In 1983, she travelled to Toronto to seek a musical career. In 1986, she founded a trio with bassist David Piltch and pianist Aaron Davis. Offered a record deal in 1989, the Holly Cole Trio released an EP, Christmas Blues, that year, which featured a version of The Pretenders' "2,000 Miles". This was followed by their first full album, Girl Talk, in 1990.
A succession of releases followed through the early 1990s. For example, 1991's Blame It On My Youth, covered songs by Tom Waits ("Purple Avenue", aka "Empty Pockets"), Lyle Lovett ("God Will"), includes show tunes such as "If I Were a Bell" (from Guys and Dolls) and "On the Street Where You Live" (from My Fair Lady), and even remakes "Trust In Me", from Disney's The Jungle Book, into a strikingly sultry and sinister song of seduction and death. Also recorded in this period was "Alison", a reinterpretation of Elvis Costello's original.
Following 1993's Don't Smoke in Bed, the trio released a CD entirely of songs by Tom Waits, called Temptation. With this 1995 release, the "Trio" was dropped from the group's name.
Cole next went into a two-album flirtation with pop music, perhaps keeping with the "diva" fad of the late 90s. These albums, Dark Dear Heart (1997) and Romantically Helpless (2000) veered further from jazz by introducing pop elements to Cole's sound.
In 2001, she returned to the Christmas jazz roots of her first CD with Baby It's Cold Outside, which included such should-be classics as "Christmas Time is Here" (from A Charlie Brown Christmas), "Santa Baby", and the title track. Swapping cold for hot, she moved to a Summer theme in 2003's Shade, this time reinterpreting Cole Porter ("Too Darn Hot"), Irving Berlin ("Heatwave"), and The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson ("God Only Knows").
Cole's latest album, Holly Cole (originally entitled This House Is Haunted) was released in Canada in March 2007. It was released in the US in January 2008 and was followed by a US tour.
Cole tours frequently, particularly around the holiday season, in Canada. She was also a part of the 1999 Lilith Fair tour.
How Long Has This Been Going On
Holly Cole 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 Holly Cole's song "How Long Has This Been Going On" convey a sense of awakening to the joys of kissing after a childhood spent avoiding it due to uncomfortable experiences with family members. The opening lines describe the singer's childhood as both innocent and problematic, setting up a contrast between their past and present experiences with kissing. The lines, "Sad to tell, it was hell, an inferno worse than Dante's," suggest a kind of humor in the singer's reflection on their younger self's aversion to kissing.
As the song progresses, the singer acknowledges the pleasures of kissing and the missed opportunities they experienced in avoiding it. The lines "Now, I find I was blind, and oh my!/ How I lost out!" encapsulate this realization. The song's chorus becomes a repeated plea for knowledge about how long the singer has missed out on the pleasures of kissing. The lines, "Little wow, tell me now,/ How long has this been going on?" highlight a sense of eagerness and curiosity about the experience of kissing.
The song's romantic themes are further emphasized in the verses that follow, with the singer referring to the physical sensations of kissing as well as the emotions that come with it. Lines such as "There were chills up my spine,/ And some thrills I can't define" emphasize the visceral nature of the experience, while the line "I know how Columbus felt,/ Finding another world" suggests the revelatory power of kissing. Finally, the song's concluding verses plea for more kisses, expressing the singer's newfound enthusiasm for the activity.
Line by Line Meaning
As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties,
When I was a young child, still wearing soft clothing, I was kissed by my female relatives.
I was kissed by my sisters, my cousins, and my aunties.
My sisters, cousins, and aunts all kissed me.
Sad to tell, it was hell, an inferno worse than Dante's.
However, I did not enjoy these kisses and found them to be a torturous experience, worse than the punishments detailed in Dante's Inferno.
So my dear I swore,
As a result, I made a promise.
"Never, never more!"
I swore never to kiss anyone again.
On my list, I insisted that kissing must be crossed out.
I wrote down that kissing was forbidden.
Now, I find I was blind, and oh my!
However, I have now realized that I was wrong.
How I lost out!
I missed out on a lot by not allowing myself to experience kissing.
I could cry salty tears,
The thought of it makes me emotional.
Where have I been all these years?
I can't believe I have missed out on this for so long.
Little wow, tell me now,
It's shocking to me how much I have been missing out on.
How long has this been going on?
I wonder how long I have been depriving myself of this experience.
There were chills up my spine,
When I finally experienced a kiss, it was an electrifying feeling.
And some thrills I can't define.
It was also an exciting experience that I can't accurately describe.
Listen, sweet, I repeat,
I want to share this with someone special.
How long has this been going on?
I ask again how long I have been missing out on this experience.
Oh, I feel that I could melt,
Kissing is such a passionate experience that it makes me feel like I am dissolving.
Into Heaven I'm hurled!
It's a heavenly experience that takes me to another place.
I know how Columbus felt,
I can relate to the excitement Columbus must have felt when he discovered the New World.
Finding another world.
Discovering this new, thrilling experience of kissing is like finding a whole new world.
Kiss me once, then once more.
I want to experience this feeling again and again.
What a dunce I was before.
I feel foolish for not realizing how great kissing could be.
What a break!
This is a great opportunity.
For Heaven's sake!
This is something to be excited about.
How long has this been going on?
I still can't believe how long I have missed out on this experience.
Dear, when in your arms I creep,
When I am close to my partner, in an intimate setting.
That divine rendezvous,
It's like a special, almost spiritual encounter.
Don't wake me, if I'm asleep,
I never want this experience to end, even if I am dreaming.
Let me dream that it's true!
I want to continue to believe that this experience is real and can happen for me.
Kiss me twice, then once more.
I want to experience this as much as possible.
That makes thrice, let's make it four!
I want to continue to experience this as many times as I can.
How long has this been going on?
I will forever wonder how much I missed out on by not exploring this side of myself sooner.
How long has this, been going on?
I am still in disbelief about how long I have been missing out on this experience.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind