10 of the Longest Songs Ever Released (With Audio) - Musician Wave (2024)

In this article, we’re going to look at some of the world’s longest songs that have been recorded and released. When researching this list, I never expected some of these were going to be quite this long!

Their achievements are certainly praiseworthy, to be able to record and release songs that people can hardly listen to from start to finish, let alone think of or record in the first place.

Without further ado, let’s delve in!

Contents

• 1. Symphony of the Crown – EARTHENA (48:39:35)
• 2. 7 Skies H3 – The Flaming Lips (24:00:00)
• 3. The Rise and Fall of Bossanova – PC III (13:23:32)
• 4. The Whirlwind – Transatlantic (77:54)
• 5. Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness – Green Carnation (60:06)
• 6. Thick as a Brick – Jethro Tull (43:50)
• 7. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence – Dream Theater (42:00)
• 8. The Blue Room – The Orb (39:57)
• 9. A Long Day – The Polyphonic Spree (36:30)
• 10. The Great Goodnight – Magellan (34:47)
• Summary

You read that right! The first and longest song on the list lasts 48:39:35 – that’s two full days. Because there is no link to the full song, I will only share the first part of this incredible and praiseworthy achievement.

EARTHENA certainly outdid themselves with this one. They hold the record for the longest song in history, granted it’s divided into parts – but it is still considered one song. Imagine sitting down and listening to this from start to finish!

Needless to say, this song will likely be outmatched when it comes to duration in the near future. For those interested, the other parts can also be found on YouTube.

7 Skies H3 by The Flaming Lips is an experimental song that lasts a full 24 hours and it’s quite a ride to listen to (though I definitely haven’t made it all the way through).

For the same purpose as the first one, I will only share the first part of the song (2 parts in total on YouTube). As opposed to EARTHENA’s song, this is actually one continuous song from start to finish. This makes it even more impressive right? A full day of playing is simply unimaginable for anyone.

Nevertheless, the song is the highlight of The Flaming Lips and will less likely be outmatched any time soon!

Coming in at #3 we still have an incredible duration of a song, and that is The Rise and Fall of Bossanova by PC III which comes in at 13:23:32. Even half a day is really impressive wouldn’t you agree?

The link is from the first section of the song and this one is divided into a few parts as well. Still considered a full song, The Rise and Fall of Bossanova is in the record books.

To everyone’s surprise, the song is very good and provides different emotions and an action-packed musical experience. It is really an ethereal journey to be a part of, even if you just let it play in the background, you will surely be impressed.

This is unlikely to change in the future, as these first three won’t surely be knocked down any time soon.

I guess the first three really outdid themselves, as the fourth one on the list comes in with 77:54 in duration. The Whirlwind by Transatlantic is still an impressive duration for one song, not comparing it to the others above – this is still worthy.

The link is the entire song so there won’t be any more divided parts as we go along.

Anything over 30 minutes should be impressive for anyone, as Transatlantic has even performed the entire song live. It is extremely groovy and pleasant for any listener out there.

Just watching the live version is in it itself a whole experience, not to mention the fact that they sat down and wrote this thing from start to finish.

Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness by Green Carnation comes in at 60:06. A full hour of action-packed music that is truly worthy of being on the list.

It’s a one-track album that needs no further explaining, I mean, if you have a song that lasts an hour there is certainly no need to add any more. Green Carnation certainly found a way to be in the history books.

The whole theme of the song is very dark with a lot of morbid parts included, but nevertheless, makes for an amazing achievement by the band.

When it comes to around an hour, I think someone can sit down and listen to the entire thing, granted people’s attention spans are shortening by the day, still, this is very doable.

Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull is a full-length album with one continuous song throughout. Much like the one before this, there is no need for another one to fill this album out. The total duration of this song is 43 minutes and 50 seconds, which is more than most popular albums are nowadays.

Since everyone is shortening their albums, the reason being that people have much shorter attention spans, this album seems to fit the middle ground of not too lengthy and not too short.

As you would imagine, the song is filled with different changes and mood swings, which makes for a fun experience for listeners. The overall song is really good, especially the vocals by Ian Anderson. Multiple solo sections within, making this one stand out for its sonic versatility and good vibes.

Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence by Dream Theater is probably the most controversial one on this list, where most people claim that it is, in fact, an album and not one song, and other people stand by the contrary.

You can probably guess which side I’m on. As per multiple sources and information, I’ve concluded that this one is indeed a one-song album.

Dream Theater is a legendary band no doubt, and this just adds to their lists of achievements thus far. Being able to pump out a 42-minute song (divided into sections of course) is an impressive thing to have on your resume.

Much to anyone’s surprise, there are sections in this piece that completely differ from Dream Theater’s usual trademark sound and style but it still makes for an impressive music product. Give it a listen and see for yourself.

The next one on the list is The Blue Room by The Orb. Now this one does not face controversy as the previous one, as this is one continuous song from start to finish.

The Orb produced a 39-minute single that takes you on an ethereal journey right from the get to. The song is filled with lots of electronics, continuous beats, and classical EDM (electronic-dance-music) sounds.

This one is particularly suitable for house music enthusiasts that enjoy listening to masterful and continuous music. Fun fact – the song is actually the longest single to ever appear on the UK Singles Chart at that time.

A more than worthy product for this list without a doubt. For those interested in an incredible music journey – listen to The Blue Room.

A Long Day by The Polyphonic Spree is carrying a very suitable name don’t you think? This particular piece comes in at a total duration of 36 minutes and 30 seconds and is the 10th section of their debut album titled The Beginning Stages Of.

Imagine you’re back in 2002 and a band releases a 36-minute continuous song – truly mind-boggling at that time (not comparing to others on the list).

This song is very sound-based as it features multiple continuous sounds that often resemble binary sounds. It can be confusing for the common listener and most people would not even give it a chance. But this is all down to personal preference and proves no point in arguing or delving further.

Lastly, we’ll close off this list with The Great Goodnight by Magellan. The song’s duration comes in at 34 minutes and 45 seconds. Magellan is a relatively popular metal/rock band that has had multiple guest artists perform on their albums.

The interesting part is their collaboration with Ian Anderson (from the previously mentioned Jethro Tull on the list), since both bands are on the list, there might have been a common ground where these two groups shared ideas for a one-song album.

All that aside, Magellan’s song summarizes what it means to embody a classical metal/rock band style. The song is filled with catchy and melodic sections suitable for all listeners, in my opinion.

Give it a listen if you are interested.