This week's tune comes from the decade of decades for my musical tastes--the seventies. Another in a long line of great singles released by one hit wonders, it's also notable for being a song that was tailor made for Rod Stewart to cover...and he actually did.
Ace (originally Ace Flash and the Dynamos--now there's a band name) formed in Sheffield, England in 1972, and lasted just five short years, disbanding in 1977. During their short time together, they released three albums (from which they managed to spawn more compilation albums--four--than studio albums), and six singles. Lead singer Paul Carrack would go on to have a lot more success, singing "Tempted" for Squeeze, and having a string of hits with Mike + the Mechanics. Carrack has also had a number of his songs sung by artists such as Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles, and has made a good career the last few years as a session and touring musician.
Fun Fact: Upon hearing this week's song, most folks (myself included) assumed it was about adultery, but it wasn't. Carrack actually wrote the song about the band's bassist, Terry Comer, who was playing in other bands behind the rest of his bandmates' backs.
"How Long" was released in 1974 on Ace's debut album, Five-A-Side. It went on to reach #3 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100 (and #20 in their native U.K.), while the album would reach #11 on the Billboard 200.
One of the nice things about writing about a favorite song every week is how often when I'm listening to the song in preparation--no matter how many times I've heard it before--I notice some nuance that I never really noticed before. This week it's the bass line--which runs from the beginning of the song to the very end with no deviation--and how its foreboding sound underscores the song's lyrical theme of treachery. The easy part of "How Long" is obviously Carrack's vocals--understated and gritty, without becoming melodramatic, his singing brings the song to another level. It's got a nice seventies guitar solo mixed in, and with the ever present chorus repeated ad infinitum that happens so often on pop hits it becomes another one of those wonderful moments when a band comes together for three minutes and twenty-four seconds and touches greatness.
Lyric Sheet: "But I can't help but have my suspicions/'Cause I ain't quite as dumb as I seem..."
Enjoy:
You Have a Choice: Pass a Voting Rights Bill, or Welcome Fascism to America
Peace,
emaycee
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