My father used to perform an impression of Alegro Bombasto, a senile and potentially deaf music conductor, who would conduct all music as if it were performed by the greatest orchestra, full of gusto and broad movements, even to the most inane music, even if it was delivered on pots and pans.
When I think of Boston’s “Foreplay/Long Time” I think of how Alegro might have summoned each sound from the basement to the rafters, holding each sound aloft until it became an aerobic workout.
Those who were alive in the late 70s already know the exuberance of this song, and for those who don’t, crank it up alone, and raise Alergo’s wand once more…
Lyrics to "Long Time"
It’s been such a long time
I think I should be goin’, yeah
And time doesn’t wait for me, it keeps on rollin’
Sail on, on a distant highway
I’ve got to keep on chasin’ a dream, yeah
I’ve gotta be on my way
Wish there was something I could say
Well, I’m takin’ my time, I’m just movin’ on
You’ll forget about me after I’ve been gone
And I take what I find, I don’t want no more
It’s just outside of your front door
Ah yeah, it’s been such a long time, it’s been such a long time
Well, I get so lonely when I am without you
But in my mind, deep in my mind
I can’t forget about you
Good times, and faces that remind me, yeah
I’m tryin’ to forget your name and leave it all behind me
You’re comin’ back to find me
Well I’m takin’ my time, I’m just movin’ on
You’ll forget about me after I’ve been gone
And I take what I find, I don’t want no more
It’s just outside of your front door, yeah, yeah, yeah
It’s been such a long time, it’s been such a long time
Yeah
It’s been such a long time, I think I should be goin’, yeah
And time dosnt wait for me, it keeps on rollin’
There’s a long road, I’ve gotta stay in time with, yeah
I’ve got to keep on chasin’ that dream, though I may never find it
I’m always just behind it
Well I’m takin’ my time, I’m just movin’ along
(Takin’ my time) oh, just movin’ along
(Takin’ my time) ah, just takin’ my time
"Foreplay/Long Time" Notes
“Foreplay” is the first song ever recorded by MIT grad/musical genius Tom Scholz. Written in 1969 and recorded on a two-track machine in his basement in 1971, “Foreplay” merged with “Long Time” on It’s a Knockout, a sampler LP to EPIC records, before being released on Boston’s monumental debut album BOSTON (1976).
Though frequently overshadowed by the first single, “More Than a Feeling,” which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Long Time” peaked at #22 in March 1977, just as the album was certified Platinum.
Rolling Stone described “Foreplay/Long Time” as “a perfect marriage of Led Zeppelin and Yes that plays musical chairs with electric and acoustic sounds.”
For some, this is considered Boston’s magnum opus, worthy of any classic rock enthusiast’s greatest hits list.
It talks of leaving, chasing that dream.That was a big theme in the ’70s, from Five Easy Pieces to The Love Boat. And it’s certainly strong throughout Boston’s album, including “Piece of Mind.”
So why are we mentioning this song? Because the band expresses the greatness of America. This masterpiece wasn’t created by some committee in government or at a record label; it was created in the basement of a smart, passionate guy working at Polaroid.
Tom Scholz designed and built most of the equipment he used to turn that tune in his mind into a distinctive sound, into a Platinum record, a music career, and a classic rock legend.
Well done, Tom, and God bless America!
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