Longest pause in a song

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What's the longest pause in a pop song? The ones that are really dramatic.

― A Nairn, Thursday, 6 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Did you think about your bills, your ex, your deadline or when you think you're gonna die? or did you long for the next distraction?"

― 1 1 2 35, Thursday, 6 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Eels' "Novacaine For The Soul" has a somewhat long pause for a radio single. I suppose you would like some hard data as the length of the pause, but I can't provide it, sadly.

Also, there's a level of hell reserved for those who quote Alanis lyrics, I hope.

― beezbo, Thursday, 6 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It might be the Breeders' "Cannonball"

― Brian MacDonald, Thursday, 6 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Or it might be the Beach Boys' "The little Girl I Once Knew"...

― Brian MacDonald, Thursday, 6 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I am the resurrection - The Stone Roses

Muppets

― Sonicred, Thursday, 6 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"I Know How It Feels. Bad" by Half Japanese.

― mike appelstein, Thursday, 6 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

David Sylvian - Orpheus (1987) I remember the video received substantial airtime on VH-1 when that channel was new and exciting. The pause between first chorus and the instrumental break is extremely elongated.

― brian, Thursday, 6 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Couldn't Stand the Weather", Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble.

― Colin Meeder, Friday, 7 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I doubt it counts as pop, but the pause in King Crimson's "Islands" has to be one of the longest in the history of music.

― Anna Rose, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

there's a very long pause on a single note on one tune on New Order's "Movement" -- does that count as a pause. Is a pause silent? Also there's a similar trick on an Electronic b-side, the name of which also escapes me. i am a fount of vague information.

― Alan Trewartha, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It sounded like there was a bloody huge one in 'She Said' by The Longpigs when I last heard it... though I was dancing like a tosser at the time, which may have impaired my perception...

― Mr Swygart, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i always liked the Mark n Lard version of the Bluetones "Slight Return". well at least up to the point where the song starts proper. "Where did you go?..........."

― Alan T, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

or the one in "i wanna be me" by the sex pistols

― , Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

and : false ending of "bad guy reaction" by the rezillos

― , Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ten months pass...

OK, well this isnt a POP song but theres a NEW AGE or MODERNISTIC song called 2minutes 33 seconds or sumfin and it is just 2 minutes and 33 seconds of silence so you can... listen to the music around you or sum shit!!

― Boy With No Future, Monday, 12 May 2003 07:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Dr Dre's "Next episode", before the "some ev'ry day" at the end.

― Sami (Sami), Monday, 12 May 2003 07:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Buzzcocks' "Late For The Train" must be a contender here.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry I meant "smoke weed ev'ry day"

― Sami (Sami), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:59 (twenty-two years ago)

"Coem up and see Me" has a pause that seems to go on for an AGE - "running waaaaa - aaaaaaald" .. . . . . . . . . . . "ooooooh oooooh la la la" - a bit of class.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Monday, 12 May 2003 10:15 (twenty-two years ago)

anything by helmet i would say

― alice, Monday, 12 May 2003 10:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Is "Boy With No Future" new here or just really, really fucking hilarious?

― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 12 May 2003 11:00 (twenty-two years ago)

On NIN's "March of the Pigs", after the line "Well doesn't it make you feel better?"

Fugazi's "No Surprises" has a whole load of them, when the band tries to keep tempo together without playing...

― JP Almeida (JP Almeida), Monday, 12 May 2003 18:14 (twenty-two years ago)

"Fire" by the Pointer Sisters.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Monday, 12 May 2003 18:17 (twenty-two years ago)

"TV Eye" by The Stooges

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Monday, 12 May 2003 18:19 (twenty-two years ago)

My New House-ah.

― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 12 May 2003 18:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Peter Murphy's rendition of Pere Ubu's "Final Solution".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 12 May 2003 18:25 (twenty-two years ago)

theres quite a big pause at the end of "my first lover" by gillian welch.

― di smith (lucylurex), Monday, 12 May 2003 19:44 (twenty-two years ago)

near the end, i mean

― di smith (lucylurex), Monday, 12 May 2003 19:44 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

REVIVED because I was just listening to the Pointer Sisters' "Fire," and suddenly feel like that single was the smartest production ever, from the vocal arrangement to the instruments staying surprisingly true to Broooce's original to that loooong perfectly timed pause and then into the harmony. So good.

P.S. Another almost-as-long pause is Marty Balin right before the instrumental coda: "hearts can be--eee--eee . . . . . is everything all right?" I get chills from that one every time too.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Saturday, 24 September 2005 03:57 (twenty years ago)

The pause in the Auteurs' "Showgirl" is not especially long (three beats of a 4/4 measure at about 90bpm) but amazingly placed: right after the first line of the first song on their first album. That's ballsy timing for a dead stop.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Saturday, 24 September 2005 04:05 (twenty years ago)

Most insipid pause has gotta be Bob Geldof's live solo version of "I Don't Like Mondays" from "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball". Ol' Bob takes extra care to E-NUN-CI-ATE as he sings "...and the lesson for today/Is/HOW-TO-DIE!"...then stops dead for a half-minute or so, just to make sure that his audience can fully absorb it. Christ, what a buffoon.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Saturday, 24 September 2005 07:02 (twenty years ago)

Primal Scream "Give Out But Don't Give Up" (Portishead Remix)

― jsoulja (jsoulja), Saturday, 24 September 2005 07:07 (twenty years ago)

Maybe dEUS' Little Arithmetics.

― nathalie, a bum like you (stevie nixed), Saturday, 24 September 2005 07:15 (twenty years ago)

Most insipid pause has gotta be Bob Geldof's live solo version of "I Don't Like Mondays" from "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball". Ol' Bob takes extra care to E-NUN-CI-ATE as he sings "...and the lesson for today/Is/HOW-TO-DIE!"...then stops dead for a half-minute or so, just to make sure that his audience can fully absorb it. Christ, what a buffoon.
-- Myonga Von Bontee (scottyfield...), September 24th, 2005.
sir bob paused again on a bon jovi bside and on their live cd.

― retroman, Saturday, 24 September 2005 07:47 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps: The gap between the first and second false endings (wait, that would be the second false ending and the third - and real - ending) on "Divine Intervention" by Matthew Sweet.

― Steve Gertz (sgertz), Sunday, 25 September 2005 00:03 (twenty years ago)

I don't know them all, but the Wedding Present on Top of the Pops doing "Make me Smile" was fairly lengthy.

― KeefW (kmw), Sunday, 25 September 2005 00:18 (twenty years ago)

Van Morrison's Wild Night has a rather long pause before the sax solo. Yes it's a sax solo, but an interesting one nonetheless.

― jim wentworth (wench), Sunday, 25 September 2005 00:44 (twenty years ago)

If pauses that are before "bonus tracks" doesn't count (or 4:33 by john Cage), I believe there was a track with quite a pause on Foetus' first or second album.

― David L., Sunday, 25 September 2005 18:17 (twenty years ago)

The re-recorded "Space Oddity" that I have on my copy of "Scary Monsters" has a ten-second pause where the countdown used to be before the second chorus. That's a pretty long pause.

― Billy Pilgrim (Billy Pilgrim), Sunday, 25 September 2005 20:22 (twenty years ago)

It's not the longest, but "Shady Lane" basically comes to a dead stop after the first chorus before starting up again.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:15 (twenty years ago)

Worlds in Collision has some great pauses in it. I forget if they are long or not.

― when something smacks of something (dave225.3), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 16:33 (twenty years ago)

"Woodway of Love" by Der Plan from the "Live at the Tiki Ballroom" album has a comically long pause before the last round of choruses.

― Pangolino 2, Tuesday, 27 September 2005 23:41 (twenty years ago)

I don't know if they do this everywhere they go, but when Phoenix was doing their concert here during "I'm an Actor" they paused between "if you ever come late" and "better give me what I want" for like five solid minutes with just rimshots to keep time, and wouldn't proceed until the crowd figured out what was going on and made enough noise. They do a good show!

― dan i. (Dan I.), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 23:46 (twenty years ago)

err actually now that I think about it, I don't go to very many concerts. Is that a common gambit, or not? It was a lot of fun in that instance anyway.

― dan i. (Dan I.), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 23:47 (twenty years ago)

Crass' "They've Got a Bomb" has a nice 17 second pause.

― naus (Robert T), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 04:12 (twenty years ago)

The SugarPlant song "Rise" after long long hypnotic repetition stops suddenly on a single drumbeat... wait eight long beats at a pretty slow temp (80 bps or so?) and the song comes crashing back in. I think that's the longest one I know without going and clocking them all.

― Declan Zimmerman (Declan Zimmerman), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 04:38 (twenty years ago)

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