The Story Behind the Deception That Inspired “How Long” by Ace

In providing the voice behind hits for Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and for his own solo work, Paul Carrack was a huge part of the soundtrack of the 1980s. Carrack set the stage for his ‘80s success by writing and singing one of the biggest singles of 1975. Ironically, it was the lack of commercial success of one of Carrack’s first bands that helped to create his breakthrough hit.

Before hitting it big with “How Long,” Carrack’s band Ace had been struggling to find an audience while playing in pubs across the UK. For “How Long,” Carrack wrote of his disgust with a partner’s infidelity, but he wasn’t writing about a romantic relationship. Ace’s lone Top-40 hit was about how the dishonesty of one of his bandmates created tension in the group—and how Ace’s lack of commercial success fueled those tensions.

The “Scheme” to Poach a Bassist

Thanks to “How Long,” more music fans—particularly in the U.S.—may know about Ace than another British band from the ‘70s called The Sutherland Brothers and Quiver. Technically a merger between two acts—the folk rock duo The Sutherland Brothers and the rock band Quiver—they hadn’t had much chart success in the UK in the early and mid-’70s, but they were better known than Ace. They also had a near-miss on the Top 40 in the U.S. with “(I Don’t Want to Love You But) You Got Me Anyway.” The disparity between the two bands created a situation that ultimately led to Ace’s breakthrough.

Unbeknownst to Ace’s other four members, Terry “Tex” Comer had been recruited by The Sutherland Brothers and Quiver to temporarily fill their need for a bassist. The vacancy occurred because they had asked their previous bassist to leave the group after he and guitarist Iain Sutherland had frequent conflicts. That bassist was Bruce Thomas, who would go on to become a member of Elvis Costello’s backing band The Attractions. Comer played some live dates with The Sutherland Brothers and Quiver and even played on their 1974 album Beat on the Street.

Iain and Gavin Sutherland tried to get Comer to join their band on a permanent basis, and according to Carrack, they used their relative financial success as an incentive to pry him away from Ace. In an interview for the YouTube channel Rock History Music, Carrack said Comer was told “you might get 25 quid a week here.” Ace didn’t have those kinds of means, leading Carrack to write the lines Well, your friends with their fancy persuasion / Don’t admit that it’s part of a scheme. Carrack added in a 2023 interview he and his bandmates were “miffed,” because Comer hadn’t told them about the situation. Comer, who was previously a member of Warm Dust with Carrack, decided to stay with Ace. He remained with the band until it folded in 1977.

The Aftermath of “How Long”

The Sutherland Brothers and Quiver managed to thrive without Comer. Gavin Sutherland switched from guitar to bass to become a full-time replacement for Thomas, leaving Tim Renwick and Iain Sutherland to handle guitar duties. In 1976, they broke their drought on the UK charts with two hit singles, “Arms of Mary” (No. 5) and “Secrets” (No. 35). That same year, they placed two albums—Reach for the Sky (No. 26) and Slipstream (No. 49)—on the UK charts. Three years later, The Sutherland Brother reverted to working as a duo, and they would shortly disband after that.

Ace, of course, had a massive hit with “How Long,” as it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1975. Their debut album Five-A-Side would rise to No. 11 on the Billboard 200, and it would spawn a second Hot 100 hit in “Rock & Roll Runaway” (No. 71). A 2020 ad for Amazon Prime that featured “How Long” led to the song’s resurgence on the charts. In March of that year, it topped Billboard’s Rock Digital Song Sales chart for two weeks and went to No. 8 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. “How Long” has been streamed more than 67 million times on Spotify.

Numerous artists have covered “How Long,” with Rod Stewart’s 1981 version having the most chart success, reaching No. 49 on the Hot 100 and No. 24 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Lipps Inc. and Donny Osmond have also released renditions of the song, and Simply Red interpolated the hook into the chorus of his 2003 hit “Sunrise.” Carrack rerecorded “How Long” for his 2014 album Blue Views and again for his 2024 compilation album How Long (Has This Been Going On) – Greatest Hits.

For Carrack, it must have felt like Comer’s deception had lasted for an eternity, prompting him to ask the musical question How long has this been going on? Yet the disturbance to Ace’s good vibes was a mere blip compared to the staying power of “How Long.” The song continues to have a following 50 years after its release, far outlasting the band that made it and the one that inspired it. 

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