What Was the Longest Recorded Song and How Long Was It?

Larry Mimosa December 04, 2023 | 07:10

Short songs became increasingly popular as music exploded. So, do you want to know what the longest recorded song of all time is?

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What is the First Song Ever Recorded in History (

What was the longest song ever recorded and how long was it?

The longest song ever officially released, on the other hand, has yet to achieve such mainstream success—possibly due to its length of 138 hours, 41 minutes, and 20 seconds. Dr. Jagadeesh Pillai of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, won the title on March 5, 2023, with his composition and recording of a single epic track based on the 16th-century poem Shri Ram Charit Manas. The song contains all 15,000-plus verses of the poem in Awadhi, a Hindi dialect. It takes more than five days to listen to from beginning to end.

Pillai's achievement surpassed the previous record holder, "The Rise and Fall of Bossanova,"

The official title of "longest song ever recorded" goes to The Rise and Fall of Bossanova by PC III from the United States. The duo of Kelley and Michael Bostwick broke the previous record by a whopping 10 hours, according to Guinness World Records. The song, which lasts 13 hours, 23 minutes, and 32 seconds, was released in November 2016 and is still the title holder (at least according to official records).

As impressive as a song that plays continuously from 6:00 a.m. to 7:23 p.m. sounds, it pales in comparison to some of the "unofficially released" songs.

The longest recorded pop song is Giancarlo Ferrari's "Apparente Libertà," which lasts 76 minutes and 44 seconds. This surpassed Chris Butler's previous record of 69 minutes in "The Devil Glitch."

What is the Longest Song Ever?

Bull of Heaven - Longest Song in History

The "longest song ever recorded" is PC III's "The Rise and Fall of Bossanova," but the "longest song ever" has to be Bull of Heaven's "Like a Wall in Which an Insect Lives and Gnaws."

Get this: the entire song is 5 years, 258 days, and 8 hours long. That's right—5 years of nonstop listening to one song! I'm not sure if anyone has the guts, willpower, or time to finish the song—but that is mind-blowing.

Surprisingly, this is not the band's first foray into extremely long songs. Bull of Heaven, comprised of Clayton Counts and Neil Keener, has been producing lengthy tracks since 2008. Other notable songs by the band include "116: Rituals of the Elements and Feasts of the Times" and "043: He Is Cruel and Moves with Great Cunning"—which clock in at more than 4 days and 13 hours, respectively.

What is the Longest Running Song Ever?

Did you know that a musical composition known as "Long Player" has been playing without interruption since the turn of the twenty-first century?

On December 31, 1999, a song composed by Jem Finer began playing in an English lighthouse—and has never stopped, nor will it stop until it completes its cycle in the year 2999. In short, it's a song that will be played for the entire twenty-first century, spanning over 30 generations.

"Long Player" is the outcome of extensive research into musical systems. It's made up of six compositions that adhere to strict yet simple rules, resulting in a 1000-year-long song that never repeats itself. If this isn't the pinnacle of music and science, I don't know what is.

What is the Longest Song Ever to Chart on Billboard Hot 100?

Sure, you now know what the longest song ever recorded, longest song ever, and longest-running song is—but which exceptionally long songs are good enough to chart on Billboard?

The title of "longest song ever to enter the Billboard Hot 100" goes to Tool's "Fear Inoculum" according to Guinness World Records. The song, which lasts 10 minutes and 21 seconds, was released in August 2019. With day-long songs floating around, the length of "Fear Inoculum" appears to be insignificant—but it's an impressive feat in an industry where chart-topping songs are becoming shorter.

David Bowie's 2016 hit "Blackstar" held the record for the longest song ever on Billboard, clocking in at 9 minutes and 57 seconds. Tool dethroned the ever-colorful Bowie, with their song debuting at no.93 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite breaking the Billboard record for the longest song ever, "Fear Inoculum" was the second shortest song on the band's album of the same name.

What is the Most Bizarre Longest Song Ever?

What if I told you about an experimental rock band that composed a 24-hour song? Based on what you've already read in this article, it's not that impressive, is it? That is, until you learn that the Flaming Lips, a psychedelic band, released a single in an unusual manner in 2011.

The day-long song—"7 Skies H3"—was sold in pen drives encased in 5 skulls, believe it or not. I'm not talking about the plastic skulls you see on your front porch every Halloween; the band used real human skulls! I warned you...B.I.Z.A.R.R.E! Keep in mind that the five skulls quickly sold out at $5,000 each.

Top Most Popular Longest Songs of All Time

Resuming to some normalcy, here’s a list of the most popular longest songs ever.

Iron Maiden's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (13:39): Few bands are brave enough to turn an 18th century poem into a 13-minute hit rock song. Iron Maiden, on the other hand, did exactly that with "Rime of the Ancient Mariner."

Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" (26:01): The song is dedicated to Syd Barret, a former member of the band. It was an epic off of "Wish You Were Here".

Guns N' Roses' "Coma" (10:16): Gilby Clarke, guitarist for Guns N' Roses, claims that "Coma" is the band's most difficult song to grasp. "Unquestionably, Coma. I'm still not sure. It's like this 15- or 20-minute song that never ends." This is one of the most depressing songs.

Pink Floyd's "Dogs" (17:05): Gilmour wrote "Dogs" in 1974, and it was released as "You Gotta Be Crazy" at the time. The song is a delicate combination of pent-up frustration, wordly cynicism, and dreamlike quality.

Zed Zeppelin's "In My Time of Dying" (11:06): What is a list of some of history's greatest songs that includes Atlantic Records' Led Zeppelin? "In My Time of Dying," a traditional gospel song, was included on the legendary band's Physical Graffiti album.

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