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 (from 4:14 to 4:31). That was a pretty powerful note!
You beat me to it. I think Annie has the record.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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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 articleon 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…
How about Sheep? “Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland awaaaaaaaaay…”
I think that’s a good 15 or 20 seconds.
“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.
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.
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 (starting at 3:34). It’s a little longer on this performance (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.
Nope. Not longer than “When I’m With You” by Sheriff.
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.
20 years ago!? Try closer to 30! It was released back in 1980,
I think that’s 3 strikes!
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.
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.