"What Time Is Love?" is a song released, in different mixes, as a series of singles by the British electronic music band

the KLF The KLF (also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, the JAMs, the Timelords and other names) are a British electronic band who originated in Liverpool and London in the late 1980s. Scottish people, Scottish musician Bill Drummond (alias Ki ...

. It featured prominently and repeatedly in their output from 1988 to 1992 and, under the moniker of 2K, in 1997. In its original form, the track was an

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

electronic dance

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

; subsequent reworkings, 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), which respectively reached number five and number four on the UK Singles Chart, and introduced the KLF to a mainstream international audience.

History

The KLF co-founders

Jimmy Cauty James Francis Cauty (born 19 December 1956), also known as Rockman Rock, is an English artist and musician, best known as one-half of the duo the KLF, co-founder of the Orb and as the man who K Foundation Burn a Million Quid, burnt £1 million ...

and

Bill Drummond William Ernest Drummond (born 29 April 1953) is a Scottish artist, musician, writer, and record producer. He was a co-founder of the late-1980s avant-garde pop group the KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with wh ...

began releasing music in March 1987, under the pseudonym

the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu The KLF (also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, the JAMs, the Timelords and other names) are a British electronic band who originated in Liverpool and London in the late 1980s. Scottish people, Scottish musician Bill Drummond (alias Ki ...

(the JAMs), named after a cultish organisation from ''

The Illuminatus! Trilogy ''The Illuminatus! Trilogy'' is a series of three novels by American writers Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, first published in 1975.''Illuminatus!'' was written between 1969 and 1971, but not published until 1975 according to Robert Anto ...

'' novels. The JAMs' output was created from plagiarised samples of popular music grafted together to form new songs, with

beatbox Beatboxing (also, and sometimes, called beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (usually a Roland TR-808, TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. Their second album, '' Who Killed the JAMs?'', was followed by a newsletter which expressed regret that people believed the JAMs were leading "a crusade for sampling", and suggested "We might put out a couple of 12-inch records under the name the K.L.F., these will be rap free just pure dance music, so don't expect to see them reviewed in the music papers." The first incarnation of "What Time Is Love?" followed. "What Time Is Love?" became one of the KLF's central tracks, dubbed their "three-note

warhorse The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot desig ...

of a signature tune" by Bill Drummond, in reference to the three-note

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...

which, together with a high-pitched refrain on two notes (B

bending In applied mechanics, bending (also known as flexure) characterizes the behavior of a slender structural element subjected to an external Structural load, load applied perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the element. The structural eleme ...

to F#) characterises the song. The bassline is very similar to the one used by Anne Clark the electronic musician in her 1984 song ''Our Darkness'' and to the guitar introduction to the song ''Heaven on Their Minds'' from the musical

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

. In common with the singles " 3 a.m. Eternal", " Last Train to Trancentral" and " Justified and Ancient", "What Time Is Love?" evolved through substantial reworkings, each new version taking elements of its predecessors and placing them in the context of a different musical

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

. There were three main versions, released in 1988, 1990 and 1991, shifting the KLF's sound from

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just " acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synt ...

through pop into heavy rock-oriented

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

, and a remake under a different moniker in 1997.

Pure Trance Original

The original 1988 12" single release launched the KLF's

minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

"Pure Trance" series of singles. The "Pure Trance" version is a synthesiser composition based around an acid house riff on three low-pitched

notes Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to: Music and entertainment * Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music * ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian * ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) shortened versi ...

and one

minor chord In music theory, a minor chord is a chord that has a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a minor triad. For example, the minor triad built on A, called an A minor triad, has pit ...

(

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: Changes need ...

). The subtle progression of the piece occurs through the

modulation Signal modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a periodic waveform in electronics and telecommunication for the purpose of transmitting information. The process encodes information in form of the modulation or message ...

of the main loops, the dub-like dropping of particular loops, and a recurring high-pitched refrain on two notes (B bending to F#). An

Oberheim OB-8 The Oberheim OB-8 is a subtractive analog synthesizer launched by Oberheim in early 1983 and discontinued in 1985. As the fourth product in the OB-series of polyphonic compact synthesizers, the OB-8 was the successor to the OB-Xa. About 3,000 ...

synthesiser provided the instrumentation. Two discs of different "Pure Trance" mixes, numbered KLF 004T (green writing on a black sleeve) and KLF 004R (yellow writing on a black sleeve, and a cover sticker), were given low-key releases on 24 November 1988 and 24 July 1989 respectively. The cumulative popularity of KLF 004T in

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...

clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Club (magazine), ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands a ...

prompted the KLF to release a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

of selected

cover versions In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...

and

sound-alike A sound-alike is a sound recording, recording intended to imitate the sound of a popular record, the style of a popular recording artist, or a current musical trend; the term also refers to the artists who perform on such recordings. In the voice ...

s, entitled '' The "What Time Is Love?" Story''. As Drummond had predicted, the "Pure Trance" release received little attention from the music press. However, upon the release of ''The "What Time Is Love?" Story'', ''

Q Magazine ''Q'' was a British popular music magazine. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''. ''Q'' was published in print in the ...

'' hailed the track as "a whirling house stomper ... not so much of a tune but a good beat".

Live at Trancentral

A 1990 version subtitled "Live at Trancentral" was the first of the KLF's upbeat "Stadium House Trilogy" and the single that introduced the KLF to an international mainstream audience, reaching No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart. It is a pop-house reworking of the Pure Trance Original, adding vocal samples, a new bassline, a new house rhythm and a self-proclaiming rap (performed by Isaac Bello). The " Trancentral" in the subtitle refers to the KLF's recording studio. An LP version of this mix appears on the album '' The White Room''. A remix 12", "What Time Is Love? (Remodelled & Remixed)" was released a month after the "Stadium House" version. It contains remixes by

Echo & the Bunnymen Echo & the Bunnymen are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch (singer), Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freita ...

—for whom the KLF co-founder

had previously been manager—and the Moody Boys. Both "Live at Trancentral" and "Remodelled & Remixed" were declared 'Single of the Week' at different times by ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...

'' (''NME''), where "Live at Trancentral" was described as a collision of "energy, humour and violence". The magazine also ranked "Live at Trancentral" as the 47th best single of 1990. ''Q Magazine'' noted the "awesome vitality" of the LP version. A retrospective review of the LP version by ''Splendid'' Magazine found the song to be "extraordinary". "It throbs and pulses in a still-riveting manner that transcends the dated beatdrops. Fusing the siren-wailing urgency of rave anthemry with the drunk-on-its-own-riff brilliance of the stupidest, simplest pop music, it's the kind of song that sends electrifying impulses through the drunken brain."

America: What Time Is Love?

The single release "America: What Time Is Love?" constituted a major reworking of the anthem and was the KLF's final UK retail musical offering. It was released in February 1992 in the UK, four months after it was first made available in the US. "America" has a markedly different tone to previous incarnations of the song: harder, heavier and more guitar-laden (featuring the riff from

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...

's song “ Ace of Spades"). It opens with a protracted narration by the KLF's regular narrator

Scott Piering Scott Piering (13 September 1946, Duluth, Minnesota – 22 January 2000) was a successful and influential American-born music publicist for many British music acts, including Pulp, The KLF, The Smiths (who he also managed), Stereophonics, The O ...

, about the JAMs' odyssey of 992 to discover

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Like " It's Grim Up North", it features a climactic orchestral section and a spoken list of towns and cities. However, in common with the "Stadium House" tracks, the mood of the song is one of jubilation. Between verses, a male chorus chants the word "America" to the tune of the song "Aquarius" from the rock musical ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...

''. Isaac Bello again provided rap, and Glenn Hughes (formerly of

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...

) provided vocals – a turning point for Hughes which he said helped "saved his life" from drug abuse. In contrast, the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

"America No More" is a sombre

anti-war An anti-war movement is a social movement in opposition to one or more nations' decision to start or carry on an armed conflict. The term ''anti-war'' can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conf ...

statement focusing on US foreign policy. With ambient overtones, it features forlorn guitars, austere

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

and a

pipe band A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, ...

loudly playing an improvisation in the style of Scottish traditional folk music, set against the backdrop of

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

noise and the recorded words of US politicians, commentators and evangelists speaking either about or during major 20th century US military conflicts. According to Drummond, it was the final track to be recorded by the KLF. Evangelists feature elsewhere in the KLF's music (including '' Chill Out'', "What Time Is Love? (Remodelled & Remixed)," and "Fuck the Millennium"), as does gunfire (in the three "Stadium House" singles). Reviewing "America: What Time Is Love?", ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' found that "the whole bizarre concoction's brilliantly bonkers", but questioned the KLF's strategy of recycling their songs. "America No More" was described by ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

'' in 1997 as "a devastating protest-montage of

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, N ...

and carpet-bombs". ''NME'' declined to make "America: What Time Is Love?" 'Single of the Week', declaring it instead to be 'Single of the Millennium'.

Fuck the Millennium

In 1997, "What Time Is Love?" was covered by the Williams Fairey Band, a

brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...

which under the stewardship of British artist

Jeremy Deller Jeremy Deller (born 30 March 1966) is an English people, English conceptual, video and installation artist. Much of Deller's work is Collaboration, collaborative; it has a strong political aspect, in the subjects dealt with and also the Idealiz ...

pioneered the

Acid Brass Acid Brass is a musical collaboration between Turner-Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller and the Williams Fairey Brass Band. The project is based on fusing the music of a traditional brass band with acid house and Detroit techno. History Aci ...

concept. Inspired by an Acid Brass concert, Drummond and Cauty collaborated with Deller and Acid Brass on a new version of "What Time Is Love?" called "

Fuck the Millennium "Fuck the Millennium", sometimes spelled "***k the Millennium", is a protest song by the band 2K—Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty—better known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (the JAMs) or the KLF. The song was inspired musically by Jeremy ...

" under the moniker 2K.

Critical reception

Upon the 1989 release, Bill Coleman from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' commented, "As odd as it may sound, "

" is the hook that propels this spacy

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

instrumental with an industrial edge." In 1991, another editor,

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

, described the song as a "refreshing rave that combines elements of

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

, techno, and pop." Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The ...

'' wrote, "Carving a distinctive sound in any musical genre is difficult, but especially so in rap. The KLF is an outfit whose signature is totally unique and compelling. Top five across Europe and top three in England, here's a powerful followup to " 3 A.M. Eternal"." Dave Jennings from ''

'' remarked that here, they "returns with beats, sirens and whoops intact, but with cod-Russian chants and spoof American patriotic choirs shaking its foundation. The whole bizarre concoction's brilliantly bonkers as usual." A reviewer from ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' commented, "As soon as you've decided - it's soul, they change into a hiphouse act. Sometimes they even manage to combine both on one particular track, as on "What Time Is Love?". They use samples like schoolkids clear out glue-pots: right to the bottom."

Sylvia Patterson Sylvia Patterson (born 8 March 1965) is a Scottish author and music journalist. A former contributor to ''Smash Hits'' and the ''NME'', she is the author of the memoirs ''I'm Not With The Band'' (2016) and ''Same Old Girl'' (2023). Life Patterson ...

from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' named it Best New Single, describing it as "an unflippin'believable power-pop anthem with mentaaahl guitars and

Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...

shrieks so far over the top they're binging round the sun and never coming back."

Legacy

During the Pure Trance version's underground success, various cover versions and tributes appeared (some which were collected on '' The "What Time Is Love?" Story''). The most-well known is Dr. Felix's "Relax Your Body".

Ragga Twins The Ragga Twins, also known as RTC, are an English ragga and jungle MC duo of Deman Rocker (David Destouche) and Flinty Badman (Trevor Destouche). Originating from Hackney, England, they started out on London's Unity sound system, and are reg ...

' 1991 track ''Wipe the Needle'' opens with the iconic synthesizer riff from ''What Time Is Love?''. In 1993 "What Time Is Love?" was covered by U.K. based American Noise/Art Rock band the God Machine. The track appeared as a B-side on their limited silver vinyl "Home" single and a promo CD. :zoviet*France: side-project ''Horizon 222'' on their 1993 piece ''Liberation (Om-Pa-Na-Da)'' (released on the 1994 album ''The Three of Swans'') carefully work around the melodic and harmonic structure of ''What Time Is Love?'', ultimately revealing its source in a short appearance of a reverberated sample from the original. In 1997 a trance cover-version was released by German producer Talla 2XLC and in 1998 Choci and Mark Sinclair released their own

hard trance Hard trance is a subgenre of trance music that originated in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands in the early 1990s as the Breakbeat hardcore production community began to diversify into new and different styles of electronic music, all influen ...

reworking entitled ''What is Love?''. Reviewing Drummond's book '' 45'' for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' in 2000,

Steven Poole Steven Poole (born 1972) is a British author, journalist, and video game theorist. He particularly concerns himself with the abuse of language and has written two books on the subject: ''Unspeak'' (2006) and ''Who Touched Base in My Thought Showe ...

labelled "What Time Is Love?" an "epic pop masterpiece". ''The Observer'' also described the "Pure Trance Original" as a "juddering rave anthem". On 14 July 2002, the "Pure Trance Original" was incorporated into DJ

John Digweed Thomas John Digweed (born April 1967) is a British DJ and record producer. As well as achieving success as a solo act, he has collaborated with Sasha as Sasha & John Digweed, and with Nick Muir as Bedrock. Digweed was voted as No. 1 DJ in DJ ...

's set at

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known as Fatboy Slim, is an English musician and DJ who helped popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. His music makes extensive use of Sampling (music), samples from eclectic ...

's free

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

beach show, where it was played to a live audience of approximately 150,000 people and relayed to viewers of television channel E4. Digweed's set showcased the origins of

trance music Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged from Electronic body music, EBM in Frankfurt, Germany, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and quickly spread throughout Europe. Trance music is typically characterized by a tempo between ...

, with "What Time Is Love?" used alongside Underworld's " Dark & Long" and

Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (; born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Ma ...

's "Perfecto Mix" of U2's " Even Better Than the Real Thing". British band

Kaiser Chiefs Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who originally formed in 1996 as Runston Parva, before reforming as Parva in 2000, and releasing one studio album, ''22'', in 2003, before renaming and establishing themselves in their cur ...

covered "What Time Is Love?" on 14 February 2006 on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

"Kaiser Chiefs in the Live Lounge"
Retrieved 19 April 2006. At the end of the performance, presenter

Jo Whiley Johanne Whiley-Morton (born 4 July 1965), better known professionally as Jo Whiley, is an English radio DJ and television presenter. She was the host of the long-running '' Jo Whiley Show'' on BBC Radio 1 and has since been presenting her weekd ...

said "The Kaiser Chiefs have now left the building" in reference to the phrase used more than once by the KLF (and previously in reference to

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

). German

eurodance Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip-hop, rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use ...

group Scooter sampled the music of the Trancentral version and the introductory lyrics of "America: What Time Is Love?" on their single "

Behind the Cow "Behind the Cow" is a song by German band Scooter featuring American hip hop artist Fatman Scoop. Premiered at '' The Dome 40'' in Düsseldorf on 1 December 2006, it was released on 19 January 2007 as the lead single from Scooter's twelfth studio ...

", taken from the 2007 album '' The Ultimate Aural Orgasm''. They had previously sampled the Trancentral version in 2001 on the song " Posse (I Need You on the Floor)" from the album '' We Bring the Noise!''. In 2012 the group covered the song on their sixteenth album ''

Music for a Big Night Out ''Music for a Big Night Out'' is the sixteenth studio album by German hard dance band Scooter (band), Scooter. The album was released on 2 November 2012, preceded by the first single "4 AM (Scooter song), 4 AM" on 7 September 2012. The second si ...

''. In 2006, English electronic musician Max Tundra released a single as that included a recording from 1989 doing a cover of "What Time Is Love?"

Personnel

The three reworkings of the track were written and produced by

and

. Cauty also receives credit for playing electric guitar, bass, drums and keyboards on "America...", and Drummond for playing Gibson 330 on that version. Additional contributors to "What Time Is Love? (Live at Trancentral)" and "America: What Time Is Love?" included: *

Cressida Cauty Disco 2000 was a British pop band, a side project of The KLF. Vocals were handled by Cress (Cressida Cauty, née Bowyer), then-wife of KLF co-founder Jimmy Cauty, and Mo, June Montana (former vocalist of Jimmy Cauty's previous band Brilliant). ...

– backing vocals ("America: What Time Is Love?") *

–

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

ing for "What Time Is Love? (Remodelled & Remixed)" * Glenn Hughes – The Voice of Rock ("America: What Time Is Love?") * Isaac Bello – rap (for which co-writing credit is given) *

Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & the Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sheeran, ...

– mix engineer * Nick Coler – keyboards, programming and orchestral arrangement ("America: What Time Is Love?") *

– narration ("America: What Time Is Love?") * Tony Thorpe –

breaks Break or Breaks or The Break may refer to: Time off from duties * Recess (break), time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties * Break (work), time off during a shift/recess ** Coffee break, a short mid-morning rest ...

ing for "What Time Is Love? (Remodelled & Remixed)" * Wanda Dee – vocal sample "I wanna see you sweat" (for which co-writing credit is given)

Formats and track listings

As a central track in the KLF's canon, "What Time Is Love?" was given international commercial releases on many occasions and in many forms between 1988 and 1992. The following lists detail most of these, but are not exhaustive.

Pure Trance 1

"What Time Is Love? (Pure Trance Original)" (catalogue number KLF 004T) was first released on 17 October 1988, and deleted following initially low UK media interest and sales. The reaction from continental Europe's clubbers and DJs led to further European releases in 1989 and 1990. In late 1989, a US edition of "Pure Trance 1" (sea-green writing on a black sleeve, and slightly different typography) was issued on the TVT label, including a live version taken from ''The "What Time is Love?" Story''. The KLF's "Pure Trance" series was originally envisaged as comprising five "Original" 12" singles and five "Remix" 12"s. The "Pure Trance Remix" single of "What Time Is Love?" was released on 24 July 1989. KLF 004T was re-released in the UK on 15 July 1991, during the peak of the KLF's chart success, along with both "Pure Trance" mixes of '' 3 a.m. Eternal''. Key

Live at Trancentral

"What Time Is Love? (Live from Trancentral)" was released on 30 July 1990, and the single of remixes "(Remodelled & Remixed)" followed on 20 August 1990. The main B-side accompaniment of "What Time Is Love? (Live at Trancentral)" was the "Techno Gate Mix" of the track, which retained the title track's rhythm and bass as a backdrop to extensive samples of Jimi Hendrix's " Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". Another UK 12" featured instead the "Wandaful Mix", which sampled from Wanda Dee's "To the Bone". Key

America: What Time Is Love?

"America: What Time Is Love?" was released in the US during October 1991, four months before its release in the UK and elsewhere (24 February 1992). The B-side "America No More", which featured anti-war sentiments directed at US foreign policy and included samples of contemporary

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dialogue, was not included on the US releases. Unlike previous single releases of "What Time Is Love?", no commercial remixes of "America" were released, although five edits of different lengths were distributed. Key

Charts

Weekly charts

"What Time Is Love?" (live at the Trancentral) "America: What Time Is Love?"

Year-end charts

"What Time Is Love?" (live at the Trancentral) "America: What Time Is Love?"

Notes and references

External links

"America: What Time Is Love?" lyrics
{{Authority control 1988 songs 1988 singles 1990 singles 1992 singles The KLF songs KLF Communications singles Sampling controversies Song recordings produced by the KLF Songs written by Jimmy Cauty Songs written by Bill Drummond Number-one singles in Denmark UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles