# Longest note held on a pop song.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 17, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596 "2008-12-17T17:31:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/1 "2008-12-17T17:31:47Z")
My husband insists that Bill Withers holds the world’s record for longest sustained note on a pop song for his “a lovely daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay” in the song of the same name (Lovely Day). He offers no proof. He just “knows”.
Do they even keep track of this kind of thing? What other songs and singers would be contenders for this type of world record?
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### Author:  [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/2 "2008-12-17T17:35:51Z")
I know that there’s a pretty long note in the song **Miracles** in the **Red Octopus** album/cd by **Jefferson Starship**.
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/3 "2008-12-17T17:47:42Z")
> [@Biggirl](#):
>
> My husband insists that Bill Withers holds the world’s record for longest sustained note on a pop song for his “a lovely daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay” in the song of the same name (Lovely Day). He offers no proof. He just “knows”.
>
> Do they even keep track of this kind of thing? What other songs and singers would be contenders for this type of world record?
No clue. But that _is_ a lovely song.
I was thinking about the girl singers around but they all bend notes - Whitney with I Will Always Love You, etc…
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/4 "2008-12-17T17:52:01Z")
Annie Haslam holds a quite high note for quite a while at the end of “Sheherazade” by Renaissance.
Jay Traynor does the same on “Cara Mia” by Jay and the Americans.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/5 "2008-12-17T17:52:54Z")
I’m guessing Ethel Merman is probably the winner of this one. “Anything You Can Do” from _Annie Get Your Gun_ was considered pop, in its day.
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### Author:  [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/6 "2008-12-17T17:53:21Z")
> [@Biggirl](#):
>
> My husband insists that Bill Withers holds the world’s record for longest sustained note on a pop song for his “a lovely daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay” in the song of the same name (Lovely Day). He offers no proof. He just “knows”.
>
> Do they even keep track of this kind of thing? What other songs and singers would be contenders for this type of world record?
All I can think of is the end note in Guns and Roses’ [Don’t Cry](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtoDox0kAFE). But t’s only 20 something seconds, I can’t imagine it’s the longest one.
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### Author:  [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/7 "2008-12-17T17:54:37Z")
> [@Biggirl](#):
>
> My husband insists that Bill Withers holds the world’s record for longest sustained note on a pop song for his “a lovely daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay” in the song of the same name (Lovely Day). He offers no proof. He just “knows”.
>
> Do they even keep track of this kind of thing? What other songs and singers would be contenders for this type of world record?
There’s a pretty long one in Always And Forever by Heatwave too, but I think you might have the winner. 🙂
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/8 "2008-12-17T17:58:09Z")
Vivian Stanshall in “My Pink Half of the Drainpipe” (though it does sound like there was some trickery involved, like a second person picking up the note midway).
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### Author:  [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/9 "2008-12-17T18:11:18Z")
Barbra Streisand, Woman in Love?
“No truth is ever a Lie, I stumble and fall but I give you it ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.”
According to my I-pod this goes on for 12 seconds.
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### Author:  [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/10 "2008-12-17T18:15:19Z")
Another long one (don’t have the time) is Ed Ames’ “My Cup Runneth Over.” Once upon a time Casey Kasem mentioned it for the length of time Ames holds a note.
Coincidentally, he mentioned Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” for the most cases of a repeated lyric, the “I know, I know. . .”
Now, this was all 30 years ago, so a lot has probably changed.
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### Author:  [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/11 "2008-12-17T18:18:32Z")
I dont know much about music and I’m going to sound like an idiot saying this. In fact, even as I type I know it’s not one knot but The Great Gig In The Sky by Pink Floyd came to mind when I read the title. Not a single note but still…
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### Author:  [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/12 "2008-12-17T18:22:27Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Vivian Stanshall in “My Pink Half of the Drainpipe” (though it does sound like there was some trickery involved, like a second person picking up the note midway).
Ha ha, you beat me to it! I think it’s looped.
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/13 "2008-12-17T18:22:53Z")
The incomparable Cyndi Lauper holds one note for quite a while near the end of Money Changes Everything. “Moneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…”
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### Author:  [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/14 "2008-12-17T18:44:04Z")
I don’t know if you could consider it pop, I just timed Jeff Buckley (one-one thousand, two-one thousand . . .) at 24 seconds for his Halleluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuujah at the end of _Hallelujah_ from the _Grace_ album. I’d be interested in knowing how that compares to other long notes by pop artists.
Hell, I don’t think I can hold my breath that long anymore.
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### Author:  [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/15 "2008-12-17T18:44:18Z")
“We are the three aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-migos!”
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### Author:  [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/16 "2008-12-17T20:53:33Z")
Timed Lovely Day. He holds the note for 10 seconds many times during the song over the refrain “lovely day, lovely day, lovely day–love-ly day”. Towards the end he does it over two “lovely day” refrains for 21 seconds. At the end he does it again from about 3:56 until fade out.
Don’t think it’s a record.
I think the “I know, I know. . .” may be even longer. It’s not one note but it’s one breath.
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### Author:  [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/17 "2008-12-17T21:13:41Z")
Another long note is by La Streisand again, holding “tears” for ages in “No More Tears.” Actually it’s about sixteen seconds, according to [this video – the note starts at 1:24](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4hdwBWqAlU), so some of the others listed are longer. Still, it’s a good note! But that’s not a surprise – Streisand has some hella pipes.
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### Author:  [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/18 "2008-12-17T21:16:10Z")
I can’t cite a specific song , but Johnny Mathis was famous for holding notes. I saw him in concert once and he held one note so long the audience was standing up cheering before he was finished.
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### Author:  [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/19 "2008-12-17T21:50:03Z")
I was thinking of Donna Summer. There’s Dim All the Lights, and then that song with Barbra Streisand, No More Tears (Enough Is Enough). She holds long notes in other songs too.
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/20 "2008-12-17T22:41:23Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#):
>
> The incomparable Cyndi Lauper holds one note for quite a while near the end of Money Changes Everything. “Moneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…”
And near the end of All Through the Night Lauper holds a high note for (and I did time it) 14 seconds.
If you think 14 seconds doesn’t seem that long, try it with a high note and sing it as loud as you can without it turning into a scream.
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