23. Ace - How Long?

Found on: Five-A-Side (1974)

Let's give it up for Paul Carrack! Most people don't know him, but he played for Roxy Music, The Pretenders, and The Smiths. He joined two other bands and gave them huge hits (Squeeze's Tempted and Mike + the Mechanics' Silent Running and The Living Years). Plus, he had his own smash hit in the late '80s with Don't Shed a Tear. It all started with Ace. How Long? is a heartsick ballad that appears to address a cheating lover, but is really about a bandmate who left to join a different band.