# What are songs with great climaxes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [June 12, 2025, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545 "2025-06-12T21:29:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2025, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/81 "2025-06-14T12:50:25Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > Add **Crying** to that list. Spectacular ending. I used to be able to nail that. Orbison’s range and mine were pretty similar. ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2025, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/82 "2025-06-14T13:27:04Z")
I scrolled through this entire thread and I am almost disbelieving that nobody appears to have mentioned “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2025, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/83 "2025-06-14T13:28:05Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > starts out as a happy, three-chord instrumental. Not sure I’d characterize the beginning as anything like “happy” – it’s tense and driving. But, yeah, I do love the build on that one when it gets to the freakout section. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/84 "2025-06-14T16:50:22Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > _I used to be able to nail that. Orbison’s range and mine were pretty similar._ So could I, and not so long ago. I used to love singing along with that if it came on the radio when I was in my car. No more I’m afraid. I could also hit most of the high notes on “Ooh Baby Baby” by Smokey Robinson. I have a voice somewhere between tenor and bass, but I haven’t much range. Can’t sing worth a darn! ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2025, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/85 "2025-06-14T17:32:09Z")
“Perdido” from the Ellington Uptown album has a wild, discordant climax [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/knAdA08pHFE/maxresdefault.jpg "Duke Ellington Orchestra - Perdido") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knAdA08pHFE) ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2025, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/86 "2025-06-14T19:45:49Z")
“The Impossible Dream” from _Man of La Mancha_. Not so much the first time it is sung, but in the finale when Don Quixote is on his deathbed and Aldonza starts singing it to him. He rises and joins her in singing before dying. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/87 "2025-06-15T11:52:44Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > I have a voice somewhere between tenor and bass, but I haven’t much range. Can’t sing worth a darn! I guess mine is kinda quirky. I could go from baritone to falsetto, so could sing along with everyone from Johnny Cash to Freddy Mercury. Couldn’t quite hit Brad Delp’s high end, though. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2025, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/88 "2025-06-15T15:03:36Z")
Remembered another: The Homecoming Queen’s Got A Gun by Julie Brown ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/89 "2025-06-16T16:59:38Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > > > Wagner’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King”. > > I prefer Grieg’s. 🙂 Somehow I missed this. I’ve been getting this wrong for my whole life, and no one corrected me until now! ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/90 "2025-06-16T17:04:48Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Somehow I missed this. I’ve been getting this wrong for my whole life, and no one corrected me until now! Don’t worry, that’s just another glitch in the matrix and you have entered some parallel universe. Happens to the best of us. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/91 "2025-06-16T17:10:43Z")
“Running Scared” by Roy Orbison. At the end Roy hits a long, G above high C in natural voice that is awe inspiring. I read the story once about the recording session where the producer describes his feelings when he first heard that sound. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/92 "2025-06-16T18:19:42Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > “The Impossible Dream” from _Man of La Mancha_. Not so much the first time it is sung, but in the finale when Don Quixote is on his deathbed and Aldonza starts singing it to him. He rises and joins her in singing before dying. Oh yes, great example! ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/93 "2025-06-16T22:22:07Z")
I think “Who Are You” has a pretty strong ending. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/94 "2025-06-16T22:52:43Z")
Another good one! [Work Until I Die](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD7ckwV1Uls) ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/95 "2025-06-16T23:14:02Z")
Late Canadian singer Michael Burgess’ [A Place in the Sun](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVTcvrCgYsk&list=RDlVTcvrCgYsk&start_radio=1&ab_channel=UnidiscMusic) - from his eponymous 1997 easy listening album. A favorite memory of being 18. ---
**Author:** ![cieskokid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cieskokid/32/5374_2.png) [@cieskokid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cieskokid)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/96 "2025-06-17T09:51:14Z")
Darkly beautiful “Sometime Around Midnight” by the The Airborne Toxic Event, 199something [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/UYPoMjR6-Ao/maxresdefault.jpg "The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYPoMjR6-Ao) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/97 "2025-06-17T10:05:07Z")
“Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” seems to be about the thoughts of a man right on the edge of ecstasy, it’s worth considering. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/98 "2025-06-17T14:12:49Z")
Here’s one that’s probably very obscure, although it can be argued that it shouldn’t be. **Russian Christmas Music** by Alfred Reed, written in 1944. According to Wikipedia (and other sources) “It is one of the most frequently performed pieces of concert band literature.” For a long time, though, the only recording I knew of was the one our own high school band had made of it. I looked through music collections and catalogs without finding another. Now, with the internet, you can easily find recordings of it, including on YouTube. Nevertheless, I’ll bet it’s still pretty obscure, unless you’ve performed in one of those symphonic bands yourself. It really does try to duplicate the sound of Russian seasonal music from some Orthodox church. And it builds to a significant climax, represented by a single chord, about a minute before the end, that I’ve always found stirring. > **[Russian Christmas Music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Christmas_Music)** > > Russian Christmas Music is a musical piece for symphonic band, written by Alfred Reed in 1944. It is one of the most frequently performed pieces of concert band literature.\[citation needed\] > Reed was commissioned to write a piece of "Russian music" for a concert in Denver, Colorado. The concert's aim was to improve Soviet-American relations; as such, it was to include premieres of new Soviet and American works. Prokofiev's March, Op. 99 was supposed to be the Russian work, but it was discovere... > [@](#): > > [Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=russian+christmas+music+alfred+reed&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS1122US1128&oq=Russian+Christmas+Music+Alfred+Reed&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyBwgBEC4YgAQyCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjIICAQQABgWGB4yCAgFEAAYFhgeMgcIBhAAGO8FMgoIBxAAGKIEGIkF0gEJOTM4OGowajE1qAIIsAIB8QUa5McQTOxozQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:e57aaa56,vid:3-Au9ptGoOQ,st:0) > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLlAJQ7mP\_k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLlAJQ7mP_k) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/99 "2025-06-17T20:38:14Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Does classical music count? Because Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture definitely fits. Hardly a “song” but the finale to Stravinsky’s **Firebird Suite** moves me to tears. Songs: **Won’t Get Fooled Again** (Who) **Twist And Shout** (Beatles; Paul’s closing “Yeah!” seals the deal) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545/100 "2025-06-17T20:40:37Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > [I’m Going Home](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljCM8g8yztw) - Ten Years After @ Woodstock Yes indeed! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-songs-with-great-climaxes/1019545.md?page=6)