Released: September 1974 as a single.
Album: Not Fragile, BTO’s third studio album.
Genre: Hard rock.
Writer and producer: Randy Bachman.
Origins / Creation
The song was originally composed as an instrumental and was kind of a “work track” that Randy Bachman used to test amps, mics, etc.
Bachman later added lyrics, in part as a joke aimed at his brother Gary, who had a stutter. He deliberately included a stutter in parts of the vocals (“B‑b‑b‑baby,” etc.) as reference.
The song was not going to be released initially; it was a leftover track. It was added to Not Fragile after the record label (Mercury) asked if there were any more tracks because they felt the album “was missing something” — they wanted a song with hit potential.
Meaning / Lyrics
Lyrically, it tells the story of meeting a “devil woman” who captures the narrator’s affections. The narrator responds that she hasn’t seen anything yet — implying there’s more to come.
The stutter isn’t purely musical ornamentation: it’s literally referencing a speech impediment (Gary’s). So there’s a personal and somewhat playful dimension to it.
Release & Reception
Chart Performance:
• Reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
• Also hit #1 in Canada.
• In the UK, it was a major hit too (peaked at #2).
• Reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
• Also hit #1 in Canada.
• In the UK, it was a major hit too (peaked at #2).
Album Success: Not Fragile became BTO’s most successful album; it topped charts in the U.S. and Canada, given the strength of this song among others.
Unexpected Hit: Randy Bachman initially thought the track was too silly or not serious enough to be a hit. But others, especially the label’s A&R, saw that it had something special.
Legacy & Cultural Impact
The song is arguably BTO’s most famous, their signature hit.
It has been recognized by the Stuttering Foundation of America as one of the most prominent songs involving stuttering (due to its use of stutter in vocal delivery) and has been used to raise awareness.