The Longest Time
| "The Longest Time" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Billy Joel | ||||
| from the album An Innocent Man | ||||
| B-side | "Christie Lee" | |||
| Released | March 1984 | |||
| Format | 12", CD | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Genre | Doo-Wop, A Capella | |||
| Length | 3:40 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Writer(s) | Billy Joel | |||
| Producer(s) | Phil Ramone | |||
| Billy Joel singles chronology | ||||
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"The Longest Time" is a doo-wop single by Billy Joel. The song was released as a single in 1984 as the fourth single from the 1983 album An Innocent Man. It reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.[1] In the United Kingdom the song reached number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.
The song features Joel on lead vocals and all backing vocals. Two musical instruments are present in the song: a bass guitar and a snare drum being played with brushes. When the song is covered by vocal groups, the bass part is typically sung by a human.[2] All other sounds in the song are Joel's vocals, along with percussive sounds such as finger snaps and hand claps.[3] Phil Ramone and Joel had intended to feature a vocal group called The Persuasions but when they sang in the studio, they tended to go flat as the song progressed. The Persuasions were dismissed and Joel recorded each of the parts himself.[4]
Music video
The music video starts with a man (played by Joel) in a gym after his 25th high school reunion party. Looking around at posters of several class awards, he breaks into song as his band, apparently portrayed as his high school friends, enters the gym. As they sing, they alternate between their high school and current (or even older) selves. The video was entirely filmed at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
Inspiration
This song was inspired by the music of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.
Covers
The song has been covered by many a cappella groups.
In popular culture
The song is featured in the 2008 film Step Brothers, in which a fictional Billy Joel cover band named "Uptown Girl" plays the song, then is subsequently booed off the stage.[5]
A parody of the song is written and performed in the Madam Secretary episode "The Show Must Go On" (season 2, episode 1; original air date October 4, 2015) by Secretary Elizabeth McCord's staff, featuring lyrics which outline the United States' positions on and hopes for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, at the conference of the prospective partner nations.
In the episode "The Time Travelers" of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, Ted and Barney, along with their future selves, sing the song a capella.
Chart positions
| Chart (1984-1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 15 |
| RPM Top Singles[6] | 36 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 18 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 24 |
| UK Singles Chart | 25 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 14 |
| US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
References
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 127.
- ↑ Duchan, Joshua S. (2012). Powerful Voices: The Musical and Social World of Collegiate A Cappella. University of Michigan Press. p. 39. ISBN 9780472118250.
- ↑ "The Longest Time by Billy Joel Songfacts". songfacts.com.
- ↑ Schruers, Fred (2014). Billy Joel. Crown Publishing Group. p. 199. ISBN 9780804140201.
- ↑ "Step Brothers Soundtracks". Internet Movie Database.
- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
External links
- 'The Longest Time' Music Video on YouTube / ⒞1984 VEVO channel
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
| Preceded by "Hello" by Lionel Richie |
Billboard Adult Contemporary (chart) number-one single May 19, 1984 – May 26, 1984 |
Succeeded by "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper |
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