"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" is a song by Canadian

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

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). The song was 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, ...

for the band's third studio album '' Not Fragile'' (1974). It was released as a single in 1974, with an instrumental track "Free Wheelin'" as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

. It reached the number one position on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart and 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 the week of November 9, 1974, as well as earning the band their only major hit single in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The follow-up single, " Roll on Down the Highway", was also a minor UK hit.

Theme

The lyrics for the song tell of the narrator meeting a "devil woman" who gives 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."

Composition and recording

"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" was written by

. According to Bachman, the song was performed as a joke for his brother, Gary, who had a stutter. They only intended to record it once with the stutter and send the only recording to Gary. Bachman developed the song while recording BTO's third album, '' Not Fragile'' (1974). It began as an instrumental piece inspired by the rhythm guitar on

Dave Mason David Thomas Mason (born 10 May 1946) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Worcester, who came to prominence in 1967 as a founding member of the rock band Traffic. While with Traffic, he wrote and sang lead vocals on two of the b ...

's "

Only You Know and I Know "Only You Know and I Know" is a song written and originally recorded by Dave Mason in 1970. It is a track from his LP, ''Alone Together (Dave Mason album), Alone Together''. The song was his first charting single, and it became a modest hit for ...

". Bachman 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 the album, Charlie Fach of

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

said the eight tracks they had lacked the "magic" that would make a hit single. Some band members asked Bachman, "what about the work track?" Bachman reluctantly mentioned that he had this ninth song, but did not 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."Fred Bronson, ''The Billboard Book of Number One Hits'', Billboard, 1988 vi
"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"
from SuperSeventies.com 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 Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

. It didn't fit." Fach said to leave it as it was, with the stutter.

Release

"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" was not originally intended to be a single, but it became popular as an album cut. Radio stations all over the USA were giving it a great deal of airplay, as '' Not Fragile'' (1974) 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. With no singles yet released from the ''Not Fragile'' album, Fach would regularly call Bachman with airplay reports, asking for permission to release "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". Bachman said, "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.'" The song was released as a single in September 1974.

Reception

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 ...

'' described "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" as a "basic rocker featuring licks reminiscent of the

Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionist Moe Tuc ...

's ' Sweet Jane'," and praised the melodies and the vocal

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

. ''

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 that "this simply super rocker with a perfect hook is a rock experience that is not to be missed" and that it is "one of the best rockers of the year". ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that "Comin' on like a cross between '

My Generation "My Generation" is a song by the English rock band The Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend. One of the band's most recognizable songs, it was placed number 11 by ''Rolling Stone'' on its list of the " 500 Greatest S ...

' and '

Pinball Wizard "Pinball Wizard" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend and featured on their 1969 rock opera album '' Tommy''. The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reac ...

,' this is the tune to break BTO into

the Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

-fashioned stratosphere of top rockdom." Later in ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', writer

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born ) is an American music critic and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of '' Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone'', and has published num ...

called the song "a direct steal from the Who, and an imaginative one", with stuttering in the song reminiscent of the Who's "

". Randy Bachman, however, has said that the stuttering was originally only intended as a "gold joke" for his brother.

Commercial performance

"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" debuted at number 65 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for the week ending September 21, 1974, and reached the top of the Hot 100 seven weeks later. It was the only US number one single in BTO's chart history. (While as part of

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 ...

, Bachman had penned one other US chart-topper, "

American Woman "American Woman" is a song by Canadian rock band the Guess Who, released January 1970, from the album of the same name. It was later released in March 1970 as a single backed with " No Sugar Tonight", and it reached number one for three weeks ...

", which hit number one in 1970.) "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" also holds the record for falling the farthest from number one on the Hot 100 before returning to the top 10. After falling to number 34 two weeks after being at number one, it jumped back to number eight for two weeks, largely because of interest in the flip side, an instrumental called "Free Wheelin'". The song is not listed in Billboard's Top 100 singles of 1974 despite having reached number one within the time period covered by the chart, and is listed as the number 98 song of 1975. Its absence from the 1974 list and low placing on the 1975 list is due to its rapid ascent to number one and rapid descent before re-peaking at number eight, meaning its chart points were not focused within either the 1974 or 1975 chart periods. In Canada, the single also reached number one and won the 1976

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

for best-selling single. In the UK it reached number two, kept off the top of the charts by "

Lonely This Christmas "Lonely This Christmas" is a Christmas song by the English glam rock band Mud, that topped the UK Singles Chart in 1974, selling more than 750,000 copies and reaching Christmas number one. Song Written and produced by Nicky Chinn and Mike Ch ...

" by

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. It was later introduced to a new generation of fans in the UK when a remixed version was used as the theme tune to the ITV network's coverage of

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

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motor racing between 2003 and 2005, resulting in increased radio airplay for the original song in the UK during that period.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

In 1989, American band Figures on a Beach released a cover version which reached number 67 on the

Billboard 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), ...

. Finnish band Moogetmoogs released a cover version of "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" (re-titled "Kolmen minuutin muna") as the second single from their 1991 album ''Kadonnut levy'' ("''The Lost Record''"), with a cover version of

The Contours The Contours are an American rhythm and blues vocal group. They recorded for Motown Records. They are known for their 1962 hit single "Do You Love Me", which sold over 1 million copies and became a major hit again in 1988. History Establishment ...

song "

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" (retitled "Klu klu (mua rakastatko)?") as its B-side. Released in 1991, the single started to receive significant airplay and media attention beginning in November and hit number 1 on the Finnish charts in February 1992. British

eurodance Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip-hop, rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use ...

band

Bus Stop A bus stop is a place where Public transport bus service, buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelter (building), shelters ...

covered the song in 1998, and it reached #22 on the UK pop charts. Figures on a Beach scored a minor hit in 1989 with their version of the song. It has also been covered by

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(1999),

Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo (Spanish language, Spanish for "I've got it"; also abbreviated as YLT) is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley ...

(2006), The Disco Boys (2006) and Dutch band Oôs Joôs who retitled it "Bier En Zwere Sjek" (2008).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (Bachman-Turner Overdrive song) 1974 singles Bachman–Turner Overdrive songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in Denmark Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in New Zealand RPM Top Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in South Africa Songs written by Randy Bachman 1974 songs Mercury Records singles Juno Award for Single of the Year singles Song recordings produced by Randy Bachman Presidential campaign songs