Shortly before his father's death in a 1973 plane crash, Croce's family moved west to San Diego, California, where his mother, Ingrid, raised him.
At the age of four, Croce was completely blinded, as the result of a brain tumor. Between the ages of four and ten, Croce gradually regained vision in his left eye. It was during this difficult time in Croce's life that he began to play the piano. "I learned to play music by listening and playing along to the radio and to records..." Croce says, "At some point I was given the music of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder as inspiration, which it was, and has been ever since."
Croce's first paying gig was at the age of 12, when he was paid $20 to perform at a Bat-Mitzvah party. By the age of 16, Croce was performing regularly at San Diego nightclubs, as a sideman and band leader. Croce reflects, "I was into every kind of music... you might say I was unfocused, but I consider an eclectic taste in music to be the foundation of versatility." Croce's house burned down when he was age 15.
Ron Goldstein and Peter Bauman of Private Music signed Croce to his first record deal at age 19. He recorded two CDs for Private Music: his self-titled debut, "A.J. Croce," produced by T-Bone Burnett and John Simon, and "That's Me In The Bar," produced by Jim Keltner, and featuring artists such as Ry Cooder, David Hidalgo, and Keltner himself.
Croce's third release, "Fit To Serve," was recorded in Memphis, and produced by Jim Gaines, who had previously produced Van Morrison, Santana, and The Steve Miller Band. Croce then took a musical turn with the release of his album Transit. He explained, "I had been playing blues-based music for a long time, and I was ready to try something new." Transit was compared by critics to the work of John Lennon, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, and Van Morrison. Glen Starkey of New Times labeled Croce "a song crafter of the first order."
A fifth CD, titled "Adrian James Croce" was released in the summer of 2004, and a sixth CD, Cantos, in 2006.
Croce has performed as an opening act for artists such as Carlos Santana, Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, James Brown, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews, Earth, Wind and Fire and Ray Charles. He has also performed on such national venues as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Austin City Limits.
How Long
A.J. Croce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was kissed by my sisters, my cousins, and my aunties.
Sad to tell, it was hell, an inferno worse than Dante's.
So my dear I swore,
"Never, never more!"
On my list, I insisted that kissing must be crossed out.
Now, I find I was blind, and oh my!
I could cry salty tears,
Where have I been all these years?
Little wow, tell me now,
How long has this been going on?
There were chills up my spine,
And some thrills I can't define.
Listen, sweet, I repeat,
How long has this been going on?
Oh, I feel that I could melt,
Into Heaven I'm hurled!
I know how Columbus felt,
Finding another world.
Kiss me once, then once more.
What a dunce I was before.
What a break!
For Heaven's sake!
How long has this been going on?
Dear, when in your arms I creep,
That divine rendezvous,
Don't wake me, if I'm asleep,
Let me dream that it's true!
Kiss me twice, then once more.
That makes thrice, let's make it four!
What a break!
For Heaven's sake!
How long has this been going on?
How long has this, been going on?
The lyrics to A.J. Croce's song "How Long" describe a personal journey of self-discovery that brings the artist to question his past decisions about kissing. The lyrics begin with a description of how the artist's experience with affection in his youth was unpleasant and not something he wanted to pursue further. He makes a vow to never engage in kissing again, but as he grows older, he realizes that he has missed out on something important. The chorus of the song poses a question: "How long has this been going on?" The artist is pondering how long he has denied himself the experience of physical affection.
As the song progresses, the artist contemplates the power of newfound love and attraction. He describes feeling chills up his spine and thrills he can't define. He compares the feeling of falling in love to the sense of discovery felt by Christopher Columbus when he found a new world. The artist implores his lover to kiss him multiple times, reveling in the joy that he has finally found in kissing after his previous aversion.
Overall, "How Long" explores themes of personal growth, rediscovery, and the power of love. The lyrics encourage the listener to embrace new experiences and to not be afraid of opening up emotionally.
Line by Line Meaning
As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties,
When I was a child, wearing cute little velvet undergarments,
I was kissed by my sisters, my cousins, and my aunties.
I was smooched by my female relatives.
Sad to tell, it was hell, an inferno worse than Dante's.
Unfortunately, it was an unpleasant experience for me, even comparable to the circles of hell described in Dante's Inferno.
So my dear I swore,
Therefore, my dear, I made a resolution,
"Never, never more!"
To never, ever have to go through that again!
On my list, I insisted that kissing must be crossed out.
I was so adamant about it that I wrote on my list that kissing should be banned.
Now, I find I was blind, and oh my! How I lost out!
Now I realize my mistake and how I missed out on something beautiful!
I could cry salty tears,
I feel so emotional that I could cry tears full of salt,
Where have I been all these years?
Wondering where I have been and what I have been doing all these years
Little wow, tell me now,
Please, somebody tell me,
How long has this been going on?
How long have I been missing out on this beautiful thing?
There were chills up my spine,
Something about this experience gave me goosebumps,
And some thrills I can't define.
Some exciting feelings that I cannot explain.
Listen, sweet, I repeat,
Listen to me carefully, my dear,
How long has this been going on?
How long has this wonderful experience been happening?
Oh, I feel that I could melt,
I feel so overwhelmed with emotions that I feel like I could melt,
Into Heaven I'm hurled!
I feel like I have been transported to heaven!
I know how Columbus felt,
I now know how Christopher Columbus felt when discovering a new world!
Finding another world.
Discovering something new and amazing.
Kiss me once, then once more.
Please kiss me once and then again,
What a dunce I was before.
I feel silly for not appreciating this before,
What a break! For Heaven's sake!
What an opportunity! For goodness' sake!
How long has this been going on?
How long have I been missing out on this wonderful thing?
Dear, when in your arms I creep,
My dear, when I snuggle up to you,
That divine rendezvous,
That heavenly meeting,
Don't wake me, if I'm asleep,
Please don't wake me up if I fall asleep,
Let me dream that it's true!
Let me continue to dream that this is real!
Kiss me twice, then once more.
Please kiss me two times, and then just once more,
That makes thrice, let's make it four!
That makes three kisses, let's make it four!
How long has this been going on?
How long have I been missing out on this wonderful thing?
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIAM C HANDY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joekovach5789
Jim Croce needs to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
@vc27r
The fact that musicians like he and Warren Zevon among others are still not enshrined makes the RnR Hall of Fame lose a great deal of its credibility.
@raymondhoagland4976
Along with other great artists Johnny Rivers !
@sophieoshaughnessy9469
He’s not??!! He absolutely spilled out beautiful and memorable songs in short order!
@752brickie
Amen to that .
@birdsfan57
@@vc27r Don't worry...JayZ's in, Beyonce will be next...rappers and hip hop artists continue to be enshrined and will soon dominate the Hall. It's become too concerned with being "woke" and politically correct to be taken seriously anymore...
@paullandgraf4682
I’m 70 years old. My teen years were filled with Jim’s music. I still listen to his albums on vinyl! This was a great story that bright back great memories. Lost him way too soon.
@vilstef6988
Jim's music still moves me. I'm so happy AJ has embraced his Dad's music. So many great songs!
@timin770
It is difficult to overstate how popular Jim Croce was when I was in high school. You couldn't turn on the radio without hearing one of his beautiful songs
@cindyguillard216
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤