Standards to Love: It's Been a Long, Long Time

Though it certainly was not my intent, I have been absent from my blog for longer than I wish. I do have several posts in the pipeline, but life has been happening here. We’ve had crawl space issues, septic tank issues, and a myriad of other issues that come with owning your own home, wanting a beautiful garden, and mothering a precocious little man. 

Thankfully, it has begun to calm down now. And while I could have just picked up where I left off with the Parisian/French theme, it felt odd to do so. Instead, I thought a Standards to Love posts revolving around songs that deal with time, particularly long periods of time when people are separated or have not reconnected, was in order. 

Since this standard achieved success largely because it identified with the emotions many troops were feeling returning home at the end of World War II, I thought it appropriate to start with it as it’s sort of my welcome back here at Whiskers.

It’s Been a Long, Long Time is a true classic in the Great American Songbook. It debuted in October of 1945. The lyrics are nostalgic, harkening back to a time when such a large portion of the population was gone from their homes in order to fight a war. This song is their welcome back, if you will. Since World War II spanned nearly four years for the American troops- longer for our Allies across the Pond- this song hit a resounding chord for people. It’s no wonder that it made it to the top of the charts in short order, hitting number one first with Harry James and Kitty Kallan’s rendition and then with Bing Crosby and the Les Paul Trio’s take. Several other renditions made it to the top ten before the close of 1945, making 

The song is a collaboration effort between composer Jules Styne and lyricist Sammy Cahn. Cahn and Styne are one of the dynamic duos of the American Popular Standards. (One of their most enduring songs is Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! which can be listened to on this Standard to Love: Baby, It’s Cold Outside.) 

While there are many versions of this song out there- almost all of them fantastic- my particular favorite is sung by Bing Crosby. The perfect melding of his mellow crooning with Les Paul’s perfect guitar playing makes one spectacular song. (But, head to the Playlist and check out Harry James and Hellen Forrest’s version. His trumpet work is a revelation. You may already be familiar with it as it was used in Avengers: Endgame.)

Another dynamic duo- perhaps the most notable- from the Great American Songbook is the Gershwin brothers, George and Ira. Together these men composed scores of songs that are absolute classics. They also have written actual musical scores, but that’s another story. (If you’re interested, look up Porgy and Bess. What an achievement and undertaking!)

How Long Has This Been Going On was written for the Broadway musical Rosalie in 1928. However, I’m most familiar with it because of its inclusion in the Hollywood musical, Funny Face, starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn. 

But I first heard this song sung by the angelic voice of Ella Fitzgerald. She was my father’s favorite singer and he played her music a lot when I was growing up. What’s interesting about having Ella be my first exposure to this song is that the refrain she sings at the beginning of the song was not the original refrain. In the original refrain, a person makes comparison between the kisses received from members of their family and the revelatory kiss received from the person they love. Ella’s refrain is of a darker natures; the comparison is made between the run of the mill, easily bought kisses given out at a bazaar and a true kiss given by a person whom they love.

How Long Has This Been Going On is a collection of sophisticated lyrics and superb writing. In this song, you’ll have allusions to Dante’s Inferno and Christopher Columbus as well as the technical calisthenics of the slant rhyme between hurled and world. It really is a mastery of poetic excellence. Coupled with a gently unfolding score to undergird it and you have music sublime. 

Long Ago and Far Away is a 1944 collaboration between Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin. Kern, whose works include Ole Man River, Can’t Help Loving That Man of Mine, and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, wrote the music. Ira, who penned the lyrics to How Long Has This Been Going On and countless others, wrote the words. While it was written for the movie Cover Girl starring Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly which tells the story of a chorus girl who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to be the cover girl for Vanity magazine, I can’t help but believe that one of the reasons for this song’s success was because it struck home with all the men and women who were in service during World War II. Whether they were fighting across the sea or home waiting and praying, this song resonates in its fulfillment of a long held desire. 

In my opinion, Jo Stafford owns this recording, but there are so many worthy listens- Dick Haymes, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra. It’s a song that can be explored and enjoyed in a bevy of interpretations. I include several of my favorites on the Whisker’s playlist at YouTube. 

This song by the prolific composer Sunny Skylar seems the perfect note on which to end this post. After all, I don’t want to wait too long to post my next post, am I right? Also, I don’t want to wait too long to engage with all of you again, either. I have missed these times dearly. 

Sunny Skylar is a composer I am just becoming familiar with although I have actually listened to his songs for much of my life. I so enjoy when something like that happens. I like discovering the new about things I’ve known for a long time. Skylar had a very long career. He began singing at the tender age of 17, traveling with the big bands of the 1930s. Then he went to Hollywood and composed and sang and all the things there before he settled down in Las Vegas where he remained for the duration of his life- which was of some duration. He passed away at the ripe age of 95. 

So, when a 95 year old tells you, don’t wait too long, you listen up. 

Don’t Wait Too Long is an exhortation to do just that. In the context of the song, it’s romantic. Don’t Wait Too Long to let someone know how you feel about them. Even if you feel foolish or giddy, speak up. Don’t keep it on the back burner. 

However, this exhortation is one which can easily be applied to any facet of our lives. If you feel the unction, don’t wait too long to pursue it. Do something about it. In the words of the song, ‘Share every precious moment with me, don’t wait too long.’

I’ve included several version in my YouTube Playlist, but I’m posting the Tony Bennett one here.

If you’re looking for some great tunes to listen to, follow the link to my Youtube Playlist. I’ve included all the songs here as well as other versions and some songs which I have not written about here, but that play well into the LONG theme we’ve got going on here.