Long came to Motown in 1963 from the Tri-Phi/Harvey label, owned by Berry Gordy, Jr.'s sister, Gwen, and her husband, Harvey Fuqua. His first release, 1964's "Devil With The Blue Dress" was the first recording issued on Motown's Soul label, a subsidiary designed for more blues-based artists such as Long. While this song never charted nationally, the song was later covered and made a hit by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels. His 1966 single "Function At The Junction" was his first popular hit, reaching #42 on the national R&B charts. Other single releases included "It's A Crying Shame" (1964), "Chantilly Lace" (1967), and "Night Fo' Last" (1968).
Long's biggest hit was "Here Comes The Judge" in 1968, which reached number-four on the R&B charts and number-eight on the pop charts. The song was inspired by a comic act, from "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in", about a judge by Pigmeat Markham, whose own "Here Comes The Judge" (a totally different song) charted two weeks after Long's did in June 1968, and became a Top 20 hit. Long's 1969 singles included "I Had A Dream" and "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". He released one album during his lifetime, 1968's Here Comes the Judge.
Long played many instruments, including piano, organ, drums, harmonica, and trumpet. He acted as an MC for many of the Motortown Revue shows and tours, and co-wrote several of his tunes ("Devil With The Blue Dress," "Function At The Junction," and "Here Comes The Judge."). Long was the only Motown artist besides Smokey Robinson who was allowed to produce his own recordings in the 1960s. Marvin Gaye, in David Ritz's biography Divided Soul: The Life & Times of Marvin Gaye,, described Shorty Long as "this beautiful cat who had two hits, and then got ignored by Motown." Gaye claimed he "fought for guys like Shorty" while at Motown, since no one ever pushed for these artists. When Holland-Dozier-Holland came to Gaye with a tune, he stated, "Why are you going to produce me? Why don't you produce Shorty Long?"
Shorty Long died on June 29, 1969 in a boating accident on the Detroit River in Michigan. Stevie Wonder played the harmonica at his burial, and placed it on his casket afterwards. Motown issued Long's final album, The Prime of Shorty Long, shortly after his passing.
2) Shorty Long is an east-coast rapper. Bronx, N.Y. native originally known as 'Shorty Longstroke,' Shorty was discovered by Lord Finesse in the early 1990s and given his first taste of wax in 1994 with the single "Shorty's Doin'" which Finesse produced. Shorty soon fell out of favor with Finesse, and although he managed to release a few more independently-produced tracks, the call of obscurity soon beckoned.
When You Are Available
Shorty Long Lyrics
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When you are available, will you be my girl?
Oh, all I want you to do, baby
Is just see me when you can
I know I can't monopolize all
Of your precious time i realize you're busy
And you've got a lot of things on your mind
But when you are available
Will you be my girl?
When you are available, will you be my girl?
A standing invitation, little girl
You know I'm sending out to you
Just knock on my door
And my heart will let me know that it's you
There will always be a place reserved
In my heart for you
When you are available, will you be my girl?
When you are available, will you be my girl?
So I can hold you (So I can hold you)
For just a little while
(For just a little while)
So I can kiss you, baby (So I can kiss you)
Oh, just a little while
(For just a little while) oh, now
Sweet inspiration I get from just knowing you
Your situation can't keep me from wanting you
If I can't have you
Then just a little of your
Time will have to do
When you are available, will you be my girl?
When you are available, will you be my-
Oh, so I can teach you (So I can teach you)
Baby, for a little while
(For just a little while)
And if I could just squeeze you, baby
(So I can squeeze you)
Oh, for just a little while
(For just a little while)
If I could hold (So I could hold you)
For just a little while
(For just a little while)
The song "Where Are You?" by Shorty Long is a plea for a woman's attention and affection. The singer asks the woman to be his girl when she is available. He understands that she is busy and cannot give him all of her time, but all he wants is for her to see him when she can. The singer speaks of the sweet inspiration he gets from just knowing her and that even if he cannot have her, a little of her time will have to do. He invites her to knock on his door, letting his heart know that it's her, and he will always have a place reserved in his heart for her.
The lyrics reveal a desire for a deeper connection between two people. The singer understands the woman's situation and does not want to take up all of her time but wants to spend even just a little while with her. He wants to teach her, kiss her, and hold her, if only for a little while. The song speaks to the universal longing for love and connection, even if only for a brief moment.
Line by Line Meaning
When you are available, will you be my girl?
Asking if the person will become his girlfriend when she has time.
Oh, all I want you to do, baby Is just see me when you can
He just wants her to see him whenever she has free time.
I know I can't monopolize all of your precious time i realize you're busy
And you've got a lot of things on your mind
He understands that she's busy and has other important things to do besides hanging out with him.
A standing invitation, little girl
You know I'm sending out to you
He's inviting her over to his place whenever she wants.
There will always be a place reserved
In my heart for you
He will always have feelings for her and care about her.
So I can hold you (So I can hold you)
For just a little while
(For just a little while)
So I can kiss you, baby (So I can kiss you)
Oh, just a little while
(For just a little while) oh, now
He wants to have physical contact with her for just a short period of time.
Sweet inspiration I get from just knowing you
Your situation can't keep me from wanting you
Just the thought of her inspires him and he still wants to be with her even if she's has something else going on.
If I can't have you
Then just a little of your
Time will have to do
If he can't be with her, then he'll settle for spending a short amount of time with her.
Oh, so I can teach you (So I can teach you)
Baby, for a little while
(For just a little while)
And if I could just squeeze you, baby
(So I can squeeze you)
Oh, for just a little while
(For just a little while)
If I could hold (So I could hold you)
For just a little while
(For just a little while)
He wants to spend time with her to show her things and to be physically close to her for a short period of time.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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