"How Long Has This Been Going On?" is a song composed by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

, with lyrics by

Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...

, for the

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

'' Funny Face'' in 1927.

History

According to

in his book ''Lyrics on Several Occasions'', after the premiere of '' Funny Face'' in Philadelphia he received a call from the then professional manager of Shapiro, Bernstein and Co. asking him to remove the song because ''“It doesn't mean anything”'' and because ''“Well, we've bought a song with the same title and we're about to publish it. Yours doesn't get you anywhere, so how about taking it out of the show?”'' Eventually the song was deleted as Ira Gershwin indicates, ''“Well, he had'' his ''wish. A couple of weeks later on the road (either in Atlantic City or Washington) ''"How Long..."'' was out, replaced by "''

He Loves and She Loves "He Loves and She Loves" is a 1927 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics written by Ira Gershwin. It replaced the song " How Long Has This Been Going On?" in the Broadway musical ''Funny Face''. It was introduced by Adele Astaire and Allen ...

''"”. Replaced by "

" in ''Funny Face'', it was eventually introduced in the musical '' Rosalie'' (1928) by Bobbe Arnst as Mary O'Brien. The lyrics used as first released by Gershwin started with the introductory verse: "As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties, / I was kissed by my sisters, my cousins, and my aunties. / Sad to tell, it was hell, an inferno worse than Dante's." In the subsequent version of the lyrics as performed by

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

ten years later, the lyrics of this introductory verse were changed to the melancholy reflections of a worker in evening "bazaars" reflecting on the differences between kisses for money and romantic kisses from someone with emotional ties, which had previously eluded her. She reflects with "salty tears" about the differences between the two types of kisses. The introductory verse as performed by Fitzgerald was: In the original Gershwin version of the song, somewhat more upbeat, it is sung by a young woman comparing kisses among family members and friends at holidays, to how different they turn out to be when experienced while expressing romantic affections; she is surprised to find that romantic kisses are very different. The two verses describe her previous negative experiences of kissing: first the childhood attentions of older female relatives, and second while working in a kissing booth. The two choruses describe the excitement of then experiencing a first romantic kiss, and regret at not having experienced it before: "I could cry salty tears; where have I been all these years? / Little wow, tell me now, how long has this been going on?"

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

recorded the song in 1955 for use on his

radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netwo ...

and it was subsequently included in the box set ''The Bing Crosby CBS Radio Recordings (1954-56)'' issued by

Mosaic Records Mosaic Records is an American jazz record company and label established in 1982 by Michael Cuscuna and Charlie Lourie. It produces limited-edition box sets. The sets recordings are leased from the major record companies, usually for a three- or ...

(catalog MD7-245) in 2009.

Sources

References

"How Long Has This Been Going On?" at jazzstandards.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:How Long Has This Been Going On? 1927 songs 1920s jazz standards Songs with music by George Gershwin Songs with lyrics by Ira Gershwin Lena Horne songs Carmen McRae songs Andy Williams songs Songs from Funny Face (musical)