What Time Is Love?

Album: The White Room (1990)
Charted: 4 57
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was released on several occasions by KLF, evolving through each reworking. In its original form, the track was an instrumental acid house anthem; subsequent versions with vocals and additional instrumentation, yielded the international hit singles "What Time Is Love? (Live at Trancentral)" (1990) and "America: What Time Is Love?" (1991), both of which reached the Top 5 of the UK Singles Chart and introduced The KLF to a mainstream international audience.
  • The 1991 version featured former Deep Purple, Gary Moore and Black Sabbath vocalist Glenn Hughes, who said the recording session inspired him to kick a cocaine habit.

    "I suddenly understood that there was more to life than drugs," he explained. "I mean, the KLF guys were aware of my previous record of drug-induced unreliability but were willing to give me a chance… I did 10 vocal tracks for them in just 25 minutes, and realized that 'America' would be huge and probably my last chance to make a go of my career again. My credit on the single: 'Glenn Hughes - The Voice Of Rock' restored my confidence and was a kind of a lifeline... Drugs are for losers."
  • Scooter's 2002 UK Top 20 hit "Posse (I Need You On The Floor)" had a similar bassline to "What Time Is Love."
  • "The First Cut Is The Deepest" singer PP Arnold was a session vocalist during the late 1980s and 1990s, and her credits in this period included The KLF's "What Time Is Love?" and "3 A.M. Eternal." The American didn't get paid properly for her contributions after the controversial duo burned (literally) £1,000,000 of cash for an arts project.

    Arnold told Uncut: "I asked them that if they used anything that I did, they would give me 5%. And it's unfortunate and really annoying that they supposedly burned the money. Everybody knows it's me singing, 'KLF! Uh huh, uh huh,' but they even tried to say that wasn't the hook of the song."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Motley Crue

Motley CrueFact or Fiction

Was Dr. Feelgood a dentist? Did the "Crüecifixion" really happen?

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell BluesSong Writing

When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.