Long Time

Album: She Wolf (2009)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song sees Shakira, whose 2001 hit "Whenever, Wherever" found her claiming it was "lucky that my breasts are small and humble," now wishing she had "longer legs to wrap around her lover and never let go." She explained to Q magazine October 2009: "I used to be a shy girl, but, hey, I'm 32 now and I feel compelled to express my thoughts and feelings in a way I might have been more afraid to do in the past. When you hit your 30s, something happens. I'm a little less afraid to go after my own desires in a predatory way, to realize what they are and defend them with claws and teeth. I feel freer and happier."
  • The title is misleading, at 2:56 it is the shortest track on She Wolf!
  • Shakira admitted to MTV News that some of her kooky lyrics are sometimes written to make the song work. For instance, on this song, when she sings, "I'm so happy I should get sued," she insisted that the lyric made sense because of the song's rhyming scheme. "Maybe it rhymed," she said. "It's hard to explain your own lyrics, you know."
  • Despite her claim in the lyrics, Shakira doesn't mind her small stature. "I'm actually very proud of my short legs," she told the Daily Mirror. "They take me to places. Actually when you're short, people feel pity for you, so you can get away with a lot more stuff. If I was tall I'd be in big trouble."

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