What is the longest song ever recorded? Top 20 songs ranked
in music, there is a category that defies the limits of typical song structures, pushing the boundaries of time and testing artists' and listeners' patience. These are the epic compositions, the expansive audio odysseys that travel across soundscapes of emotions and imagination. But what is the longest song ever recorded, and whose composition has left a lasting impression on musical history?
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What is the longest song ever recorded?
- 1. Long Player (1999–2999)
- 2. As Slow As Possible (2001–2640)
- 3. Like a Wall in Which an Insect Lives and Gnaws (5 years, 258 days, and 8 hours)
- 4. Shri Ram Charit Manas (5 days and 18 hours)
- 5. Rituals of the Elements and Feasts of the Times (4 days and 14 hours)
- 6. Symphony of the Crown (48 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds)
- 7. 7 Skies H3 (24 hours)
- 8. The Ring Cycle (15 hrs)
- 9. He is Cruel and Moves with Great Cunning (13 hours, 37 minutes, and 33 seconds)
- 10. The Rise and Fall of Bossanova (13 hours, 23 minutes, and 32 seconds)
- 11. Opus Clavicesmbalisticum (4 hours and 30 minutes)
- 12. The Whirlwind (1 hour 17 minutes)
- 13. Apparente Libertà (1 hour, 16 minutes, and 47 seconds)
- 14. The Devil Glitch (1 hour and 9 minutes)
- 15. Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness (1 hour and 6 minutes)
- 16. Garden of Dreams (59 minutes and 25 seconds)
- 17. Catch Thirtythree (47 minutes and 9 seconds)
- 18. Thick As A Brick (43 minutes and 50 seconds)
- 19. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (42 minutes and 2 seconds)
- 20. A Long Day (36 minutes and 30 seconds)
- What is the longest song ever recorded as a top 10 song?
- What #1 song is the longest in length?
When compiling this list of the longest songs ever, we used data from various music analysis sites such as Facts.net and Musicgateaway. These songs range from 1000 years to less than an hour.
What is the longest song ever recorded?
Most songs often last between three to ten minutes. Pop songs are usually three to four minutes long, whereas rock songs can be five to seven minutes long. Jazz tunes last eight minutes, whereas classical music can last up to ten minutes. Nonetheless, artists and music producers are at liberty to create longer tracks. These are some of the longest songs in length ever recorded.
| Song title | Length |
| Long Player | 1000 years |
| As Slow As Possible | 639 years |
| Like a Wall in Which an Insect Lives and Gnaws | 5 years, 258 days, and 8 hours |
| Shri Ram Charit Manas | 5 days and 18 hours |
| Rituals of the Elements and Feasts of the Times | 4 days and 14 hours |
| Symphony of the Crown | 48 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds |
| 7 Skies H3 | 24 hours |
| The Ring Cycle | 15 hrs |
| He is Cruel and Moves with Great Cunning | 13 hours, 37 minutes, and 33 seconds |
| The Rise and Fall of Bossanova | 13 hours, 23 minutes, and 32 seconds |
| Opus Clavicesmbalisticum | 1 hour 17 minutes |
| The Whirlwind | 4 hours and 30 minutes |
| Apparente Libertà | 1 hour, 16 minutes, and 47 seconds |
| The Devil Glitch | 1 hour and 9 minutes |
| Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness | 1 hour and 6 minutes |
| Garden of Dreams | 59 minutes and 25 seconds |
| Catch Thirtythree | 47 minutes and 9 seconds |
| Thick As A Brick | 43 minutes and 50 seconds |
| Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence | 42 minutes and 2 seconds |
| A Long Day | 36 minutes and 30 seconds |
1. Long Player (1999–2999)
- Artist: Jem Finer
- Length: 1000 years
- Released: 1999
What is the longest song in the world? Top of this list is Long Player, an experimental composition by British artist Jem Finer. This song has been playing without repetition since 31 December 1999, when it started playing in a lighthouse in England.
How long is the longest song? Long Player will stop playing in 2999 when it has completed its cycle, which will have lasted 1000 years. The song is a result of extensive research on music systems. It consists of six compositions that follow strict yet basic rules.
2. As Slow As Possible (2001–2640)
- Artist: John Cage
- Length: 639 years
- Released: 2001
As Slow As Possible is a musical composition by John Cage. It is the second-longest musical performance ever attempted. Cage composed it for organ in 1987, adapting his 1985 piano composition ASLSP.
In 2001, an organ in Halberstadt's St. Burchardi Church began a performance that would last until 2640. This makes it the longest-running non-computerised work currently in performance.
3. Like a Wall in Which an Insect Lives and Gnaws (5 years, 258 days, and 8 hours)
- Artist: Bull of Heaven
- Length: 5 years, 258 days, and 8 hours
- Released: 2010
Although it begins a little slowly, Bull of Heaven's Like a Wall in Which an Insect Lives and Gnaws picks up momentum by year 2, day 216, hour 14, and minute 23. The song was released on 31 July 2010. The Bull of Heaven band is best known for its slow, protracted, and unchanging music.
4. Shri Ram Charit Manas (5 days and 18 hours)
- Artist: Dr Pillai
- Length: 138:41:20
- Released: 2023
According to Guinness World Records, Shri Ram Charit Manas is now the world's longest official track, lasting more than five days of unbroken listening. Because the runtime is so long, it was uploaded to Spotify as 52 tracks (each lasting two hours) and spread across five albums.
5. Rituals of the Elements and Feasts of the Times (4 days and 14 hours)
- Artist: Bull of Heaven
- Length: 4 days and 14 hrs
- Released: 2009
How long is the longest song ever recorded? Bull of Heaven has another song that has made it to this list: Rituals of the Elements and Feasts of the Times. The song was released on 17 October 2009 and lasts 110 hours (or roughly an hour if you listen to the excerpt).
Although Rituals of the Elements and Feasts of the Times is far lengthier than necessary, most listeners can't help but enjoy the track's sound.
6. Symphony of the Crown (48 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds)
- Artist: Earthena
- Length: 48:39:35
- Released: 2021
What is the longest song on Spotify? Earthena's Symphony of the Crown is the world's longest song on Spotify. The song was turned into an album and divided into segments, with the final section running at 39:35.
7. 7 Skies H3 (24 hours)
- Artist: The Flaming Lips
- Length: 24 hrs
- Released: 2011
What is the longest Metallica song? 7 Skies H3 is a 24-hour single from the EP 24 Hour Song Skull. Although it was compiled as a continuous, day-long song, it was recorded in segments spanning 25 minutes to 7 hours.
For Halloween 2011, the song was released in a limited edition of 13 copies, with flash drives encased in real human skulls. Each skull costs $5,000. A website was also created, with the music playing in an infinite loop.
8. The Ring Cycle (15 hrs)
- Artist: Richard Wagner
- Length: 15:00:00
- Released: 1876
The Ring Cycle by Richard Wagner (Der Ring des Nibelungen) comprises four German-language epic music dramas. Wagner took 26 years, from 1848 to 1874, to compose this masterwork, which was first played on 16 August at the Bayreuth Festival Theatre in Bayreuth, Germany.
9. He is Cruel and Moves with Great Cunning (13 hours, 37 minutes, and 33 seconds)
- Artist: Bull of Heaven
- Length:13:37:33
- Released: 2008
It takes 13 hours, 37 minutes, and 33 seconds to finish listening to He is Cruel and Moves with Great Cunning by Bull of Heaven (or 1 hour, 9 minutes, and 50 seconds if you listen to the snippet). Since 2008, the music band has released long tracks, including He is Cruel and Moves with Great Cunning.
10. The Rise and Fall of Bossanova (13 hours, 23 minutes, and 32 seconds)
- Artist: P C III
- Length: 13:23:32
- Released: 2016
The Rise and Fall of Bossanova is Michael J Bostwick's fifth album for his musical project Pipe Choir Three, released on 1 November 2016. Despite being divided into five tracks, the entire album is a single song. From 2016 to 2020, the album held the Guinness World Record for the longest official song release.
11. Opus Clavicesmbalisticum (4 hours and 30 minutes)
- Artist: Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji
- Length: 14: 30:00
- Released: 1930
Opus Clavicembalisticum is among the longest piano songs ever recorded. Piano player Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji wrote and released the track on 25 June 1930. It was dedicated to Christopher Murray Grieve, a Scottish poet, writer, journalist, and politician.
12. The Whirlwind (1 hour 17 minutes)
- Artist: Transatlantic
- Length: 1:17:00
- Released: 2009
The Whirlwind is the Transatlantic progressive rock and metal band's third studio album. It is 77 minutes long and available in three formats: a standard edition, a double-disc special edition, and a deluxe. The song was released on 23 October 2009. This masterpiece is one of the longest-running songs ever.
13. Apparente Libertà (1 hour, 16 minutes, and 47 seconds)
- Artist: Giancarlo Ferrari
- Length: 76:44
- Released: 2008
Apparente Libertà is the longest pop song ever recorded as of 2024. Giancarlo Ferrari composed the song in 2005 and released it as a physical CD in 2008. The Italian vocalist was involved in a car accident in 1998, which could explain the vocal track's distortion, which made the lyrics challenging to comprehend.
14. The Devil Glitch (1 hour and 9 minutes)
- Artist: Chris Butler
- Length: 69 minutes
- Released: 1996
Chris Butler set a Guinness World Record in 1997 for the longest pop music recording, The Devil Glitch, which lasted one hour and nine minutes. It was the longest pop song until Giancarlo Ferrari's Apparente Libertà surpassed it. The Devil Glitch is among the longest tracks on Spotify.
15. Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness (1 hour and 6 minutes)
- Artist: Green Carnation
- Length: 66 minutes
- Released: 2001
Green Carnation, a Norwegian progressive metal band, released Light of Day, Day of Darkness in November 2001. Terje Vik Schel, aka Tchort, a founding member of Green Carnation, composed the song.
The song's tragic story revolves around Tchort's late daughter and his son, Damien Aleksander, whose voice appears in the song's last moments.
16. Garden of Dreams (59 minutes and 25 seconds)
- Artist: The Flower Kings
- Length: 59:25
- Released: 2002
What is the longest song ever? Garden of Dreams by The Flower Kings comprises 18 parts that, when combined, form a whole song. The song contains a flurry of diverse feelings that flow back and forth between these divisions, earning it the distinction of a masterpiece for its ability to express a wide range of emotions.
17. Catch Thirtythree (47 minutes and 9 seconds)
- Artist: Meshuggah
- Length: 47:09
- Released: 2005
Catch Thirtythree by Meshuggah, a Swedish heavy metal band, is one of the longest songs. It was released on 16 May 2005 and achieved significant success, ranking 170th on the Billboard 200 chart.
18. Thick As A Brick (43 minutes and 50 seconds)
- Artist: Jethro Tull
- Length: 43:50
- Released: 1972
Thick As A Brick is the longest rock song among the long classic rock tunes. It was inspired by criticism, prompting frontman and songwriter Ian Anderson to compose a song that mimicked Monty Python's use of complicated musical patterns intertwined with comedy.
19. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (42 minutes and 2 seconds)
- Artist: Dream Theatre
- Length: 42:02
- Released:
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence is one of Dream Theater's longest songs. Like many on this list, it was divided into eight parts. It is the type of song you should listen to if you want to learn more about the human psyche or better comprehend the challenges that people with mental illnesses face.
20. A Long Day (36 minutes and 30 seconds)
- Artist: The Polyphonic Spree
- Length: 36:30
- Released: 2013
The Polyphonic Spree is a choral rock band comprised of a ten-member choir, two keyboardists, an electronic effects wizard, theremin, pedal steel, violin, French horn, flute, trumpets, drums, bass guitar, and trombone. The band released A Long Day in 2013. You can stream it on Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon.
What is the longest song ever recorded as a top 10 song?
Hey Jude by The Beatles was the longest song to reach the top ten. It was released in 1968 and is 7 minutes and 11 seconds long.
What #1 song is the longest in length?
Taylor Swift's ten-minute version of All Too Well was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is the longest song to reach the number-one spot by over a minute.
Long Player is the longest song ever recorded. The above songs are also the peak of musical endurance and ingenuity. They invite listeners to embark on remarkable aural excursions beyond time constraints.
Yen.com.gh recently published an article on the best vacation songs. Whether relaxing on a tropical beach or taking an adventurous road trip, vacation songs can enhance the overall experience.
Kokomo by The Beach Boys, On the Road Again by Willie Nelson and Coconut Tree by Shakira are some of the best vacation soundtracks. Discover more tunes that can make your vacation unforgettable.
Source: YEN.com.gh
