Early life
Bobby Caldwell was born in Manhattan to Bob and Carolyn Franklin, the hosts of Suppertime, an early television variety show. Living in Memphis and, chiefly, Miami (which he has called an influential "dumping ground" for all kinds of music), he took up piano and guitar as a preteen. Forming his own band at 17, he took the group on the road, later recording an album entitled Kathmandu.
Caldwell's first performances were more rock-oriented than the bulk of his career would indicate; early dates had him playing Jimi Hendrix and Cream covers in small clubs.
[edit] Recording career
[edit] Bobby Caldwell (What You Won't Do for Love)
Bobby Caldwell was signed to legendary Miami label TK Records, home to many different kinds of musical acts: the pop-disco of KC & The Sunshine Band, the Latin-flavoured funk of Foxy, the down-home soul of George McCrae and his wife Gwen McCrae, and the futuristic, jazzy disco of Peter Brown and T-Connection.
For this very hot label, Bobby recorded his double platinum-attaining self-titled solo album, scoring hits with the singles "What You Won't Do for Love", "My Flame" and, in Britain, "Down for the Third Time." In order to ensure significant airplay on the African American-dominated R&B radio format of the time, Caldwell's management took certain steps — such as portraying the artist only in silhouette on the cover and in advertisements — to hide the fact that he was white. The secret was, for obvious reasons, shattered by his first live appearances.
After the tracks were first recorded and the record was considered "complete," TK owner Henry Stone said that he enjoyed the album but couldn't hear a hit. Attempting to address this issue, Caldwell and his band re-entered the studio, laying down the song's now-familiar rhythm tracks. After he quickly penned a set of lyrics, "What You Won't Do for Love" was born.
"What You Won't Do for Love" in its novelty vinyl incarnation
Reaching the top ten on both the pop (#9) and R&B (#6) charts, the song proved to be a success, though a bit of a surprise one due both to the haste with which it was written and the fact that Caldwell assumed "My Flame", the LP's second track ("What You Won't Do for Love" is the sixth), would wind up as the standout single. The album which contained it was later re-released under the song's title. The single was also marketed in the form of a distinctive red heart-shaped 45-RPM vinyl record (advertised as "the single that gets to the heart of the matter"), now a collector's item frequently seen on eBay. Although the record is heart-shaped, the grooves on the vinyl, of course, are round, even though the sleeve would lead one to think otherwise. (The What You Won't Do for Love album also received a novelty release on yellow vinyl.)
While the original song still receives frequent airplay today, it has been covered, re-made (once, in 1998, by Caldwell himself) and sampled many times since 1978. Phyllis Hyman for her Living All Alone album, Go West's version rose high in the adult contemporary charts, and Boyz II Men's version in 2004, Tupac Shakur's "Do for Love," which samples the lyric, also attained a good deal of popularity. Goldie covered it on his 1998 EP Ring of Saturn (the lyrics were sung by Diane Charlemagne), In 2007 it was given a funky house makeover by Central Avenue featuring Simon Green. In addition, "My Flame" was covered by actress/singer Vanessa Williams for her 1999 Greatest Hits CD and also sampled by Bad-Boy recording artist The Notorious B.I.G. and integrated into the song Sky's the Limit; which was also another major Rap/Hip-Hop hit.Another version is to notice from Ricky Peterson in the 90's.
The Cat in the Hat through August Moon
Caldwell's sophomore period involved the considerable task of following up such a staggering success as What You Won't Do for Love; during this time, his Japanese audience steadily eclipsed his American one. The Cat in the Hat (1980) and Carry On (1982), were artistic improvements upon the first album, but did not match its commercial success. They were, however, bestsellers in Japan -- The Cat went platinum and Carry On gold—and sealed Bobby's reputation as a superstar in that country.
1983 saw Bobby Caldwell put out August Moon, a project bearing a much more rock- than soul-oriented sound, in Japan only; it was released in the United States in the 1990s.
Heart of Mine through Where is Love
Though August Moon went gold, Caldwell subsequently took a hiatus from recording, instead directing his efforts toward composing songs for other performers (and make his own version of this song), most notably "Heart of Mine" for Boz Scaggs, "The Next Time I Fall" for Amy Grant and Peter Cetera, "Janet" for the Commodores, "Niagara Falls" for Chicago, "The Real Thing" for Kalapana and "All or Nothing at All" for Al Jarreau.
Caldwell sold albums at a steady pace throughout the 1990s, producing 1991's Stuck on You, recorded with a sixty-piece orchestra, and 1993's Where is Love, the latter having been recorded with musicians who had previously played with Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett along with a twenty-four piece orchestra.
During this period, the airplay of his music shifted from the declining R&B radio format to the then-nascent smooth jazz stations. Caldwell is frequently cited as a staple of the genre, with "What You Won't Do for Love" as well as lesser-known singles such as "Real Thing", "All or Nothing at All" (both from Heart of Mine) still featuring prominently on programmers' playlists.
[edit] Soul Survivor through Come Rain or Come Shine
1995 saw the release of Soul Survivor, marking a turn toward coverage of others' songs. Though a handful of originals were present, the album was for the most part focused on, appropriately, soul standards such as "Walk on By" and "Your Precious Love".
He later turned to singing nothing but big band standards and original, yet big band standard-like songs (such as the much-promoted "Tomorrow") on 1996's Blue Condition and 1999's Come Rain or Come Shine. Blue Condition was recorded in real-time, live with a sixty-piece string section and twenty-piece jazz band in the same Capitol Records studios used by such icons as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Bobby Darin.
[edit] Perfect Island Nights
In 2005, Caldwell released Perfect Island Nights, his first album of mostly original studio material since 1993. The record features a new version "Rain", a track which made its debut on his second anthology release, Time and Again, as well as versions of Phil Perry's "Perfect Island Night", "Where is the Love" (rendered as a duet with Deniece Williams) and "Our Day Will Come". Guest players include saxophonist George Shelby and percussionist Russ Miller.
Film soundtracks
Caldwell has contributed music to a number of movies. He has both written and performed original songs for 1986's Back to School ("Educated Girl"), 1988's Mac & Me ("Take Me, I'll Follow You"), 1988's Salsa ("Puerto Rico") and its sequel ("Every Teardrop").
Songs penned by Caldwell but performed by others have appeared in films such as 1989's Ghostbusters 2 ("The Promised Land," performed by James "J.T." Taylor, the lead singer of Kool & the Gang) and 1987's Princess from the Moon ("Stay With Me," performed by Peter Cetera).
Due to what Caldwell has cited in interviews a lower cost of use than the original recordings, his versions of big band standards have appeared in several films. Examples include 2002's LakeBoat and 2001's Simone.
Caldwell also composed and performed "Don't Quit," the theme song for Body by Jake's workout video of the same name. He also appears in the associated music video, musically urging an actor portraying a weak young man to engage in weight training in order to defeat the bully of a local beach.
[edit] Sampling
Caldwell's music has been a popular source material for other artists, sometimes of differing genres, to sample. Of the many releases that make use of pieces of Caldwell's work, the following are some of the most prominent:
* Aaliyah's "Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number" (samples "What You Won't Do for Love")
* Da Brat and Mariah Carey's "Gotta Thing 4 You" (samples the chorus of "What You Won't Do for Love")
* 2Pac's "Can I Get Your Number", "What I Won't Do For Love (Unreleased)" "Do for Love"(Posthumous) and "Heaven Ain't Hard 2 Find" (sample "What You Won't Do for Love")
* Tatyana Ali's "Boy You Knock Me Out" (samples "What You Won't Do for Love") On Kiss The Sky (1998)
* Common's "The Light" (samples "Open Your Eyes")
* Notorious B.I.G.'s "Sky the Limit" (samples "My Flame")
* Portrait's "heartstrings" (samples "My Flame")
* The Luniz's "Playa Hata" (samples "What You Wont' Do for Love")
* Guru (rapper)'s "Something in the Past" (samples "What You Wont' Do for Love")
* Esham's "24/7" (samples "What You Wont' Do for Love")
* Raheem DeVaughn and DJ Jazzy Jeff's "My Soul Ain't for Sale" (samples "What You Won't Do for Love")
* Goldie's "What You Won't Do for Love" is a drum & bass re-working of "What you Won't Do for Love"
* Mona Lisa's "Jus Wanna Please U" (samples "What You Won't Do For Love")
* Medaphoar's "Can't Hold On" (samples "Carry On")
* Gym Class Heroes "Viva La White Girl" (references "What You Won't Do For Love")
* Kool G Rap "Blowin' Up in the World" (samples "What You Won't Do For Love")
* Master P featuring Steady Mobb'n's "If I Could Change" (samples "what you won't do for love") in 1997.
* On The New York Undercover episode Singer Montell Jordan cover the song.
[edit] Acting
Aside from a minor role in 1988's Salsa, Caldwell portrayed Frank Sinatra from October 1999 to January 2000 in the Las Vegas stage musical The Rat Pack is Back, garnering positive reviews.
[edit] Personal life
Caldwell resides on a horse farm in NJ with his wife, Mary, and their children.
[edit] Current activity
Bobby Caldwell is presently devoting his time to live performances.
[edit] Japanese audience
Like several other singers (such as Boz Scaggs, Peter Cetera, and Daryl Hall), Caldwell has attained a great deal of popularity in Japan. In 1992, he received the nation's equivalent of a Grammy as the "best international artist."
His current career reflects his fame in that country. His albums tend to be released in that country before his own, his tours typically include many prestigious well-attended dates at such venues as the Nagoya Blue Note and, in the early 1990s, he married (and fathered twin daughters with) a woman from Japan.
The Japanese soul/jazz group Skoop on Somebody covered What You Won't Do for Love in their album,「undressed～club SOS～」.
TV
* In one episode of "New York Undercover" Montell Jordan performs "What You Won't Do for Love".
Discography
LPs
* What You Won't Do for Love (1978) Initially released as Bobby Caldwell. Reached double platinum status in the United States and gold status in Japan.
* Cat in the Hat (1980) Reached gold status in the United States and platinum in Japan.
* Carry On (1982) Reached gold status in Japan.
* August Moon (1984) Initially a Japan-only release, where it reached gold status.
* Heart of Mine (1988) Reached double platinum status in Japan and received Ad Lib magazine's Best Record of the Year 1989 award.
* Stuck on You (1991) Released in Japan as Solid Ground
* Where is Love (1993)
* Soul Survivor (1995)
* Blue Condition (1996)
* Timeline: The Anthology (1998)
* Come Rain or Come Shine (1999)
* Time and Again: The Anthology Part 2 (2001)
* Perfect Island Nights (2005)
Singles
* "What You Won't Do for Love" (1978)
* "Coming Down from Love" (1980)
* "Jamaica" (1982)
* "All of My Love" (1982)
Quotes
* "It got to where I could just send the hat to the show and stay home!" - on why he no longer wears his former trademark fedora during live performances
* "The record label went to great lengths to hide the fact that I was white, and I just deferred to what I didn't understand." - on his career immediately post-"What You Won't Do for Love"
"Bobby Caldwell Lounges Hard" - Louis Boston
First Time
Bobby Caldwell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They'll always put their trust in fate.
Fools never take the time,
For love to really grow.
They just don't know.
And lonely dreamers,
Wonder if they will ever find romance.
My heart knew it,
For the first time,
Love is waiting at the door,
I've never felt this before.
Now I know the score.
Darling for the first time,
First time.
No more nights,
Of missing the essential things.
You've brought back to my life,
And everything you are, feels so right.
Oh lonely dreamer,
Did you ever think we would find romance?
Lets get started, putting both are hearts into it!
For the first time
Love is waiting at the door
There had to be something more
Now I know the score.
Darling for the first time, first time
I only want to do, the things that other lovers do.
And if you feel the same put your arms around me.
If your tired of being one who's just dreaming.
Oh lonely dreamers wonder if they will ever find romance.
My heart knew it, till you shot your arrow through it.
For the first time
I know what I've been searching for
Their had to be something more
Now I know the score
Darling for the first time
Love is waiting at the door
I've never felt this before
Now I know the score,
Darling for the first time?
In this song, Bobby Caldwell talks about the experience of finding true love for the first time. He contrasts the approach of wise men, who wait for fate to bring love into their lives, with that of fools who don't take the time for love to grow. He also talks about the feeling of longing that some people experience before they find love and how it can be overcome.
The lyrics of this song are very relatable, especially for those who have experienced the highs and lows of falling in love. It captures the emotions and feelings associated with the journey of finding true love. The lines "For the first time, love is waiting at the door/I've never felt this before/Now I know the score" express the joy and excitement of finally finding love.
The song is an upbeat blend of funk, soul, and pop. Bobby Caldwell's signature falsetto voice is prominent throughout the song. The catchy melody and lively beat add to the overall feel-good vibe of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Wise men wait,
Smart people have patience and trust the timing of fate.
They'll always put their trust in fate.
They believe that everything happens for a reason and trust the universe.
Fools never take the time,
Unwise people do not have the patience or understanding to let love mature.
For love to really grow.
They do not realize that it takes time for true love to develop and flourish.
They just don't know.
They are unaware of the importance of patience and growth in relationships.
And lonely dreamers,
People who yearn for love and constantly imagine their romantic future.
Wonder if they will ever find romance.
They question whether they will ever find a significant relationship.
My heart knew it,
I instinctively knew that true love was real and worth finding.
Till you shot your arrow through it.
Until I met you and fell in love, my heart was incomplete and searching.
For the first time,
I am experiencing something entirely new and life-changing.
Love is waiting at the door,
I am ready to open myself up to love and let a true relationship grow.
I've never felt this before.
This is the first time I have felt truly in love.
Now I know the score.
Now I understand what true love is and what it means to my life.
Darling for the first time,
My love for you is brand new and unlike anything I have experienced before.
No more nights,
I will never again experience the feeling of loneliness and missing out on important things.
Of missing the essential things.
I will no longer neglect the important aspects of a relationship because I am too focused on my own needs.
You've brought back to my life,
You have brought light and rainbows back into my life, where darkness once prevailed.
And everything you are, feels so right.
You are the perfect match for me, and everything about you aligns with my desires and ideals.
Oh lonely dreamer,
Similar to myself, someone who yearns for love and hopes to find it.
Did you ever think we would find romance?
Did you ever believe that we would be the lucky ones to find a true and meaningful relationship?
Lets get started, putting both are hearts into it!
Let's dive in and commit to making this relationship work. Let's give it our all and pour our hearts into it.
There had to be something more.
There is more to life than just existing and being lonely. We are meant to find true love and companionship.
I only want to do, the things that other lovers do.
I only want to experience and share in the same loving actions and moments that other happy couples do.
And if you feel the same put your arms around me.
If you share the same feelings and desires as me, show me your love and affection by embracing me.
If your tired of being one who's just dreaming.
If you are tired of just imagining a romantic life, take action and make it a reality with me.
For the first time I know what I've been searching for.
Finally, I have clarity and understanding about what true love is, and what I have been searching for all along.
Their had to be something more.
I always knew that there was something missing from my life, and now I realize that it was true love.
Now I know the score.
Finally, I have a handle on how to succeed in love and what it requires in order to be successful.
Darling for the first time?
Are you also experiencing this powerful and transformative love for the first time, my darling?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind