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In researching today's "Great Song of 1979," I came across this gem of a synopsis from the British music magazine 'Smash Hits:'
"Mellow sophisticated soul with a subtle Latin beat from a white American who obviously admires Stevie Wonder."
That actually made me laugh out loud...but on the other hand, it's not wrong.
"What You Won't Do for Love" by Bobby Caldwell is guilty as charged. You can hear "echoes" of Stevie throughout.
The single came from Bobby's self-titled debut album in late 1978,but before it was released, there was a little drama behind the scenes.
His record label (TK) felt the album was good, but lacked a hit.
Bobby disagreed. He felt that his song, "My Flame," was certainly chart-worthy, but to appease the label, he went back into the studio and added "What You Won't Do for Love."
He still felt "My Flame" should be the first single, but now TK was gung-ho on the new cut...so that's what was released.
In the end, TK made the right choice, and Bobby had to agree-especially when in early 1979,the song became a TRIPLE Top 10 hit: #6 on Billboard's Soul Chart, #9 on the Hot 100, and #10 on the Easy Listening Chart.
TRIVIA #1: When the song was released, TK pressed a red heart-shaped single intended for promotional purposes only, but when the public found out about it, another 50,000 copies were pressed for Valentine's Day with a retail price of $7.98—about the price of a full album back then.
TRIVIA #2: Sharp-eared listeners claimed the song was slightly out of tune, and they were right! The song was written in the key of F#, but due to technical issues in the studio, the whole thing was a bit flat.
Of course, that didn't make a bit of difference. "What You Won't Do for Love" by Bobby Caldwell was STILL a sophisticated soul song with a subtle Latin beat from a white American who obviously admired Stevie Wonder--AND a "Great Song of 1979!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gru4IfbKlfU
For the record, here's "My Flame:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hK6IgvZ0CY
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