What is the longest (in minutes) top 10 hit song?

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Have there ever been any 10+ minute songs in the top 10? (in any country, although I care about US and UK charts the most)

That's what I mean by "longest," as opposed to "spent 489 weeks in the top 10," although that might be an interesting question as well.. Except if I really wanted I could probably look that up.

― billstevejim, Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:10 (twenty years ago)

The longest U.S. #1 was "Hey Jude," but only by a technicality: "American Pie" was split onto both sides of the single and Billboard technically credits "American Pie, Part I" as being the #1 hit. Longest Top 10 record was "November Rain," I think, at a bit over 8 minutes. Nothing 10-minutes-plus has ever made the Top 40, to my knowledge.

As far as longevity on the charts, it's either LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live" or Jewel's double-sided single "You Were Meant for Me / These Foolish Games," both of which were in the Hot 100 for about 70-odd weeks.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)

Well, I know that this Apollo 440 song couldn't make the top 40 in the United States because it was over eight minutes long...

― Ian Riese-Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:15 (twenty years ago)

Was In A Gadda Da Vida a chart hit?

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:29 (twenty years ago)

in-a-gadda-da-vida hit #30 in the US, but in an edited 7-inch version. not sure how long it was.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:31 (twenty years ago)

7 inches would be my guess.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:32 (twenty years ago)

I'm pretty sure The Orb's "Blue Room" went Top 10 in the UK. The 12" I used to own was 19 minutes-ish on Side 1 (Part 1) and 19 minutes-ish on Side 2 (Part 2)

I'm sure somebody'll come along and link to the thread where this has been done already in a sec.

― Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:32 (twenty years ago)

xpost There was an edit for "In The Garden Of Eden" that was about 3 minutes I think. So if it charted, it was probably that version.

― billstevejim, Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:32 (twenty years ago)

How long was "Oh Superman"? I think that was top 3 in the UK (but I might be wildly off the money there).

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:33 (twenty years ago)

"Light My Fire" is pretty long, isn't it?

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:33 (twenty years ago)

"Blue Room" got to #8, but there was a radio edit version of it available as well. The longest non-radio edited top 10 single in the UK is "All Around The World" by Oasis, 9 minutes 38 seconds.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:35 (twenty years ago)

Oh yeah, "O Superman" was a UK #2 I think, which I don't believe was edited.

― billstevejim, Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:35 (twenty years ago)

"Light My Fire" album version is 7 minutes, but I'm not sure if that's the version that charted.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:36 (twenty years ago)

Dire Straits "Private Investigations" seemed to go on for an fucking eternity and Ive got a suspicion that got to no 2 in the UK.

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:36 (twenty years ago)

You know, that Oasis track doesn't feel a second longer than 2 hours.

― Speedhump Bungle (noodle vague), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:40 (twenty years ago)

techically it would have to be The Orb's Blue Room surely?

― moley (moley), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:44 (twenty years ago)

Super Furry Animals' live version of 'The Man Don't Give A Fuck' is 22 & a half minutes long and got to #16 last year. There is no radio edit.

(apparently though there is something that makes it look pathetically short by comparison, though I forget what it is. It could be The Orb, I'm really not sure)

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:47 (twenty years ago)

in-a-gadda-da-vida hit #30 in the US, but in an edited 7-inch version. not sure how long it was.
-- fact checking cuz (factcheckingcu...), February 24th, 2005.
7 inches would be my guess.

-- The Ghost of Dan Perry (djperr...), February 24th, 2005.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:48 (twenty years ago)

How long was "Oh Superman"?
8 1/2 minutes

― Anyone Who Can Pick Up A Frying Pan Pwns Death (AaronHz), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:52 (twenty years ago)

Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh...

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:54 (twenty years ago)

Blue Room is about 39 mins long.

― moley (moley), Thursday, 24 February 2005 20:55 (twenty years ago)

Dire Straits' "Private Investigations" is 6:46.

Orb's "Blue Room" is 17:34 on the album, but I don't know how long the version that charted was.

Doors' "Light My Fire" is 6:30 on the album, but it was chopped to 3 minutes for radio formats in the 1960s when it charted (except on underground and AM stations).

Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" is 6:13 on the album. It was played in its entirety on the radio when it charted. It hit #2 on the charts (in the US).

― ffirehorse, Thursday, 24 February 2005 21:08 (twenty years ago)

How long is "Hotel California"?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 24 February 2005 21:21 (twenty years ago)

what about born slippy ?

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Thursday, 24 February 2005 21:22 (twenty years ago)

The longest non-radio edited top 10 single in the UK is "All Around The World" by Oasis, 9 minutes 38 seconds.

LAAAAAAAME.

― miccio (miccio), Thursday, 24 February 2005 21:30 (twenty years ago)

kraftwerk's 'autobahn' had big chart success, didn't it?

― chris andrews (fraew), Thursday, 24 February 2005 21:37 (twenty years ago)

EDIT

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 24 February 2005 21:37 (twenty years ago)

i thought the really long version of the blue room lead to some restrictions on what counted for the singles chart. or that it was just under some time limit for consideration. anyone?

― gspm (gspm), Thursday, 24 February 2005 22:34 (twenty years ago)

ok, me, google says:
ca 1997
* Before 1998 it was allowed to include up to 4 different songs (with "B-sides") up to 25 minutes, and to put a maximum of 40 minutes playing time on one format if it only contained remixes of the title track.
* That's why for example THE ORB released a single "Blue Room" which was exactly 39:59 long, or that's why THE PET SHOP BOYS and many many other artists used to release two-part-CD-singles around this time, one with "B-sides" less than 20/25 minutes, and one with remixes up to 40 minutes.

― gspm (gspm), Thursday, 24 February 2005 22:35 (twenty years ago)

some record breakers and chart miscellany

― gspm (gspm), Thursday, 24 February 2005 22:38 (twenty years ago)

The maximum length of singles (if they were to count in the singles chart) was restricted to about 16 minutes I think, not long after "Blue Room" had been released. I don't know if it was as a direct result of that particular single. I've got a few album-length CD singles from round then, usually made up of multiple mixes of the same track: "Prix Choc", "Fly Life", "Girl/Boy Song" spring to mind. The new rules restricted the total running time and limited the number of tracks to 3. So I stopped buying CD singles. Smart move, BPI.

― Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Thursday, 24 February 2005 22:38 (twenty years ago)

that site says Orb - Blue Room reached 8th postion in June 1992.

i'm done now.

― gspm (gspm), Thursday, 24 February 2005 22:41 (twenty years ago)

Procol Harum--"Whiter Shade of Pale"?

― MV, Thursday, 24 February 2005 23:29 (twenty years ago)

what is the shortest top 10 hit song ?

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Thursday, 24 February 2005 23:31 (twenty years ago)

Adam Faith- What Do You Want?

98 seconds.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 24 February 2005 23:34 (twenty years ago)

How long is "Hotel California"?

6:30. It only feels like 6 hours.

― ffirehorse, Friday, 25 February 2005 00:27 (twenty years ago)

> what is the shortest top 10 hit song ?

I'm not familiar with the Adam Faith song Dom refs, but "Stay" by Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs was the shortest U.S. #1 (also 1:37) and the shortest Top 40 hit was Duane Eddy's "Some Kind-a Earthquake" (1:17). I've never heard the latter, alas.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Friday, 25 February 2005 00:41 (twenty years ago)

Meat Loaf - I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That): 12 minutes and that's the version that charted.

― blawa (blawa), Friday, 25 February 2005 01:49 (twenty years ago)

"Stay" is only 1:37?

― ffirehorse, Friday, 25 February 2005 02:45 (twenty years ago)

How long is Blur's "Song 2"? Something like 2:05, isn't it?

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Friday, 25 February 2005 02:58 (twenty years ago)

Jethro Tull's "Thick As A Brick" ?????

― Eleventy-Twelve (Eleventy-Twelve), Friday, 25 February 2005 03:45 (twenty years ago)

wasn't there a janet jackson cd single that didn't enter the singles (too long - over 20 minutes)charts ?
It might have been "escapade"

― charlene drummond, Friday, 25 February 2005 04:03 (twenty years ago)

Shortest Hit Single via the some record breakers and chart miscellany link i provided:
The shortest duration of a hit single is 1 min 15 seconds. This record is held by Nukleuz DJs. The title/lead track of their 2003 "DJ Nation - Bootleg Edition" EP was a mix of each of the other six tracks on the EP (available on three separate CD/12" singles) clocking in at just 75 seconds.
In terms of a complete song (ie. not a medley), "Let's Get Together" by Hayley Mills (1961) clocked in at is 1 minute 25 seconds. The US version of "Some Kinda Earthquake", an instrumental single by Duane Eddy, was abridged (1 minute 17 seconds in duration, 1959) but the British version ran at the full 1 min 53 secs.
The shortest chart-topper is Adam Faith's "What Do You Want" from 1959 (1 minute, 38 seconds).

so, if the next question is 'what is the longest note held in a hit' you can go there. Donna Summer is third with a note in her song Dim All The Lights, 16 seconds.

― gspm (gspm), Friday, 25 February 2005 04:16 (twenty years ago)

It's gonna be a lovely daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Friday, 25 February 2005 05:20 (twenty years ago)

How long is Blur's "Song 2"? Something like 2:05, isn't it?

Close. 2:01.

― ffirehorse, Friday, 25 February 2005 05:25 (twenty years ago)

What about Paranoid Android? That's the most recent one I can think of. Though I don't know how it charted

― Seuss, Friday, 25 February 2005 09:35 (twenty years ago)

Didn't Metallica's 'One' go top 10? Is that 7 mins plus?

'Hocus Pocus' sure was a long one too. Yaddle-diddle-daddle-diddle-daddle-diddle-daddle-diddle-yaddle-diddle--diddle-daddle-hey-woohoo! I mean, the chorus alone takes five frigging minutes to write out.

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 25 February 2005 09:49 (twenty years ago)

The shortest a-side track? Whatever Liam Lynch.

Shortest 'title' would be "Theme from Space Invaders" Yellow Magic Orchestra, which was 8 secs (20 secs on the 12")

I thank yez.

Oh, my "Blue Room" CD single track registers at 40' 1" which is quite tall. Long I mean.

― MarkG, Friday, 25 February 2005 14:15 (twenty years ago)

i guess the shortest hit song will soon be a ringtone, once they are counted in the charts !

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Friday, 25 February 2005 14:21 (twenty years ago)

That'll be "Sweetie the chick" then.

― MarkG, Friday, 25 February 2005 14:24 (twenty years ago)

god i hate these ringtones commercials on mtv... worst thing ever in western civilisation. maybe.

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Friday, 25 February 2005 17:01 (twenty years ago)

I was thinking that Jan Hammer's "Miami Vice Theme" which hit #1 in 1985 would take this, but apparently the single version that charted was 2:26 (extended from the 1:03 version that actually played over the show's opening credits).

― o. nate (onate), Friday, 25 February 2005 17:11 (twenty years ago)

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