Bobby Caldwell’s ‘What You Won’t Do for Love’ Hits No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50

In February 2024, a short video of a bowl of chocolate-covered strawberries turned Bobby Caldwell’s 1978 classic “What You Won’t Do for Love” into one of the most-heard songs on TikTok. On the chart dated February 24, 2024, it debuted at No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, more than 45 years after it first played on the radio.

The video that started it

On February 5, 2024, TikTok user @pr4yforgabs posted a short clip of a bowl of chocolate-covered strawberries, set to the opening of “What You Won’t Do for Love.” There was no dance, no lip sync and no punchline, just strawberries and Bobby’s voice. It struck a nerve. The video went on to collect hundreds of millions of views and more than 50 million likes, putting it among the most-liked videos ever posted on TikTok.

Around Valentine’s Day, the sound took on a life of its own. Creators used it for clips about food cravings, pets, crushes and partners, usually cutting to the song’s first few seconds, and sped-up edits spread alongside the original. Within weeks, more than two million videos had used the track.

Why the song works on TikTok

No one can fully explain a viral moment. The experts TODAY asked about the video pointed to a mix of luck, TikTok’s algorithm, curiosity and nostalgia. Once it took off, people started asking why it was so popular, which only sent more viewers its way.

The song did a lot of the work. Its opening is warm and instantly recognizable, and its title line says everything a 12-second clip needs to say. With Bobby’s smooth, effortless vocal over a relaxed groove, it lends almost anything, from dessert to a sleepy dog, a little romance and a little humor.

Many listeners also knew the melody without knowing where it came from. For decades, “What You Won’t Do for Love” has lived on through covers and samples, most famously 2Pac’s posthumous hit “Do for Love,” which is built on Bobby’s chorus. Read more in Songs That Sampled Bobby Caldwell.

No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50

Billboard launched the TikTok Billboard Top 50 in September 2023 to rank the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States, based on how many videos use a song, how often those videos are watched and how people engage with them. On the chart dated February 24, 2024, “What You Won’t Do for Love” debuted at No. 1.

That put a song recorded in 1978 at the top of a chart built for the newest viral hits. When it first came out, the single climbed to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 6 on the R&B chart and No. 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart in early 1979. This time, it sent a new generation looking for the full song on their streaming apps.

A song that keeps finding new listeners

The TikTok moment is the latest chapter in a long story. Bobby wrote “What You Won’t Do for Love” with Alfons Kettner for his 1978 debut when TK Records felt the album still lacked a hit. TK first pressed the single on red, heart-shaped vinyl, and fans wanted it so badly that 50,000 copies were made for Valentine’s Day 1979.

Since then the song has been covered by Roy Ayers, Go West, Michael Bolton and Boyz II Men, sampled by 2Pac and many others, and played on radio for more than four decades. Bobby passed away in March 2023, less than a year before the strawberry video. He never saw this revival, but it introduced his voice to millions of people who weren’t born when he first sang it.

Listen to the song

Hear “What You Won’t Do for Love” and the rest of Bobby’s music on your favorite service.

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