In the mid 1980s they scored several hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, including "Takes a Little Time," which hit #1 in 1985. In their homeland, the same song reached number 17 in the UK Singles Chart.
Further releases included "Hit and Run" also a minor hit which reached #41 in 1985, "The River" which peaked at #44 in early 1986 and "What You Gonna Do About It" peaking at #63 in the summer of 1986 which also featured on the band's 1986 self-titled album although none of them reached the heights of the earlier release. All chart positions for these three tracks are for the UK Singles Chart. They recorded on London Records. A further track called "Jody" was released in 1987 but, despite being popular on the dance floors, failed to chart.
Their style of 80s electro soul was largely rendered obsolete by the massive popularity of house music in the UK from 1987 onwards, though they have latterly found popularity with hip 80s revivalists, in particular Canadian duo Chromeo who included "Takes A Little Time" on their 2005 mix CD Chromeo Presents Un Joli Mix Pour Toi
Takes A Little Time
Total Contrast Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Makin' friends with the kind that won't go far
When suddenly love became more than it seemed, heyey
A fire run when she entered, all hearts held
Like a magnet's attraction, all heads gone
I'm sure the girl I'd seen in my dreams
Thinking love had passed me by
Now my heart is leading me on
Look my hand, it's shaking now
Takes a little time to get it right
Takes a little time, takes a little time
Would you believe in love at first sight?
Takes a little time, takes a little time
Takes a little time to get it right
Takes a little time, takes a little time
Would you believe in love at first sight?
Takes a little time, takes a little time
Through the crowd on the dancefloor I caught her glance
One more drink and I'll ask her for that dance
Her eyes told me all that I needed to know
All sway tells me that this one is for sure
But I know this has happened to me before
Seems like this time I should take on the chance
There I was counting my losses
Thinking love had passed me by
Now my heart is leaning me on
Look my hand, it's shaking now
Takes a little time to get it right
Takes a little time, takes a little time
Would you believe in love at first sight?
Takes a little time, takes a little time
Takes a little time to get it right
Takes a little time, takes a little time
Would you believe in love at first sight?
Takes a little time, takes a little time
Takes a little time to get it right
Would you believe in love?
Takes a little time
Takes a little time to
Takes a little time, takes a little time
Would you believe in love at first sight?
Takes a little time to get it right
Takes a little time
Would you believe in love
Takes a little time
Takes a little time
Takes a little time
Would you believe in love at first sight?
Takes a little time
Takes a little time
Takes a little time
Would you believe in love at first sight?
Takes a little time
Takes a little time....
Would you believe in love at first sight?
Takes a little time, takes a little time
Takes a little time to get it right
Takes a little time, takes a little time
Would you believe in love at first sight?
Takes a little time, takes a little time
The lyrics of Total Contrast's song Takes a Little Time are about a chance encounter with someone special in a bar. The singer is initially resigned to making small talk with people who he knows won't stick around, until he sees someone who catches his heart in an instant. As he watches her entrance and the effect it has on everyone else in the room, he realizes that she is someone he's seen before in his dreams. He struggles with whether or not to approach her, but finally plucks up the courage to ask her to dance. The lyrics end on an ambiguous note, with the singer wondering if love at first sight is really possible and suggesting that it takes a little time to truly figure that out.
The lyrics of Takes a Little Time seem to be exploring the idea of judging a romantic connection based purely on first impressions. The singer is initially dismissive of the people around him, but when he sees the woman he falls for, he realizes that the energy she brings has the power to change his perspective on everything. He acknowledges that it takes a little time to really know if what he's feeling is real, but the song ends before we find out what happens next.
Overall, Takes a Little Time is a catchy and upbeat song that encourages listeners to believe in the possibility of love at first sight, while also acknowledging that true love may require a bit more patience and time to fully develop.
Line by Line Meaning
Just another night, in some lonely bar
It was an ordinary night, where the singer was alone at a bar.
Makin' friends with the kind that won't go far
The singer was socializing with people who were not likely to stick around for long.
When suddenly love became more than it seemed, heyey
When the singer saw the love interest, he realized that it was not just a casual encounter but something more meaningful.
A fire run when she entered, all hearts held
The moment the love interest entered, everyone's attention was drawn towards her.
Like a magnet's attraction, all heads gone
Her charm attracted everyone, making them oblivious to everything else.
I'm sure the girl I'd seen in my dreams
The singer was convinced that the love interest was the same person he had dreamed of before.
There I was counting my losses
The singer was feeling defeated in love.
Thinking love had passed me by
The singer believed that he missed his chance at love.
Now my heart is leading me on
The singer's heart was guiding him towards pursuing love again.
Look my hand, it's shaking now
The singer's nervousness was taking over him, especially his hands.
Takes a little time to get it right
It takes time and effort to build and develop romantic relationships properly.
Would you believe in love at first sight?
The singer is asking whether the listener is open to the idea of falling in love at first sight.
Through the crowd on the dancefloor I caught her glance
Amidst the party crowd, the singer made eye contact with the love interest.
One more drink and I'll ask her for that dance
With a little bit of courage, the singer would ask the love interest for a dance.
Her eyes told me all that I needed to know
The singer understood the love interest's interest in him through her eyes.
All sway tells me that this one is for sure
The love interest's physical movements convinced the singer that she was genuinely interested in him.
But I know this has happened to me before
The singer has had similar experiences before, and he was uncertain of how it would turn out.
Seems like this time I should take on the chance
Despite his uncertainty, the singer felt like he should take the chance to pursue love.
Takes a little time
Building love takes effort and patience.
Would you believe in love?
The singer asks if the listener believes in love.
Takes a little time to get it right
It takes patience, time, and energy to make a relationship work.
Contributed by Bailey V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ali Askri
The golden 80’s funky time .
Samo
Great vocal ! Great song ! Great guys ! Was a mistake by the label at the time. Like to see anyone try and sing this like Robin !
Marios Christodoulou
Great song. Liked it right away. Great vocal. Pity they didn't have other hits.
John Davis
They had other great songs
Huguito Bonito
Great song! With the 80´s flavor!!
Solomon Tanko
The beauty of old-school music
KOLLUSION Transistor Funk - Topic
That b-line in the chorus. Not long enough, looking for an extended mix!
Julia Oko
This tune 🎶 just came into my head. I can't believe I don't own it yet. Shame on me.
Steve Grace
What a tune, reminded me of a few things: (a) how great the soul/funk was back in the 80s (b) that London lads were making great stuff and (c) that for a while I was listening to this stuff on a local pirate radio station called Total Contrast that was based out of Islington in North London, which unfortunately got raided by the old bill too many times and eventually was gone forever, probably couldn't afford to keep buying new equipment every couple of weeks
SOCCER AS WE LIKE IT- THE MANUTD DIRECTION
Oh my DAYS, my secondary school and Cassette Tapes .. great song