What You Won’t Do for Love

The song that almost wasn’t

Bobby himself had other ideas about the album’s lead single. He was partial to “My Flame.” TK heard “What You Won’t Do for Love” differently, and they were right.

The sound

The record is a slow-burning mix of soul, jazz and R&B: Bobby’s smooth tenor over electric piano, a laid-back groove and a horn arrangement written and recorded by Miami arranger Mike Lewis. That blend of crooner phrasing and Miami soul is what came to be called blue-eyed soul, and few records define it as clearly.

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A hit on R&B radio first

TK was primarily an R&B label, and the single went to R&B radio first. The label kept Bobby’s face off the album cover, which showed only a silhouette on a bench against a sunset, so listeners met the voice before the face. Many fans who came to his early shows, including dates opening for Natalie Cole, were surprised to find that the singer was white.

Released in September 1978 with “Love Won’t Wait” on the B-side, the single entered the American Top 40 in February 1979 and peaked at:

The heart-shaped record

TK first pressed the single on red, heart-shaped vinyl as a promotional item. Fans wanted it so badly that 50,000 copies were pressed for Valentine’s Day 1979, priced at $7.98, about the cost of a full album at the time. American Top 40 called it the most expensive single yet. Today a limited reissue of the heart-shaped record is available in the shop.

2Pac’s “Do for Love”

In 1998, “Do for Love” by 2Pac featuring Eric Williams, built on a sample of Bobby’s song, became a posthumous hit from R U Still Down? (Remember Me). It reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 10 on the R&B chart and No. 12 in the UK, and was certified gold in the US. For a generation of hip-hop listeners, it was their first taste of Bobby Caldwell.

A new generation on TikTok

In February 2024, a TikTok video of chocolate-covered strawberries set to the song went viral, drawing well over 100 million views and spawning more than two million videos using the track. On February 24, 2024, “What You Won’t Do for Love” reached No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, more than 45 years after its release. Read the full story.

After Bobby’s death on March 14, 2023, the song also returned to the UK download chart, and in the UK it is certified silver.