Ace’s 1974 song “How Long” never reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, but the classic rock track continues to stand out decades after its release.
The song, which became Ace’s biggest hit and helped launch the career of singer and songwriter Paul Carrack, was ranked No. 31 on Ultimate Classic Rock’s list of the Top 40 Soft-Rock Songs.
The ranking placed “How Long” among a wide range of soft-rock favorites from the 1960s through the 1990s. Ultimate Classic Rock noted that soft rock crossed into pop, rock, country rock and adult contemporary music, with the 1970s playing a major role in the genre’s growth.
British rock group Ace members stand outside a pub in October 1975.Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images
For Ace, “How Long” remains the song most closely tied to the English band’s short career.
According to Billboard, “How Long” entered the U.S. Hot 100 in March 1975 and reached No. 3 on May 31, 1975. It spent 16 weeks on the chart. Ace had no No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, while “Rock & Roll Runaway,” the group’s other Billboard-charting song, peaked at No. 71 later in 1975.
That No. 3 peak, however, did not tell the full story of the song’s success.
“How Long” also reached No. 3 in Canada and No. 20 on the U.K. Singles Chart. It helped Ace’s debut album, Five-A-Side, climb to No. 11 on the Billboard 200.
The familiar chorus, “How long has this been going on?”, can make the song sound like a story about romantic betrayal. But that was not the subject Paul Carrack had in mind when he wrote it.
The song was inspired by a problem inside Ace.
Per American Songwriter, bass player Terry “Tex” Comer had secretly been working with the Sutherland Brothers and Quiver. The group was trying to persuade Comer to leave Ace and join them. The other members of Ace were unaware of what was happening.
Carrack turned that situation into “How Long.” The song captured the frustration caused by Comer’s secret work and the pressure surrounding Ace at the time.
That unusual story became part of the song’s lasting appeal. It also helped introduce Carrack to a much larger audience.
Carrack later became known for his work with Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics and other artists, as well as his solo career. “How Long” served as an early breakthrough before those later chapters of his career.
The song also had a strong life beyond Ace’s original recording.
Several artists recorded their own versions, including Rod Stewart, whose 1981 rendition reached No. 49 on the Hot 100 and No. 24 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Lipps Inc. and Donny Osmond also recorded versions, while Simply Red used the song’s familiar hook in the chorus of the 2003 hit “Sunrise.”
Carrack himself later recorded “How Long” again for his 2014 album Blue Views and for his 2024 compilation How Long (Has This Been Going On) – Greatest Hits.
The Ace song gained another burst of attention more than four decades after its original release.
In 2020, “How Long” was used in an Amazon Prime advertisement. The exposure helped bring the 1974 recording to a new generation of listeners and pushed it back onto the charts.
In March 2020, the song reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Rock Digital Song Sales chart for two weeks. It also reached No. 8 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.
That later success is an important part of the song’s history. While “How Long” never became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, it eventually topped a Billboard chart decades after its first release.
Related: 1991 Nirvana Song, Never a No. 1 Hit on Billboard, Ranked Among ‘Best Rock Songs’ of All Time
Hence then, the article about 1974 rock song never a no 1 hit on billboard ranked among best soft rock songs of all time was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 1974 Rock Song, Never a No. 1 Hit on Billboard, Ranked Among ‘Best Soft Rock’ Songs of All Time )
Also on site :
- Child Psychologists Are Begging Parents and Grandparents To Stop Asking Kids This Question (and What To Ask Instead)
- Hayden Panettiere planned to see daughter Kaya, 11, in Ukraine before star’s death: ‘She loved her so much’
- White House loses it over ‘theatre kid’ Ossoff pointing out Trump’s close relationship with 35-year-old aide