Tick Tock Baby (It’s a Quarter to Love) by The Quickest Way Out
A sharp, time-locked soul single, “Tick Tock Baby (It’s a Quarter to Love)” captures the urgency and groove of mid-1970s independent R&B. Released on Karen Records in 1974, the track delivers a tight arrangement, clock-driven lyrical motif, and a vocal-forward mix built for the 45 format.
The recording sits firmly in the lineage of Detroit and East Coast soul production—lean, direct, and emotionally immediate—suggesting roots in the same ecosystem that fed both Motor City and Philadelphia sessions of the era.
Recording Details
Artist: The Quickest Way Out
Title: Tick Tock Baby
Full Title: Tick Tock Baby (It’s a Quarter to Love)
Label: Karen Records
Catalog Number: K-717 / K-717-A
Year: 1974
Format: Stereo
Run Time (Label): 2:35
Credit
Written by: Jim Pashkot, William King
Produced by: Ollie McLaughlin
Engineer: Michael Grace
Vocal Arrangement: Willard Hines
Publishing: McLaughlin / Lovelane (BMI)
Lyric
[Hook / Chorus]
Tick tock baby…
(It’s a quarter to love)
Time keeps moving…
And we’re running out of us
[Verse – Conceptual Structure]
Clock on the wall don’t lie
Love don’t wait, don’t try
Every second slipping by
You and me on borrowed time
[Hook Repeat]
Tick tock baby…
(It’s a quarter to love)
Catalog Positioning
This record represents the type of high-efficiency soul single that defined independent labels in the 1970s—records built for DJs, jukeboxes, and immediate listener impact.
With its tight runtime, strong hook, and clean production, “Tick Tock Baby” fits squarely into licensing environments including:
- Period film and television (1970s settings)
- Retro-styled commercial campaigns
- Dramatic montage and relationship-driven scenes
- Vinyl-era playlists and curated soul collections
Provenance Note
While stylistically aligned with East Coast and Detroit soul traditions, the exact geographic origin of The Quickest Way Out is not yet formally documented from the available source. Further archival research is ongoing.
Rights & Licensing
For synchronization, master use, or publishing inquiries:
Lovelane Music Group
Catalog & Licensing Division