"Hey You" is a song written by

Randy Bachman Randolph Charles Bachman ( ; born September 27, 1943) is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. He was the writer and singer of several hit rock songs, ...

, and was first recorded by Canadian rock group

Bachman–Turner Overdrive Bachman–Turner Overdrive, often abbreviated BTO, is a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, founded by three brothers: Randy Bachman, Randy, Robbie Bachman, Robbie, and Tim Bachman; along with Fred Turner (musician), Fred Turner, in 19 ...

(BTO) for their 1975 album ''

Four Wheel Drive The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive (FWD), was a pioneering American company that developed and produced all-wheel drive vehicles. It was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Dr ...

''. It was the first and more successful of two singles issued from the LP, the second being "Quick Change Artist", which was released in Canada only.

Background

The lead vocal is provided by Randy Bachman. There were rumors circulated that Randy Bachman directed the lyrics of "Hey You" at former bandmate

Burton Cummings Burton Lorne Cummings (born December 31, 1947) is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He is best known for leading the Guess Who during that band's most successful period from 1965 to 1975, and for a lengthy solo career. Cummings has been induc ...

, who had publicly stated that Bachman would never make it in the music business again following his departure from

The Guess Who The Guess Who was a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1965. The band found their greatest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s, under the leadership of singer/keyboardist Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman, wit ...

. Randy confirmed the rumors in interviews years later, stating: "I deserved to gloat a bit after all the mud Burton had slung at me." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said it has elements of earlier Bachman-Turner Overdrive singles "

Let It Ride Let or LET may refer to: Sports * Let serve, when the served object in certain racket sports hits the net and lands in the correct service court, such as; ** Let (badminton) ** Let (pickleball) ** Let (tennis) * Ladies European Tour, the ladi ...

" and " You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" and contains "the stuttering vocals of Randy Bachman, and some more heavy guitar chording."

Charts

"Hey You" was the second BTO single to hit number 1 on the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' chart, following " You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". It held the top position on the ''RPM'' chart for two weeks in June 1975. The song peaked at number 21 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Hot 100 on July 5, 1975. , - , Austria , style="text-align:center;", 14 , - , Canada ''RPM'' Top Singles , style="text-align:center;", 1 , - , New Zealand , style="text-align:center;", 10 , - , US ''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

, style="text-align:center;", 21 , - , West GermanyInfinity Charts - German Top 20 of 1975
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hey You (Bachman-Turner Overdrive song) 1975 songs 1975 singles Bachman–Turner Overdrive songs Songs written by Randy Bachman Mercury Records singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Randy Bachman