Bachman and McLachlan New Walk of Famers

The Walk of Fame has announced inductees for 2012 and two of them are recording artists:  Randy Bachman and Sarah McLachlan.

Randy Bachman was a member of The Guess Who during their most successful years, cowriting hits with Burton Cummings.  He was perhaps better known as the principal member of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, the most successful of their hits being “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” in 1974.  It topped the charts in 20 countries around the world.  The band won 7 JUNO awards and enjoyed several platinum albums.

Sarah McLachlan has sold 40 million albums worldwide one of which was certified diamond in Canada, and she has had multiple hits including the biggest song of the year in 1997– “Building a Mystery”.  She has won 8 JUNOs.  Sarah was also the key figure behind the Lilith Fair festivals.

Criteria for inducting Canadians onto the Walk of Fame are threefold:

1.  Inductees must have either been born in Canada or spent their formative years in Canada.
2.  Inductees must have a minimum of 10 years experience in their field and have an established body of work.
3.  Inductees must have had national or international impact on Canada’s heritage.

You can read more about this year’s inductees HERE.

 

#26 Every blue collar feels his dollar getting smaller

As a soloist, after his time in The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Randy Bachman churned out some great music. In 1992, he released an album that passed by largely unnoticed due to weak promotion—Any Road. “Prairie Town” had vocal contributions from Neil Young and The Cowboy Junkies’ Margot Timmins and is a song in which he reminisces about his early rock ‘n roll days in Winnipeg. “Overworked and Underpaid” echoes the kind of blue-collar rock that made B.T.O. so lovable and win over a generation of gearheads, and it is our 26th favourite song of all-time by a Canadian artist. Randy Bachman is a true Canadian legend and this song is him at his sizzling best.

Lyrics

From daybreak ’til the sun goes down
It’s just another day of the blues
Some work 9 to 5, some work all night
Everybody’s got to pay some kind of dues

Overworked and underpaid
Overworked and underpaid

Every blue collar feels his dollar getting smaller
It’s hard to keep from coming unglued
Sometimes you’re wrong, sometimes you’re right
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose

And there’s a price you have to pay
To go on living day to day
No satisfaction guaranteed
Overworked and underpaid
Overworked and underpaid

It’s a treadmill existence with no way out
You either hang loose or hang tight
You know that you can shake it, you can always get by
Keep on keepin on ’til you get it right

And there’s a price you have to pay
To go on living day to day
No satisfaction guaranteed
Overworked and underpaid
Overworked and underpaid
Some have it made in the shade
Overworked and underpaid
…

Summary

Song: “Overworked and Underpaid”
Album: Any Road
Year: 1992
Artist: Randy Bachman
Origin: Winnipeg, MB

To view other songs in the Top 50, click on 50 Favourite Songs in the Categories menu on the right-hand column.