After playing piano in Cuby and the Blizzards and several other bands since 1964, Brood started his own group, Herman Brood & His Wild Romance, in 1977. The band had their first hit single, Saturday Night, in 1978. But even more than his music, it was his outspoken statements in the press about sex and drug use that brought Herman Brood into the public arena in the Netherlands. In the early 1980s he was romantically involved with the German artist Nina Hagen, with whom he appeared in the film Cha Cha. Brood relished the media attention and became the most famous hard drug user in the Netherlands. "It is usual that an artist uses drugs, but tells everybody he doesn't", he once said in an interview. "I admit that it scared me that my popularity could make people start using drugs." In the 1990s he took up painting and became as successful as a painter as he was as a musician.
With the band 'Herman Brood & his Wild Romance' he made his best known album 'Shpritsz' (a play on the German word for injection needle), containing anti-drug use songs like 'Dope Sucks', but also 'Saturday Night'. Brood swore off most drugs, reducing his drug use to alcohol and a daily shot of speed.
As a result of an impressive TV-show together with the 'modern saint' Salvation Army's major Alida Bosshardt makes Herman Brood also beloved to people who never appreciated or even heard his music.
When in 2001, he found out that he had only a few months left to live, Herman took matters into his own hands and, depressed by the failure of his drug rehabilitation program, committed suicide on July 11 by jumping from the roof of the Hilton Hotel at the age of 54.
So Long
Herman Brood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in all the wrong places
lookin' for love
starin' into black faces
Now I was tryin' so hard to find love
in every corner of the city
lookin' for love
Took me so long - (so long)
so long (so long)
Before I met you
Took me so long - (so long)
so long (so long)
to get you
It took me so long - (so long)
too long (so long)
to get close to you
Took me so long - (so long)
so long (so long)
now I'm tryin' to forget you
Took me so long - (so long)
(so long)
So long - (so long)
So long - (so long)
Took me so long - (so long)
(so long)
starin' into the black faces
So long - (so long)
So long - (so long)
Lookin' (so long) for love (so long)
in all the wrong places
(so long)
(so long)
Lookin' (so long) for love (so long)
in every corner of the city
Herman Brood's song So Long talks about the experience of searching for love and feeling lost in the process. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been looking for love in all the wrong places and staring into the faces of people who cannot provide the love they need. The singer continues to search for love in every corner of the city, but it is taking so long to find someone who is compatible.
The phrase "took me so long" is repeated throughout the song indicating that the singer has had an extended and arduous search for love. It can also be interpreted as a reference to the fact that love is not easy to find and often takes much effort to discover. Despite the many attempts to find love, the singer finally meets someone who is right for them, but it took so long to get to that point.
The second half of the song talks about how the singer is now trying to forget the person they finally found. This is a strange twist in the lyrics, and it's not clear why they would want to forget someone they worked so hard to find. Perhaps the love wasn't all they had hoped it would be, or there was something fundamentally wrong that they couldn't overlook.
Overall, this song expresses the idea that finding love is challenging, and it often requires much effort and patience. The lyrics describe a long journey filled with disappointment and frustration, but one that ends with the satisfaction of finally finding love.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I was lookin' for love
At a given point in the past, I was searching for love.
in all the wrong places
Unfortunately, I was seeking love in unhelpful or misguided locations.
lookin' for love
My goal was to find a romantic partner.
starin' into black faces
I was hoping to find a lover but was getting no responses from potential partners, while most of my encounters were with people of color.
Now I was tryin' so hard to find love
I was expending a significant amount of effort in looking for somebody to love.
in every corner of the city
I was exploring every part of the metropolis in my search for love.
all over town
I traveled throughout many neighborhoods in search of a partner.
Took me so long - (so long)
so long (so long)
Before I met you
It was quite challenging and took quite some time before I crossed paths with you.
Took me so long - (so long)
so long (so long)
to get you
Took me incredibly long to finally get you in a romantic relationship with me.
It took me so long - (so long)
too long (so long)
to get close to you
I required an extended duration and multiple attempts to be able to get emotionally and physically close to you in our relationship.
Took me so long - (so long)
so long (so long)
now I'm tryin' to forget you
Now that our relationship has ended, I am having a hard time forgetting about you and letting go.
So long - (so long)
So long - (so long)
This phrase refers to the amount of time it takes to find love, as well as the amount of time it takes to recover from failed attempts.
Took me so long - (so long)
(so long)
starin' into the black faces
It took me ages to find you, and I wasted a lot of time focusing on people who were not interested in me romantically.
Lookin' (so long) for love (so long)
in all the wrong places
(so long)
(so long)
I searched endlessly for love in unhelpful or misguided areas for a long time.
Lookin' (so long) for love (so long)
in every corner of the city
I searched in every nook and cranny of the city, looking for love for an extended amount of time.
Contributed by Hannah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.