How Come, How Long
Encyclopedia
"How Come, How Long" is the title of a song written, produced and performed by Babyface (Kenneth Edmonds). It was released as the third single from his album The Day. It features American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder
on backing vocals.
The lyrics deal with physical abuse, regarding a woman killed by her lover. This release met with mixed reaction by critics and did not chart on any major charts in United States, finding a better chart performance in United Kingdom, where it became a top ten hit for the performers. This song was nominated twice for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
.
performing backing vocals and songwriting. The lyrics deal with domestic violence and is inspired by the Nicole Brown Simpson
case. On the Entertainment Weekly
review of The Day, David Browne
wrote that this "domestic-abuse saga" needed "tougher music to make its point." At the 40th Grammy Awards this song received a nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
, which it lost to "Don't Look Back
" by John Lee Hooker
and Van Morrison
. The following year, the song received the same nomination with the live version included on Babyface's Unplugged
album, losing this time to Elvis Costello
and Burt Bacharach
with their rendition of "I Still Have That Other Girl".
The music video
for this song, directed by F. Gary Gray
, shows several people in the same building ignoring the shouts and screams and multiple fights between a married couple, ending with a twist, showing that the woman killed her abusive husband, ending with her being arrested. This video received a nomination for Best R&B Video
at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards
, which was awarded to "I'll Be Missing You
" by Puff Daddy (Sean Combs
) featuring Faith Evans
and 112
. It also was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
, losing to "Got 'til It's Gone
" by Janet Jackson
.
UK CD single (XPCD2161)
CD maxi single (EPC 664402 2)
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
on backing vocals.
The lyrics deal with physical abuse, regarding a woman killed by her lover. This release met with mixed reaction by critics and did not chart on any major charts in United States, finding a better chart performance in United Kingdom, where it became a top ten hit for the performers. This song was nominated twice for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers collaborate...
.
Song information
The track was written, produced and performed by Babyface and includes American singer-songwriter Stevie WonderStevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
performing backing vocals and songwriting. The lyrics deal with domestic violence and is inspired by the Nicole Brown Simpson
Nicole Brown Simpson
Nicole Brown Simpson was a former wife of professional football player O. J. Simpson.- Relationship with O. J. Simpson :...
case. On the Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
review of The Day, David Browne
David Browne
David Browne is an American journalist and author. He was the resident music critic at Entertainment Weekly between 1990 and 2006. He was an editor at Music & Sound Output magazine and a music critic at the New York Daily News before EW...
wrote that this "domestic-abuse saga" needed "tougher music to make its point." At the 40th Grammy Awards this song received a nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers collaborate...
, which it lost to "Don't Look Back
Don't Look Back (John Lee Hooker song)
"Don't Look Back " is a song written by Blues singer-songwriter John Lee Hooker and released as a single in 1964. As a duet Hooker performed with Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, it was a Grammy Award winner in Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 1998 from the album, Don't Look...
" by John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
and Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
. The following year, the song received the same nomination with the live version included on Babyface's Unplugged
Babyface Unplugged
MTV Unplugged NYC 1997 is a live album from R&B artist, Babyface. It includes other performers such as Eric Clapton, Shanice, K-Ci & JoJo, Kevon Edmonds, Melvin Edmonds, Sheila E...
album, losing this time to Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
and Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
with their rendition of "I Still Have That Other Girl".
The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for this song, directed by F. Gary Gray
F. Gary Gray
Felix Gary Gray is an American music video and film director.-Life and career:Gray began his career in 1992 with his music video for Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day." The video, a literal adaptation of the lyrics, was critically well received. He would go on to direct subsequent videos for Ice Cube,...
, shows several people in the same building ignoring the shouts and screams and multiple fights between a married couple, ending with a twist, showing that the woman killed her abusive husband, ending with her being arrested. This video received a nomination for Best R&B Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video was first awarded in 1993, and was given every year until 2006, as the following year MTV revammped the VMAs and eliminated all of the genre categories. The following year, though, when MTV returned the VIdeo Music Awards to their previous format, Best...
at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards
1997 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1997 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 4, 1997, honoring the best music videos from June 17, 1996, to June 16, 1997. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.-Video of the Year:* Beck — "The New Pollution"...
, which was awarded to "I'll Be Missing You
I'll Be Missing You
"I'll Be Missing You" is a Grammy Award-winning song and hit single recorded by Puff Daddy, Faith Evans and 112, in memory of fellow Bad Boy Records artist Christopher "Notorious B.I.G" Wallace who was murdered on March 9, 1997...
" by Puff Daddy (Sean Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
) featuring Faith Evans
Faith Evans
Faith Renée Evans is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B...
and 112
112
Year 112 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Traianus and Cornelius...
. It also was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos...
, losing to "Got 'til It's Gone
Got 'Til It's Gone
"Got 'til It's Gone" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson, featuring American rapper Q-Tip and Canadian singer Joni Mitchell. It was released as the lead single from Jackson's sixth studio album, The Velvet Rope .-Song information:...
" by Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
.
Track listing
US CD single- "How Come, How Long" – 5:11
- "Every Time I Close My Eyes" (Timbaland remix) – 4:23
UK CD single (XPCD2161)
- "How Come, How Long" (Radio edit) – 4:12
CD maxi single (EPC 664402 2)
- "How Come, How Long" (radio edit) – 4:12
- "How Come, How Long" (Natty & Slaps remix) – 5:08
- "How Come, How Long" (Laws & Craigie remix) – 6:28
- "Every Time I Close My Eyes" (Timbaland remix) – 4:55
Chart performance
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Hot 100 Airplay The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard... |
47 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Airplay | 45 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
10 |
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
5 |
| German Top 100 | 17 |
Personnel
The following people contributed to "How Come, How Long":- Babyface — main performer and producer
- Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
— vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - TimbalandTimbalandTimothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
— producer, remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ing - Jimmy DouglasJimmy DouglasJimmy Douglas is a former Scottish-Canadian soccer midfielder and head coach. He played professionally in the North American Soccer League and earned fourteen caps for the Canadian national soccer team....
— remixing - Jon Gass — mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Benny MedinaBenny MedinaBenny Medina is the CEO of The Medina Company and son of legendary Jazz drummer Ahmad "Benny" Medina. He has worked in the music business as a producer, talent manager and record executive...
— managementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively... - Anton CorbijnAnton CorbijnAnton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...
— photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
External links
- Song Lyrics on RhapsodyRhapsody (online music service)Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
- Listen to the song