The Longest Time

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"The Longest Time"
Single by Billy Joel
from the album An Innocent Man
B-side "Christie Lee"
Released April 1984
Format 12", CD
Recorded 1983
Genre Doo-wop, a capella
Length 3:40
Label Columbia
Writer(s) Billy Joel
Producer Phil Ramone
Billy Joel singles chronology
"An Innocent Man"
(1983)		 "The Longest Time"
(1984)		 "Leave a Tender Moment Alone"
(1984)

"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 Overseas, the song went to number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.

The song features Joel on lead vocals and all backing vocals. Joel recorded 14 different background tracks which were mixed into the song.2

Contents

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 selves. The video was entirely filmed at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

Chart positions

Chart (1984) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart 15
RPM Top Singles3 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
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

Cover version

Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Chipettes covered the song for "Operation Theodore", a 1984 episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was also sung a cappella in the How I Met Your Mother episode "The Time Travelers" by Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor and by the glee club in the April 25, 2013 episode of Glee.

References

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 127. 
  2. ^ An Innocent Man. http://www.avaxhome.ws/. Retrieved on March 15, 2011.
  3. ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.6715&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=h1v4bvl7fjso3qmchh2u2si9r3

External links

Billy Joel
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Tours
Singles
Other songs
DVDs
See also
The Overtones
  • Lachie Chapman
  • Mike Crawshaw
  • Darren Everest
  • Mark Franks
  • Timmy Matley
Studio albums
Singles
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