Released: October 26, 1992

Songwriter: Booga Bear Neneh Cherry

I think I could give myself up to you
Cause you pushed your way thru my attitude
But a taste of life on the tip of my tongue
Won't let me forget. It just reminds me
Of all the things I've been fed
And all the magazines that I've read
I'm suspicious of what you said

How long can we be this way
How long can we live this way
Will twisted tongues bring us down
Or the twisted world we're living in
Or am I the one that's twisted too
Thinking we'll make it thru

Lipstick smiles bring me worries
When I imagine you with somebody else
That's when I know you got me twisted baby
Oh these wicked jealousies could bring us down
Every woman to herself
Every man is his own
When I'm with you the feeling's stronger
I wonder

How Long can we be this way
How long can we live this way...

The thought of saying I'll give you everything I got
Seems so empty cause it's stereotype
To protect my sanity

How Long can we be this way
How long can we live this way...

Neneh Cherry

Neneh Mariann Karlsson was born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and a father from Sierra Leone. Her mother raised her in a commune with her stepfather, jazz musician Don Cherry (father of Eagle Eye Cherry).

She moved to London in the 1980s and immersed herself in the Bristol music scene (where Massive Attack and Portishead would form), getting involved with bands such as The Cherries, The Slits, New Age Steppers, Rip Rig + Panic and Float Up CP.

But it was her collaboration with the duo Morgan-McVey, who released only the one single “Looking Good Diving”, that would be the springboard to launch her into international stardom. The single’s B-side featured Cherry rapping over the A-side’s instrumental tracks with what later became the lyrics to her 1988 debut breakout single “Buffalo Stance” (its music reworked by Bomb The Bass' Tim Simenon) – which reached the top 10 in eleven countries.