"Love T.K.O." is a song written by Cecil Womack and Gip Noble, Jr.[1] Standing for technical knockout, it was written for soul singer David Oliver,[2] and appeared first on his album Here's to You in 1980. Cecil and Linda Womack recorded the song themselves as Womack & Womack and it appeared simply as "T.K.O." on their debut album Love Wars in 1983.[3]
Teddy Pendergrass recording
"Love T.K.O." is mainly associated with R&B and soul artist Teddy Pendergrass, who recorded the song for his 1980 album TP, releasing it as a single the same year. Arranged by Dexter Wansel, it reached No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]
Charts
Teddy Pendergrass version
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard R&B | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 44 |
Regina Belle version
Regina Belle recorded and released her version in 1995 and included on her Reachin' Back LP.
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard R&B[6] | 29 |
Other recordings
"Love TKO" has been covered by several artists, including:
- Deborah Harry
- Hall & Oates
- Bette Midler
- Boz Scaggs
- Lambchop
- Michael McDonald
- Seal
- Fourplay
- Womack & Womack (as just "T.K.O.") on their 1983 album Love Wars
- Modern Man (Pittsburgh R&B/dance/cover band)[7]
- Tatsuro Yamashita on his 1999 album On the Street Corner 3
Samples
- In 1994, American rapper Ahmad sampled it for his hit single “Back in the Day ”.
- In 1995, R&B group Xscape sampled it for their remix of "Who Can I Run To".
- In 1996, the song was sampled by Kenny Lattimore on "I Won't Let You Down".
- Total as well as featured in the 2015 motion picture Concussion.
Popular culture
- In 2006, Pendergrass' version of the song was featured in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on fictional radio station VCFL.
- It was used in 2005 video game Fahrenheit (a.k.a. Indigo Prophecy).
- DJ Spooky referenced the song in his essay titled "Groove Theory" in URB.
- Artist Ahmad Lewis used the melody for a remix of his 1994 song "Back in the Day" from his self-titled album Ahmad.
- In 2025, Pendergrass’ version was used in an Air Jordan commercial about Jalen Hurts after the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory in Super Bowl LIX.
References
- ^ "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "www.discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r22182
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 455.
- ^ US Charts. MusicVF.com. Retrieved March 3, 2020
- ^ "Regina Belle US chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ^ "Google Search". Archived from the original on 2002-08-13. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
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