No Time (The Guess Who song)

"No Time" is a song by Canadian rock band The Guess Who, composed by guitarist Randy Bachman and lead singer Burton Cummings.

"No Time"
Song by The Guess Who
from the album Canned Wheat
Released	September 1969
Recorded	1969 at RCA Studio A, New York, New York
Genre	Pop rock[1] hard rock[2] psychedelic pop[3]
Length	3:44 (single version)
Label	Nimbus 9, RCA Records
Songwriter(s)	Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings
Producer(s)	Jack Richardson

"No Time"
Cover of the 1970 German single
Single by The Guess Who
from the album American Woman
B-side	"Proper Stranger"
Released	November 1969[4]
Recorded	August 12, 1969, at the RCA Mid-America Recording Center, Studio B, Chicago, Illinois
Genre	Pop rock hard rock psychedelic pop
Length	3:50
Label	RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)	Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings
Producer(s)	Jack Richardson
The Guess Who singles chronology
"Laughing" / "Undun" (1969) "No Time" (1969) "American Woman" / "No Sugar Tonight" (1970)

There are two versions of the song. The original recording was done for The Guess Who's album Canned Wheat. But it is the re-recording (as featured on the American Woman album) that was released as a single in 1969 and is the better-known. It is slightly faster in tempo and has the two verses transposed, but the extended Bachman guitar solo was cut. The single peaked at No. 5 in the U.S.^[5] and was the third in a string of million-selling singles that all hit No. 1 in Canada for The Guess Who.^[6] It also made the Top 20 in New Zealand.

Background

"No Time" is a breakup song; a reverse Dear John letter stating, "No time left for you." Of the song, Randy Bachman said, “That was our country-rock song... Me and Burton trying to be like Neil [Young] and Stephen Stills."^[7] The song was composed on a Saturday at Cumming’s mother’s house, where Bachman came up with the guitar line and the song built from that. ^[8]

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1969–1970) Peak position Australia 43 Canada RPM[9] 1 New Zealand (Listener) 16 US Billboard Hot 100 5 US Cash Box Top 100[10] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1970) Rank Canada[11] 12 U.S. Billboard[12] 70 U.S. Cash Box[13] 21

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[14]	Gold	40,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Popular culture

• This song was used in the movie Pirates of Silicon Valley.

References

1. Dave Marsh; John Swenson (12 October 1983). The new Rolling stone record guide. Random House/Rolling Stone Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-394-72107-1.
2. American Woman at AllMusic
3. Hall, Russell (27 March 2015). "10 Classic Rock Bands That Deserve Another Look". Gibson Guitar Corporation. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
4. "The Guess Who - No Time".
5. The Guess Who, "No Time" U.S. Chart Position Retrieved March 7, 2015
6. The Guess Who, "No Time" Canadian Chart Position Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 7, 2015
7. "Interview with Randy Bachman".
8. "Burton Cummings TikTok".
9. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
10. "Cash Box Top 100 2/28/70".
11. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. 17 July 2013.
12. "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
13. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1970". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
14. "Canadian single certifications – The Guess Who – No Time". Music Canada. Retrieved January 24, 2024.

External links

• Video on YouTube