The trio, hailing from New York City, were discovered when they sang at a Sweet Sixteen party in an East Harlem church in 1984. Record producer Joey Gardner, who was at the party, was impressed with the group, and got the group signed to Tommy Boy Records. The group originally consisted of Tony, Kayel, and Ralph "Aby" Cruz, but eventually Aby was replaced by Raymond "Pito" "Angel" Vasquez (although not widely known, India was also one of the original members). Their first single was "One Way Love" which was a major hit among the Latin club community in New York, and followed up with many other hits, such as "Scars Of Love", "Tears May Fall", and "Come Get My Love."
The year, 1991 proved to be a very critical year for TKA, and for many Freestyle performers as well. TKA released their most important singles in 1991, "Louder Than Love", "Give Your Love To Me", and their House hit "Crash (Let's Have Some Fun)." Despite being very popular and very influential to the Freestyle genre, Tommy Boy requested that the band switch to pop instead of Freestyle. Rather than sacrifice their artistic integrity, the group released one more single, "Maria", which ironically proved to be their biggest hit, and then split up.
1988 album-cover for Scars of Love.Following the split, the members of TKA went on to pursue independent interests. Kayel recorded under the name K7 and had a hit Hip Hop record Swing Batta Swing which contained the lead hit single, "Come Baby Come." Tony started a successful production company in New York, and Angel joined the R&B group Goodfellas.
TKA reunited in 2001 and recorded the album Forever. The actual drop date for that album was November 6, 2001. Of the 12 songs contained on that album, only one was actually released as a single which was the smooth, House music song, "Feel The Music". The albums' promotion failures led to its poor success. Angel left the group afterwards and was replaced by popular Freestyle singer George Lamond. After the making of the anticipated album labeled 'TKA Featuring George Lamond' was completed, the group (along with George Lamond) decided to break up and go their own ways. The album was never released and only exists as demos that were given out to a few record companies. The name TKA still continues to live among its frontman K7, who performs the well known TKA hits in clubs throughout New York City. He also DJ's on New York's popular dance station 103.5 KTU. Though they've parted ways, they are still very popular in New York City, Chicago and Miami, and has had a sudden resurgence of popularity thanks to a recent Freestyle revival.
TKA were very notable for being heavily influential in the Freestyle genre, having presented an opportunity for many other Latino performers to create dance music. Among many Freestyle performers, TKA remain one of the most popular and influential, and its music are constant mainstays on Freestyle playlists.
One Way Love
TKA Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just one look, I knew you were on of a kind
Your love is hot
So give me all you've got
I need your love
Too much is not enough
[Chorus:]
Girl you played me for a fool
Should of held back all my loving
Didn't know there were no rules
One way love, now I'm still crying
Tears are falling like the rain
But I know I'll keep on trying
Why you put me through this pain
You said our love had passed the test
But then you left me like all the rest
That night we fought you knew you had been caught
I knew the plan
You found, you found another man
[Chorus:]
Now, it's over, you're out of my life
And I won't make the same mistake twice
You broke my heart
You knew it from the start
You were my world
But I've found, I've found another girl
[Chorus:]
The lyrics of TKA's song One Way Love tell the story of a man who falls deeply in love with a woman, only for her to use him and leave him heartbroken. The main character cannot stop thinking about this woman and feels she is special, but soon discovers that she was only using him for her own benefit. He believed their love was mutual, but was fooled into thinking that there were no rules in their relationship. With the line "you played me for a fool," it is clear that the woman he loved deceived him and made him believe in a false relationship.
With the chorus, the song focuses on the pain the main character feels after finding out that his love was one-sided, with no mutual feelings or commitment. He thought they had something special, but she left him, and now he's crying with tears like the rain. Despite the pain, he promises to keep trying, but the same cannot be said about the woman who ended up leaving him for another man. In the end, the main character decides to move on with his life and finds someone else to love – someone who truly reciprocates his love.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl, I can't get you out of my mind
I am unable to stop thinking about you, girl.
Just one look, I knew you were on of a kind
From the first impression I had of you, I could tell you were distinct from anyone else.
Your love is hot
Your love is passionate, intense, and powerful.
So give me all you've got
I want you to give me everything you can in this relationship.
I need your love
I require your love in my life to feel complete and happy.
Too much is not enough
I can never get enough of your love, no matter how much you give me.
One way love, thought we had something
I believed that we had a mutual and equal relationship, but I was mistaken.
Girl you played me for a fool
You tricked or manipulated me with your actions or words.
Should of held back all my loving
I ought to have been more cautious and restrained with expressing my love for you.
Didn't know there were no rules
I was unaware that you had your own unspoken rules or expectations in the relationship.
One way love, now I'm still crying
I am still emotional and upset about how unbalanced and unfair our relationship was.
Tears are falling like the rain
I am crying heavily and uncontrollably.
But I know I'll keep on trying
I am determined to persist in searching for love and happiness, despite being hurt by you.
You said our love had passed the test
You claimed that our relationship had successfully endured the challenges and difficulties it faced.
But then you left me like all the rest
You abandoned and rejected me like others have in the past.
That night we fought you knew you had been caught
During our argument that night, you realized that I had discovered your true intentions or actions.
I knew the plan
I was aware of the scheme or plot you had in our relationship.
You found, you found another man
You have found someone else to be in a romantic relationship with.
Now, it's over, you're out of my life
Our relationship is finished, and you are no longer a part of my life.
And I won't make the same mistake twice
I will not repeat the same errors or misjudgments in my next relationship.
You broke my heart
You destroyed my emotional well-being and caused me great pain.
You knew it from the start
You were aware of how deeply you were hurting me from the beginning of our relationship.
You were my world
You were everything to me and the center of my universe in our relationship.
But I've found, I've found another girl
However, I have moved on and found someone else to love and cherish.
One way love, thought we had something
Repeating the chorus to reinforce the theme of the song and how misled the singer was in their past relationship.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JERRY RAGOVOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@eddiecampain9258
80's freestyle 🔥🔥🔥
@raggaroaringsound
I remember it was 1986-1987. I was 13. I stayed home sick from school. Ended up in the back of a pink station wagon full of surfboards headed to the beach to surf with my brother and his friends girlfriend. This tune was playing. I can still smell the Bubble Gum surf wax.
@jadamts726
Wasn't even born yet but as a blk man born in the 80's who found himself in a predominantly Hispanic community I quickly learned, accepted, and loved freestyle along with salsa, reggaeton, and bachata 😊
@xbxbxb5814
All I remember is my mom cleaning listening to KTU radio in New York. This was on repeat. Loved those times. I wish I was an adult in the late 80 early 90's.
@sparkleveronicataylor6942
The Beat Of New York!😃
@saeedabdallatif9625
TKA the best freestyle group of all time
@richalbee6360
Takes me back to my early 20’s in Miami 86-88. Love Freestyle
@billyphimvongsa1360
Love your songs bring it back freestyle FOREVER!
@maxpower2542
Music will always be the window to the past; and thank god for that because the future of music is looking grim. This is such a classic tune!!
@philipcricenti3882
Great Memories of Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Florida🌴in the 80s! Powermix 96!