Ace’s “How Long” Lyrics Meaning

“How Long” has commonly been interpreted as the singer addressing an unfaithful partner. And that is true to an extent. However, said partner is not a romantic one. And the singer gives a clue pointing to such in the verse, where he accuses the addressee of ‘intending to breakup their scene’ rather than using another word like say ‘relationship’.

Who is “How Long” about?

Now getting straight to the point, who Paul Carrack actually wrote this song about is one Terry Comer. Terry is a founding member of Ace. And it just so happened that during a certain point of his tenure in the band, he was simultaneously working with another musical outfit called Sutherland Brothers and Quivers. More to the point, he did so without Paul and other members of Ace even being aware. And it seems Mr. Carrack in particular took offense to the this course of action. 

Indeed you will notice in the song that he is aiming a very strong verbal displeasure at the addressee. Furthermore, he puts the addressee’s “friends” on blast who via “their fancy persuasion” convinced him to stab the singer in the back in the first place. And being that the narrator was indeed unaware of this so-called deception, he then asks the addressee in the chorus “how long has this been going on?”

So going once again back to the presumption that this song is romantic in nature, it seems to some extent Ace intended to pull such a misdirection.  That is to say that very-generally speaking the aforementioned question is one that would normally be asked when someone discovers that their sweetheart has been cheating. The band apparently used such wording more for its comic effect, not necessarily as a joke with the audience but more amongst themselves.

Conclusion

But all presumptions aside, the sentiment being relayed throughout “How Long” is quite simplistic. There is someone whom the singer cares about.  And this individual was compelled by his friends to betray him. What is not revealed in the lyrics though is that the real-life relationship upon which this song is based is actually a professional one.

Paul talks about “How Long”

As recently as 2009, Paul Carrack, who went on to have a notable career even after Ace dissolved in 1977, was asked about the meaning of “How Long”.  And his response was aimed at Sutherland Brothers and Quivers, whom he identified as a band that was “trying to nick (Ace’s) base player”.

Facts about “How Long”

This track was released in 1974 as part of “Five-A-Side”, the debut album of a short-lived British band called Ace. And the label behind the project is the now-defunct Anchor Records.

One of Ace’s band members, Paul Carrack, wrote “How Long”. And the producer of the track is John Anthony.

Ace is considered to be a one-hit wonder, with “How Long” being their one hit. The song topped the US Cash Box Top 100 and peaked at an impressive number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart and over charted in five countries overall.

Actually, this is one of Carrack’s best known works. His other famous credits include performing lead vocals on Mike + The Mechanics‘ “The Living Years” and “Silent Running”.

This song has also been successfully covered by a few artists throughout the years, including Rod Stewart in 1981.