# Longest note held on a pop song. **URL:** \ **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:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/41 "2008-12-20T21:31:19Z")
Obviously not the longest, based on previous replies in this thread, but Clay Aiken held a note in his duet of “Jesus is Love” with Rubin Studdard on some music awards show for [17 seconds](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMP1OhGuU24) (from 4:14 to 4:31). That was a pretty powerful note! ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/42 "2008-12-20T21:50:17Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Annie Haslam holds a quite high note for quite a while at the end of “Sheherazade” by Renaissance. You beat me to it. I think Annie has the record. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/43 "2008-12-21T07:16:41Z")
How about the end of “All Out of Love” by Air Supply? ---
**Author:** ![Osip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4491bb/32.png) [@Osip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osip)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/44 "2008-12-22T00:41:50Z")
> [@BaneSidhe](#): > > How about the end of “All Out of Love” by Air Supply? Thank you, I remember when it first came out it was the longest note held in a top 40 song. Granted that was 20 years ago. Is the video for this song the one where the lady in bed with the band member has a rather large package? ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/45 "2008-12-22T00:49:28Z")
> [@BaneSidhe](#): > > How about the end of “All Out of Love” by Air Supply? Actually, that’s exactly what I thought of when I read the thread title, but I timed it and it’s only 15 seconds. Admirable, because it’s a high G, but certainly not the longest. ---
**Author:** ![Osip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4491bb/32.png) [@Osip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osip)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/46 "2008-12-22T00:51:24Z")
> [@Osip](#): > > Thank you, I remember when it first came out it was the longest note held in a top 40 song. Granted that was 20 years ago. > > Is the video for this song the one where the lady in bed with the band member has a rather large package? Went and looked it up. Note held in “all out of love” is 15 seconds The video I was thinking of was “making love out of nothing at all” I was wrong on two counts. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/47 "2008-12-22T03:55:50Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > Amateurs, all. > > I have a CD called [On The Mountain 8](http://www.1037themountain.com/pages/785585.php), which is a collection of recordings that were performed live on the Seattle Radio Station [KMTT The Mountain](http://www.1037themountain.com/). The last track on the album is “Amazing Grace” by the gospel group [Blind Boys of Alabama](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Boys_Of_Alabama). The group’s vocalist, Jimmy Carter, holds a note for **42 seconds** (at the age of 70, when this was recorded). I have that Blind Boys album. I left it at work though and can’t time it. I saw this thread title and immediately thought of it. Thanks for listing it. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/48 "2008-12-22T07:06:49Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > Amateurs, all. > > I have a CD called [On The Mountain 8](http://www.1037themountain.com/pages/785585.php), which is a collection of recordings that were performed live on the Seattle Radio Station [KMTT The Mountain](http://www.1037themountain.com/). The last track on the album is “Amazing Grace” by the gospel group [Blind Boys of Alabama](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Boys_Of_Alabama). The group’s vocalist, Jimmy Carter, holds a note for **42 seconds** (at the age of 70, when this was recorded). " I remember Jimmie Rodgers holding a note for a long time in one of his blue yodel tunes–maybe “Never No More.” But my research led to an [article](http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/b_yodel.htm)on the African-American blue yodel tradition–with which Rodgers was no doubt familiar. Charles Anderson, with\* his famous 60-second sustained soprano note \*was well known in black vaudeville. Jimmie Rodgers was the first country music star & became famous worldwide. The article details his influence in South African music… ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/49 "2008-12-22T09:26:03Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > 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… How about Sheep? “Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland awaaaaaaaaay…” I think that’s a good 15 or 20 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/50 "2008-12-22T11:00:05Z")
“Summer Moved On” by a-ha - Morten Harket holds a note for about twenty seconds - not any longer than others that have been mentioned, I’m bringing it up entirely to share an anecdote. In the studio version it may actually be longer than when he first did it live, but he also does a little embellishment that in my opinion makes it _less_ impressive. I first heard this song at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert back in 1998, which was its debut, and Harket was fumbling a bit with the lyrics (so what else is new?), and clearly feeling the pressure of this first concert together after a five year “break”… when suddenly he hit and nailed an eighteen or twenty second note that nobody expected, and then five seconds later went up into his falsetto range like nothing special had just happened. Clearly he had not forgotten how to sing. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/51 "2008-12-22T16:55:26Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Annie Haslam holds a quite high note for quite a while at the end of “Sheherazade” by Renaissance. I’ve just timed it. It’s not actually as long as I thought: only 7 seconds. In fact Annie beats that on several live versions of the very wonderful Ashes Are Burning at 10 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/52 "2008-12-22T17:09:46Z")
My first thought when I saw the topic was the “and I hold the high nooooooooote” section from the meta boy-band track _Title of the Song_ by Da Vinci’s Notebook. On review it only lasts 13 seconds on the [studio version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoCGKFg-WYw) (starting at 3:34). It’s a little longer on [this performance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=281ax7Ovlsg) (starting at 3:22) from the Bob and Tom show. However, I have another recording from a different appearance on Bob and Tom where he (not sure if it’s Paul or Storm) holds the high note for an impressive 23 seconds. So while it may not be the longest ever, it is in the running. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/53 "2008-12-22T17:23:11Z")
[QUOTE= flodnak] “Summer Moved On” by a-ha - Morten Harket holds a note for about twenty seconds - not any longer than others that have been mentioned… [/QUOTE] Nope. Not longer than “When I’m With You” by Sheriff. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/54 "2008-12-22T17:24:24Z")
The female singer on The Prodigy’s _Smack My Bitch Up_ appears to hold her final note for 26 seconds (I just timed it). But there might be some electronic jiggery-pokery happening. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/55 "2008-12-22T17:59:25Z")
> [@Osip](#): > > Went and looked it up. Note held in “all out of love” is 15 seconds > > The video I was thinking of was “making love out of nothing at all” > > I was wrong on two counts. 20 years ago!? Try closer to 30! It was released back in 1980, I think that’s 3 strikes!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/56 "2008-12-22T19:15:17Z")
What’s the time on Shirley Bassey’s final note on Goldfinger? ETA: I remember a TV interview with her and she ssaid they were rolling the credits on a screen when she was in the recording studio, and when she got to the end of the songs, she still saw credits rolling so she just kept holding it. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596/57 "2008-12-23T00:16:17Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > How about Sheep? “Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland awaaaaaaaaay…” > > I think that’s a good 15 or 20 seconds. And not quite a note as such, but Roger’s scream on **The Wall** ’s Vera Lynn, “Why are you running awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy” goes on a good spell. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-note-held-on-a-pop-song/477596.md?page=2)