

Randy Bachman's reflection on the song's success encapsulates the essence of artistic creation:

"Sometimes no matter how you go about it or what you intended for a song, the magic is out of your hands." (00:09:30)

With over 30 million albums sold worldwide, Bachman Turner Overdrive's influence on classic rock is undeniable. Their legacy, marked by hits like "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," continues to inspire both fans and musicians alike.

Closing Remarks

Host Janda Lane wraps up the episode by acknowledging the enduring impact of BTO and their iconic song. The episode serves as a deep dive into the storytelling and behind-the-scenes moments that shape classic rock's most memorable tunes.

Special Thanks: Christian Lane for the music featured in the podcast episodes.

Connect with The Drive:

TikTok: @wdrv.com
Air Time: Weekdays from 9 to 2 Central on 97.1 FM The Drive in Chicago
Website: @wdrv.com

End of Summary

Transcript

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97.1Fm the drive presents the behind the Song podcast, taking you deeper into classic rock's most timeless tunes. Here's your host, Janda the making of.

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Rock and roll is filled with crazy stories and more than a few inside jokes. Here's the story about a song that started out as one of those jokes and ended up becoming a huge hit for Bachman Turner Overdrive, a song that was never actually intended to be heard in public. You ain't seen nothing yet. If you liked this episode, give it a like at the and don't forget to hit that subscribe button now. Few bands have enjoyed the kind of longevity and chart topping success that BTO have, making their own particular mark on the rock timeline. They're even the reason that writer Stephen King chose the pen name of Richard Bachman. He happened to be listening to BTO when his publisher asked him to come up with a quick pseudonymous this Canadian band from Winnipeg, Manitoba was founded by three brothers, Randy and Tim Bachman on guitars and vocals, Robbie Bachman on drums, along with C.F. turner on bass. Randy Bachman left the guess who in 1973 due to personal differences and turned to his brothers to create a new outfit first called Brave Belt, an outfit that included former Guess who singer Chad Allen Turner came to the fold on Neil Young's recommendation. Young and Randy Bachman were longtime friends at that point. Eventually a new band minus Allen was named after the Bachman brothers, Turner and the word Overdrive, a word they felt perfectly summed up their sound. The way that BTO was even signed to a record deal involves a strange twist of fate. Randy Bachman had emptied his own bank account to fund recording their demo tapes and sent those tapes to over 20 labels, but every one of them passed on what they heard. The tapes had also been sent to Mercury Records, to the attention of Charlie Fosh, vice president of A and R, who mistakenly did not throw the band's tape away with a bunch of other tapes that had piled up on his desk while away on a business trip. He intended to just trash em all and start fresh, but later found BTOs on the floor and decided to give it a listen. He called Randy Bachman and they were signed to Mercury by virtue of the fact that their tape didn't make it all the way to the trash can. BTO put out their first two albums with the original lineup of the Bachman Brothers and Turner, but shortly after the release of BT02, Tim Bachman left the band. Reportedly brother Randy, a more foreman at the time, had some pretty strict rules on the road. Lessons learned from watching his former bandmates in the Guess who spiral out from a cliche rock and roll lifestyle, and Tim didn't exactly adhere to those rules. That coupled with missing out on a growing family of his own at home and brother Tim called it quits shortly after the release of their second album. Blair Thornton, a guitarist from Vancouver, joined the band as his replacement and this new lineup of Robbie and Randy Bachman, Turner and Thornton recorded their most successful album, Not Fragile, which was released in September of 1974. This third album with the newly revamped lineup went all the way to number one in Canada and in the us and you'd Ain't Seen Nothing yet proved to be a big hit single, but it wasn't even originally included in the songs to be considered for the track listing. Randy Bachman wrote it and it was intended to be a kind of a joke song aimed at their other brother Gary, who at the time was managing the band. Gary Bachman had a speech impediment and Randy put the stutter on it specifically to send to Garry and Gary only just having some brotherly fun. He and the band were already recording the album and he said that he had an instrumental song written, so he came up with some lyrics for it out of the blue and stuttered through it completely with the idea of Gary getting a kick out of it. Further, he said that with this in mind, Garry would be the only person in the world with a copy of that recording at all. But much like how the band themselves were signed to Mercury because of a happy accident, this song's intended audience was about to change drastically from one brother to millions of people worldwide. Eight songs for the track listing of Not Fragile were presented presented to Fosh, who came to the studio in Seattle where the band were recording. But Fash candidly told the band that it seemed to be missing a certain magic and asked if there were any other songs to add. Randy Bachman told Fash, we have this one song, but it's a joke. I'm laughing at the end. I sang it on the first take. It's sharp, it's flat. I'm stuttering on it to do this thing for my brother. But Fash loved it. And you Ain't Seen Nothing yet was added to the track listing for the album. In fact, Randy thought it was sung so poorly he tried to re record it, but he gave up because he said that the RE recording sounded like some weird Sinatra ripoff and just kept the original. It was sent to radio stations who played it to the point that it was released as a single, much to the amazement of Randy Bachman, who couldn't believe people would want to hear it. They did. It went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and it charted in several other countries too. Bonafide hit as for the lyrics, Randy Bachman said you ain't seen nothing yet is something his wife used to tell him. The lyrics were really just written off the cuff with the only intention to have something to stutter to for the joke that he was playing on Brother Gary. It doesn't take long for Randy to get to the stutter in the lyrics of the first verse and the chorus. I met a devil woman she took my heart away she said I've had it coming to me But I wanted it that way I think that any love is good lovin'so I took what I could get and she looked at me with those big brown eyes and said, you ain't seen nothing yet Ba ba ba ba Baby you just ain't seen nothing yet for the record, it was his wife at the time who talked reason into him when she pointed out as he was cringing at hearing the song on the radio, that, hey, at least it was on the radio for Gary Bachman. The song turned out to be a real watershed moment too. Randy Bachman has said that as soon as it became a hit, Garry stopped stuttering. BTO released three more albums on the heels of Not Fragile, and Randy Bachman surprised the band and their fans when he decided to leave BTO in 1977 to pursue other interests while they were still signed to Mercury. They reunited in the mid-80s and BTO has undergone many stages of hiatus and reforming since then. Along the way, there were sibling lawsuits over using the name BTO between the brothers and sadly, Robbie Bachman passed away in January of 2023, and just a few months later, in April, Tim Bachman passed away. Randy Bachman and his son, musician Tal Bachman, continue on as bto. Due in part to the success of youf Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, Bachman Turner Overdrive became one of the most successful rock bands to come out of Canada in the 70s. To date, the band have sold over 30 million albums worldwide and Randy Bachman has said that he learned something about songwriting when all was said and done with this song, and it's that sometimes no matter how you go about it or what you intended for a song, in his words, the magic is out of your hands. I'm Janda and this has been behind the song. Special thanks as always to Christian Lane for the music you hear on these podcast episodes. Check us out on TikTok and you can find me on the air weekdays from 9 to 2 Central and 97.1 FM the Drive in Chicago. And@wdrv.com on the way, much more classic rock and roll.