You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
Encyclopedia
"You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" is a rock song
written by Randy Bachman
and performed by Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO) on the album Not Fragile
. It was released as a single in 1974
with an instrumental track "Free Wheelin'" as the B-side. It reached the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and the Canadian RPM
chart the week of November 9, 1974 and also reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart
. The single won the Juno Award
for best-selling single of 1974.
The guitar riff heard throughout the song's chorus is proportionate to the riff from "Baba O'Riley
" by The Who
. The riff follows a main pattern of A5, E5, then a D5, while the riff in "Baba O'Riley" is F5, C5, Bb4.
," but "an imaginative one." The chords
of the chorus riff are very similar to the ones used by The Who
in their song "Baba O'Riley
," and also, the stuttering vocal is indeed reminiscent of "My Generation
." Randy insists that the song was performed as a joke for his brother, Gary, who had a stutter, with no intention of sounding like "My Generation." They only intended to record it once with the stutter and send the only recording to Gary.
Randy developed the song while recording BTO's third album, Not Fragile. It began as an instrumental piece inspired by the rhythm guitar of Dave Mason
. Randy says "it was basically just an instrumental and I was fooling around... I wrote the lyrics, out of the blue, and stuttered them through." The band typically used the song as a "work track" in the studio to get the amplifiers and microphones set properly.
But when winding up production for their third album, Charlie Fach of Mercury Records
said the eight tracks they had lacked the "magic" that would make a hit single. Some band members asked Randy, "what about the work track?" Randy reluctantly mentioned that he had this ninth song, but didn't intend to use it on a record. He said, "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 to do this thing for my brother."
Fach asked to hear it, and they played the recording for him. Fach smiled and said "That's the track. It's got a brightness to it. It kind of floats a foot higher than the other songs when you listen to it."
Bachman agreed to rearrange the album sequence so the song could be added, but only if he could re-record the vocals first, without the stutter. Fach agreed, but Bachman says "I tried to sing it normal, but I sounded like Frank Sinatra
. It didn't fit." Fach said to leave it as it was, with the stutter.
Gary Bachman has since undergone speech therapy to conquer his stutter.
charts, but eventually stalled at #14 on the U.S. charts. "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," meanwhile, was becoming a hit as an album cut. Radio stations all over the USA were giving it a great deal of airplay, as Not Fragile was soaring up the album charts. So much so that Bachman was embarrassed because he thought it was a stupid song, just something that he wrote as a joke.
Fach would regularly call him with airplay reports, asking for permission to release "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" as a single. Bachman says, "And I refused for three weeks... I was producer, so I had final say on what went out. I woke up one day and asked myself, 'Why am I stopping this? Some of my favorite records are really dumb things like 'Louie, Louie'... so I said to Charlie, 'O.K., release it. I bet it does nothing.'"
"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" debuted at #65 on September 21, 1974 and shot to the top of the Hot 100 seven weeks later. It was the only US #1 single in BTO's history. (While in The Guess Who
, Randy had penned only one other chart-topper, "American Woman," which hit #1 in 1970.)
"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" also holds the record for falling farthest on the chart before returning to the Top 10. After falling to #34 two weeks after being in the #1 spot, it jumped back to #8 for two weeks, largely because of interest in the flip side, an instrumental called "Free Wheelin'".
On the UK version of the single, the label credits the band as "Bachmann–Turner Overdrive". It was kept off the top in the UK charts by "Lonely This Christmas
" by Mud
.
, a former bandmate of Bachman in The Guess Who
and current bandmate in Bachman Cummings, covered the song in his 1976 eponymous album, which went 2x platinum.
Bachman appears in the promo video for Bus Stop
's 1998 remake of the song.
The song was always played at the end of the "Smashie and Nicey
" sketch on the British sketch show, Harry Enfield's Television Programme
.
The song was played in an episode of Ballykissangel
.
It was also played on the third season premiere of Supernatural
.
The song is featured in The Simpsons
episode "Saddlesore Galactica
". At a BTO concert, Homer demands that they play the song after just finishing it. When the band reminds him of this fact, he replies, "Whatever!"
A techno
remix
of the song was used as the theme song for ITV Sport's Formula One
coverage from 2003 to 2005. The remix is by German group, The Disco Boys, titled "B-B-B-Baby."
The song is played at the beginning of the movie Studio 54
when the boys are going to club Studio 54 for the first time.
The song appears on the soundtrack of the film Joe Dirt
.
The song was, together with U2
's "Beautiful Day
", used as a theme song by the US Democratic Party
following the US 2006 midterm elections
.
During a trip to the US, Margaret Thatcher
quoted the song when talking to an audience with Ronald Reagan
, telling them that "You ain't seen nothing yet".
Appears in the CBC movie Keep Your Head Up Kid: the Don Cherry Story, also shot in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
In Going Overboard
, Adam Sandler covered this song.
The song is on the trailer of the film Barnyard
.
It was the soundtrack of an award-winning 2010 UK television advert
for Thinkbox
featuring 'Harvey', a multitasking, homeless Jack Russell Terrier
with a flair for self-promotion
The song was played during the strip scene in The Drew Carey Show
.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
written by Randy Bachman
Randy Bachman
Randolph Charles "Randy" Bachman, OC, OM is a Canadian musician best known as lead guitarist, songwriter and a founding member for both the 1960s–70s rock band The Guess Who, and the 1970s rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive...
and performed by Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO) on the album Not Fragile
Not Fragile
Not Fragile is the third album by Canadian rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive, released in 1974 . The title could be thought of as a response to Yes' Fragile. Some feel that the group achieved a more original sound in this album; it has been described as a cross between Mountain and early ZZ Top...
. It was released as a single in 1974
1974 in music
-January–April:*January 3 – Bob Dylan and The Band kick off their 40-date concert tour at Chicago Stadium. It's Dylan's first time on the road since 1966.*January 17...
with an instrumental track "Free Wheelin'" as the B-side. It reached the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and the Canadian RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
chart the week of November 9, 1974 and also reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The single won the Juno Award
Juno Award for Single of the Year
The Juno Award for Single of the Year has been awarded since 1974 for the best single in Canada. It has also been known as Best Single and Best Selling Single.-Best Single :...
for best-selling single of 1974.
Theme
The lyrics for the song tell of the singer meeting a "devil woman" and she giving him love. The chorus of the song includes the song's famous stutter and speaks of her looking at him with big brown eyes and [saying] 'You ain't seen nothin' yet. B-, b-, b-, baby, you just ain't seen na, na, nothin yet. Here's somethin' that you're never gonna forget. B-, b-, b-, baby, you just ain't seen na, na, nothin yet.'The guitar riff heard throughout the song's chorus is proportionate to the riff from "Baba O'Riley
Baba O'Riley
"Baba O'Riley" is a song written by Pete Townshend for the English rock band The Who. Roger Daltrey sings most of the song, with Pete Townshend singing the middle eight: "Don't cry/don't raise your eye/it's only teenaged wasteland"...
" by The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. The riff follows a main pattern of A5, E5, then a D5, while the riff in "Baba O'Riley" is F5, C5, Bb4.
Development
"You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" was written by Randy Bachman. In The Rolling Stone Record Guide, writer Dave Marsh called the song "a direct steal from The WhoThe Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
," but "an imaginative one." The chords
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
of the chorus riff are very similar to the ones used by The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
in their song "Baba O'Riley
Baba O'Riley
"Baba O'Riley" is a song written by Pete Townshend for the English rock band The Who. Roger Daltrey sings most of the song, with Pete Townshend singing the middle eight: "Don't cry/don't raise your eye/it's only teenaged wasteland"...
," and also, the stuttering vocal is indeed reminiscent of "My Generation
My Generation
My Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom in December 1965. In the United States it was released by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation in April 1966, with a different cover and a slightly altered track...
." Randy insists that the song was performed as a joke for his brother, Gary, who had a stutter, with no intention of sounding like "My Generation." They only intended to record it once with the stutter and send the only recording to Gary.
Randy developed the song while recording BTO's third album, Not Fragile. It began as an instrumental piece inspired by the rhythm guitar of Dave Mason
Dave Mason
David Thomas "Dave" Mason is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic...
. Randy says "it was basically just an instrumental and I was fooling around... I wrote the lyrics, out of the blue, and stuttered them through." The band typically used the song as a "work track" in the studio to get the amplifiers and microphones set properly.
But when winding up production for their third album, Charlie Fach of Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
said the eight tracks they had lacked the "magic" that would make a hit single. Some band members asked Randy, "what about the work track?" Randy reluctantly mentioned that he had this ninth song, but didn't intend to use it on a record. He said, "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 to do this thing for my brother."
Fach asked to hear it, and they played the recording for him. Fach smiled and said "That's the track. It's got a brightness to it. It kind of floats a foot higher than the other songs when you listen to it."
Bachman agreed to rearrange the album sequence so the song could be added, but only if he could re-record the vocals first, without the stutter. Fach agreed, but Bachman says "I tried to sing it normal, but I sounded like Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
. It didn't fit." Fach said to leave it as it was, with the stutter.
Gary Bachman has since undergone speech therapy to conquer his stutter.
Market performance
The first single from the Not Fragile album was "Roll On Down the Highway." It performed well, reaching #4 on the Canadian RPMRPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
charts, but eventually stalled at #14 on the U.S. charts. "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," meanwhile, was becoming a hit as an album cut. Radio stations all over the USA were giving it a great deal of airplay, as Not Fragile was soaring up the album charts. So much so that Bachman was embarrassed because he thought it was a stupid song, just something that he wrote as a joke.
Fach would regularly call him with airplay reports, asking for permission to release "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" as a single. Bachman says, "And I refused for three weeks... I was producer, so I had final say on what went out. I woke up one day and asked myself, 'Why am I stopping this? Some of my favorite records are really dumb things like 'Louie, Louie'... so I said to Charlie, 'O.K., release it. I bet it does nothing.'"
"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" debuted at #65 on September 21, 1974 and shot to the top of the Hot 100 seven weeks later. It was the only US #1 single in BTO's history. (While in The Guess Who
The Guess Who
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Initially gaining recognition in Canada, they also found international success from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s with numerous hit singles, including "American Woman", "These Eyes" and "Share the Land"...
, Randy had penned only one other chart-topper, "American Woman," which hit #1 in 1970.)
"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" also holds the record for falling farthest on the chart before returning to the Top 10. After falling to #34 two weeks after being in the #1 spot, it jumped back to #8 for two weeks, largely because of interest in the flip side, an instrumental called "Free Wheelin'".
On the UK version of the single, the label credits the band as "Bachmann–Turner Overdrive". It was kept off the top in the UK charts by "Lonely This Christmas
Lonely This Christmas
"Lonely This Christmas" was a popular single by the English glam rock band Mud, that topped the UK singles chart in 1974 and reached Christmas number one.-The song:...
" by Mud
Mud (band)
Mud were an English glam rock band, formed in February 1968, best remembered for their single "Tiger Feet", which was the UK's best-selling single of 1974...
.
Chart Performance
| Chart (1974/5) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 4 |
| Austrian Top 40 | 3 |
| Belgian VRT Top 30 | 6 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 3 |
| German Media Control Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 4 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 7 |
| South African Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 5 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
Year-End Chart
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 4 |
| German Media Control Charts | 71 |
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South African Singles Chart | 1 |
| German Media Control Charts | 10 |
| Austrian Top 40 | 12 |
| Australian Kent Music Report | 31 |
| Belgian VRT Top 30 | 82 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 97 |
Uses in other media
Burton CummingsBurton Cummings
Burton L. Cummings, OC, OM is a Canadian musician and songwriter.He was the lead singer and frequent keyboardist for the Canadian rock band The Guess Who...
, a former bandmate of Bachman in The Guess Who
The Guess Who
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Initially gaining recognition in Canada, they also found international success from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s with numerous hit singles, including "American Woman", "These Eyes" and "Share the Land"...
and current bandmate in Bachman Cummings, covered the song in his 1976 eponymous album, which went 2x platinum.
Bachman appears in the promo video for Bus Stop
Bus Stop (band)
Bus Stop were a British dance act best known for their single "Kung Fu Fighting", which reached #8 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1998. The song sampled the original vocals by Carl Douglas, the original being a UK #1 hit in 1974, with added rap verses. The group then released three further...
's 1998 remake of the song.
The song was always played at the end of the "Smashie and Nicey
Smashie and Nicey
Mike Smash and Dave Nice were two fictional television characters who first appeared in the early 1990s TV sketch show Harry Enfield's Television Programme. They were played by comedians Paul Whitehouse and Harry Enfield respectively...
" sketch on the British sketch show, Harry Enfield's Television Programme
Harry Enfield's Television Programme
Harry Enfield's Television Programme was a British sketch show starring Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse...
.
The song was played in an episode of Ballykissangel
Ballykissangel
Ballykissangel is a BBC television drama set in Ireland, produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland. The original story revolved around a young English Roman Catholic priest as he became part of a rural community. It ran for six series, which were first broadcast on BBC One in the UK from 1996 to 2001...
.
It was also played on the third season premiere of Supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
.
The song is featured in The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Saddlesore Galactica
Saddlesore Galactica
"Saddlesore Galactica" is the thirteenth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 6, 2000...
". At a BTO concert, Homer demands that they play the song after just finishing it. When the band reminds him of this fact, he replies, "Whatever!"
A techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of the song was used as the theme song for ITV Sport's Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
coverage from 2003 to 2005. The remix is by German group, The Disco Boys, titled "B-B-B-Baby."
The song is played at the beginning of the movie Studio 54
54 (film)
54 is a 1998 drama film written and directed by Mark Christopher, starring Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, and Neve Campbell...
when the boys are going to club Studio 54 for the first time.
The song appears on the soundtrack of the film Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt is a 2001 American comedy film starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan, Adam Beach and Kid Rock. The film was written by Spade and Fred Wolf.-Plot:...
.
The song was, together with U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's "Beautiful Day
Beautiful Day
"Beautiful Day" is a song by the rock band U2. It is the first track from their 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, and it was released as the album's lead single. It was a commercial success, helping launch the album to multi-platinum status, and is one of U2's biggest hits to date...
", used as a theme song by the US Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
following the US 2006 midterm elections
United States general elections, 2006
The 2006 United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. All United States House of Representatives seats and one third of the United States Senate seats were contested in this election, as well as 36 state governorships, many state legislatures, four territorial...
.
During a trip to the US, Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
quoted the song when talking to an audience with Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, telling them that "You ain't seen nothing yet".
Appears in the CBC movie Keep Your Head Up Kid: the Don Cherry Story, also shot in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
In Going Overboard
Going Overboard
Going Overboard is a 1989 American comedy film released on May 11, 1989. It was Adam Sandler's first starring role, It features Burt Young, Allen Covert, Billy Zane, Terry Moore, Milton Berle, and a small role by Billy Bob Thornton. The movie frequently ranks very "high" on the top 100 worst...
, Adam Sandler covered this song.
The song is on the trailer of the film Barnyard
Barnyard (film)
Barnyard is a 2006 computer-animated family comedy film, produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures, directed by Steve Oedekerk . and produced by Steve Oedekerk, Paul Marshal, and Pam Marsden...
.
It was the soundtrack of an award-winning 2010 UK television advert
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
for Thinkbox
Thinkbox
Thinkbox is the marketing body for the main UK commercial TV broadcasters - Channel 4, ITV, Sky Media, and Turner Media Innovations. UKTV joined Thinkbox in January 2011. Its aim is to work with the UK marketing community to help customers get the best out of television in all its forms...
featuring 'Harvey', a multitasking, homeless Jack Russell Terrier
Jack Russell Terrier
The Jack Russell terrier is a small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting. It is principally white-bodied smooth, rough or broken-coated which is commonly confused with the Parson Russell terrier and the Russell terrier with the term "Jack Russell" commonly misapplied to other small white...
with a flair for self-promotion
The song was played during the strip scene in The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
.
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1974 (U.S.)
- List of number-one hits of 1975 (Germany)