Longest single ever

[casamenta]

Today (2 December) on Virgin Radio in UK, about 18.00, the two copresenters had the following conversation (roughly transcribed)
"Have you noticed singles are getting shorter again [having just played The Strokes]. In the sixties, they were really short, then in the seventies, with the supergroups and prog rock, they were like really long. There was one released by Yes that lasted 9 days...."
"It's still going, it hasn't finished yet........"
"That's right, and now singles have got really short, about 1 or 2 minutes again".

[Dances w/PURPLE]

Longest song I can remember that got radio play was American Pie

[STARRSHIP TROOPER]

Hey Jude by the Beatles. Although I'll have to go into my record arcive to compare time length against American Pie. Thanks for the extra work Dances.
Starrship Trooper

[Yes Oz]

America by the Nice was about 8 mins long, but when it was played on the radio (very reaely) they cut out the middle parts and brought it down to less than 4 mins.

great music though.

[Neverthirst]

Manfred Mann's Earthband remade "Blinded By The Light" (Springsteen) ... greatest cover of all time IMHO .... and i just hate when the radio station plays the short version ...

[RobAdams]

I know a single A side that was longer than HEY JUDE, which clocked in at 7:11.............

A song called D.O.A. by BLOODROCK was a hit in the early 70's. It was on Capitol Records and the track was over 8 minutes long.

AMERICAN PIE may have been about the same length, but the United Artists single had it split into two parts over both sides of the record.

[Dances w/PURPLE]

some great trivia on the meaning of the song American Pie:
A long, long time ago...

"American Pie" reached #1 in 1972, shortly after it was released. Buddy Holly ; unfortunately, died in 1959.

"I can still remember how That music used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance, That I could make those people dance, And maybe they'd be happy for a while."

Sociologists credit teenagers with the popularity of Rock and Roll, as a part of the Baby boomer generation, they found themselves in a very influencial position. Their shear number were the force behind most of our country's recent major transitions. McLean was a teenager in 1959 and he begins by simply commenting that the music had an appealing quality to him as well as the millions of other teens. McLean also had an intense desire to entertain as a musician. His dream, to play in a band at high school dances, was the dream of many young boys who wanted to make people dance to Rock and Roll.

"But February made me shiver,"

Buddy Holly died on February 3, 1959, in a plane crash in Iowa during a snowstorm. Its rumored that the name of the plane was: American Pie

"With every paper I'd deliver,"

Don McLean's only job besides being a full-time singer/song writer was being a paperboy.

"Bad news on the doorstep... I couldn't take one more step. I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride"

Holly's recent bride was pregnant when the crash took place; she had a miscarriage shortly afterward.

"But something touched me deep inside, The day the music died."

The same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly also tragically took the lives of Richie Valens ("La Bamba") and The Big Bopper ("Chantilly Lace.") Since all three were so prominent at the time, February 3, 1959, became known as "The Day The Music Died."

So...
(Refrain) Bye bye Miss American Pie,

**Don McLean dated a Miss America candidate during a pageant and broke up with her on February 3, 1959. (Unconfirmed interpretation)
So its probably...
Just a reference to the plane, "American Pie" that crahed.

"I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry, Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye Singing "This'll be the day that I die, This'll be the day that I die."

LINK: http://www.rareexception.com/Garden/Pie.php

Still looking for the running time on American Pie which I recall as being over 8 minutes. Still searching

[illusion]

"Novermber Rain" by GNR is about nine minutes, I think.

[Dances w/PURPLE]

Here she goes:

1 one scotch long by azo 31:51 minutes

2 the magic wand by morphine 23:39 minutes

3 face another day by Jogeir 22:12 minutes

4 Disbelief by Xerxes 18:3 minutes

5 alienbreed uncut by Allister Brimble 16:45 minutes

6 knucklebusters by rob hubbard 16:40 minutes

7 Turrican CD 16 Bonustrack Turrican medley by Chris huelsbeck 15:37 minutes

8 Mekka and symposium 2000 prese by Sidstation 15:29 minutes

9 neodrink by fleshbrain 15:23 minutes

10 Now What 2 by Dr Awesome 15:1 minutes

11 Face another day 2 by Jogeir 14:50 minutes

12 tetris by logicdeluxe 14:41 minutes

13 soothsayer by fleshbrain 14:20 minutes

14 Versions by Wave 13:59 minutes

15 Nebulos by Audiomonster 13:40 minutes

16 Planet mars by Martyn 13:8 minutes

17 Hypnotic vampire by Heatseeker 13:5 minutes

18 Horisont by Xerxes 12:58 minutes

19 Bind rebind genomix by Genosha 12:45 minutes

20 Castlevania 1 by Maktone 12:37 minutes

21 Miracle of Unts by Redribbon 12:16 minutes

22 foundation menu by melomaniac 12:13 minutes

23 More Than Music 02 by Moby 12:10 minutes

24 Ambrozia by Jogeir and Scorpik 12:2 minutes

25 ssi intro by purple motion 11:55 minutes

26 We re going in by Skimmer 11:51 minutes

27 Now What 3 by Dr Awesome 11:46 minutes

28 Slow Motion by Jogeir 11:44 minutes

29 International karate 99 remastered by Tony caven 11:44 minutes

30 Progressive funk by Moby 11:43 minutes

31 Opened veins by Mv 11:37 minutes

32 Sea at dawn by Basehead 11:33 minutes

33 dominion by fleshbrain 11:30 minutes

34 A city at night by 4 mat 11:27 minutes

35 Freedom by Funschis 11:26 minutes

36 Red Ashtray by Deelite 11:25 minutes

37 Ministry by Jesper kyd 11:15 minutes

38 into the unknown by keith303 11:11 minutes

39 Ultranium Themes by Redribbon 11:7 minutes

40 eurocharts 22 by cutcreator 11:7 minutes

41 Icarus rising by Basehead 11:5 minutes

42 Pulse Of Life Rewind by Ramone 11:5 minutes

43 Global trash 3 v2 by Jesper kyd 11:4 minutes

44 Around chaos by Heatseeker 11:2 minutes

45 Fr08 by Kb 11:0 minutes

46 Bathroomtests by Brothomstates 10:57 minutes

47 Monty on the run by Mark birch 10:56 minutes

48 Oii oii by Tito 10:53 minutes

49 The recurrent dawn by Psycho and stoned 10:52 minutes

50 Whitelined Motion by Keith303 10:51 minutes

51 Matrix abstract by Nexus 10:47 minutes

52 The dark 3 by Nemesis1 10:46 minutes

53 eurocharts 20 by cutcreator 10:43 minutes

54 Klisje paa klisje by Walkman 10:37 minutes

55 Klisje Paa Klisje Walkman by Pink 10:37 minutes

56 Clockwise by Fleshbrain 10:33 minutes

57 7Th Heaven by Dj Joge 10:30 minutes

58 Bridge to the universe part 3 by Dr Awesome 10:29 minutes

59 Forwardandback by Vae 10:29 minutes

60 secret garden (part second cd) by aural planet 10:28 minutes

61 Liberation Ingame Midi by Tdk 10:27 minutes

62 Ghastobello Belle by Bjorn Lynne 10:24 minutes

63 Comeback by Maxym 10:23 minutes

64 The rebellion by Jogeir 10:22 minutes

65 That old magic by 4 mat 10:18 minutes

66 star collapse by lord lazer 10:16 minutes

67 Dark sky by Coocane 10:15 minutes

68 Muzyka I Technika by Roberts 10:15 minutes

69 Katakis medley 2000 by G2sonics 10:14 minutes

70 Raveborg by Glitch 10:6 minutes

71 Divine Darkness by Neurodancer 10:6 minutes

72 Future Rebellion Midi by Tdk 10:5 minutes

73 Abdea by Brothomstates 10:2 minutes

74 Land of barbarians by Audiomonster 10:1 minutes

75 Bash by Psycho 10:1 minutes

76 Water Below by Lizardking 10:0 minutes

77 Whittaker medley by Zyron 10:0 minutes

78 cyberspider by banana 9 :59 minutes

79 Kasparov by Herr weltschaft 9 :56 minutes

80 Space Travels by Roberts 9 :56 minutes

81 Astaroth 24 by Mad Max 9 :54 minutes

82 oriental sunset by audiomonster 9 :53 minutes

83 Qwak All Songs by Bjorn Lynne 9 :52 minutes

84 rippled surface 2 by delta x 9 :52 minutes

85 Cosmos Shortversion by Dr Awesome 9 :51 minutes

86 Alternate function genomix by Genosha 9 :50 minutes

87 Ballarat by Meek 9 :50 minutes

88 Now What 1 by Dr Awesome 9 :50 minutes

89 ewigkeit by lyric 9 :50 minutes

90 forever alien by fleshbrain 9 :50 minutes

91 More than music 01 by Moby 9 :49 minutes

92 solace 2 by lordpegasus 9 :48 minutes

93 Rumk8 by Lackluster 9 :47 minutes

94 Scorcher maintitle by Jesper kyd 9 :46 minutes

95 Cryboy by Scorpik 9 :43 minutes

96 Game Muzax by Walkman 9 :42 minutes

97 Imaginary voyage by Jogeir 9 :38 minutes

98 Seahorse joel karos by Tito 9 :38 minutes

99 Livedown by Willbe 9 :37 minutes

100 Baby White Label by Aahz and Genosha 9 :36 minutes

[RobAdams]

Wow, Dances! I suppose if you're talking CD single length, you've found many long single tracks. I do think though that most of us were thinking about the vinyl 7 inch 45 RPM record type single - at least I was! ;)

[Earl Grey]

Wow Dances!
My brain hurts, after that!!! Haha! :ele:

[Shikedants]

This has nothing to do about a single, but I was listening to NPR the other day, and there is some composer who stretched out Beethovan's 9th to 24 hours. Long!





"Big hitter the Lama, long"

[Yes Oz]

I've never heard of any of that lot. yes i do live in a little closet in oz not exposed to the outside world but its all News to me. But I think some one else summed it up when they said most of us were thinking of the old fashion single's not CD singles.

[Dances w/PURPLE]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Shikedants
[B]This has nothing to do about a single, but I was listening to NPR the other day, and there is some composer who stretched out Beethovan's 9th to 24 hours. Long!


Yeah, I heard about this.

OK, let me go do a 45 search.

[Dances w/PURPLE]

The longest song ever released on a 45 rpm record was the Beatles' 7:11-long “Hey Jude,” which topped the charts on 9/23/1968. There are no drums during the first part of the song, as Ringo Starr, unnoticed by Paul McCartney, had gone to the bathroom. Starr tiptoed back to his drum kit afterward and began playing at just the right moment.

[RobAdams]

The song D.O.A. by Bloodrock did beat HEY JUDE in the playing time department. The 8:00 plus version of DOA appeared on the A side of a Capitol single in the early 70's. HEY JUDE was, however, the first single track to pass the 7 minute mark.

[gathernear]

Wow, Rob's talking about Bloodrock! There was a pizza place that had the DOA single in the jukebox. Used to play it all the time. It caused trouble.

[casamenta]

But none of that kist from Dances of 100 singles were 9 DAYS long!!

[JohnPaul]

Was SONG FOR AMERICA by Kansas a single?

[BrianD]

There may have been singles longer than Hey Jude - but none of them got the airplay. Lets face it, Hey Jude was really the only truly long single that the radio stations would keep playing - sure they occasionally faded at the chanting section but in Australia at least, for the most part they would play it all the way through. If my memory is correct, i think it had the longest run at number 1 in Australia of all the Beatle songs - about 9 weeks I think, may be longer.