My Favorite "Longest Playing" Songs- Part 2

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Listening to a song which stretches beyond 6 minutes is definitely a test to one's attention span. Imagine just one track on an entire album. JETHRO TULL, those progressive hard rockers pulled that off with their LP THICK AS A BRICK, a tune lasting 43 minutes long. Now, that's some dedicated listening! Well, my final five favorite song picks don't go on for that long, but they are definite epic. So, take a "long hard look" at these selections and see if any make your playlist... 5. AMERICAN PIE- The early 70's was a period of reflective music showcased by many singer/songwriters and this 1971 song by DON MCLEAN captured that spirit. The artist was influenced by the plane crash involving Buddy Holly in 1959, and what came about was a #1 song filled with his memories from "The Day the Music Died." 4. FREE BIRD- If you love long guitar solos this tune by LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S is a classic. Running over 9 minutes this song always closed out this Southern Rock band's shows. The lyrics are about a man explaining to a girl why he can't settle down and make a commitment. Although their tune SWEET HOME ALABAMA is probably their most popular and recognized song today, "Free Bird" from their first LP gained them national recognition. 3. LAYLA- This powerful love song written by ERIC CLAPTON expressed his feelings for Patti Harrison (George's wife). The tune which was supposed to be a ballad wound up being an emotionally charged "rocker" instead, and was considered by critics to be one of the greatest rock songs of all time. 2. HEY JUDE- Paul McCartney wrote this as "Hey Jules," a song meant to comfort John Lennon's 5-year-old son Julian as John Lennon's marriage was ending. I remember listening to this song on the radio and thinking, I can't believe this tune is so long but so good. 7-minute songs were not the norm then, but it influenced other artists to try it later. TRIVIA CHALLENGE- NAME THAT TUNE! ***Can you figure out which song title it is from the clues provided... Words with quote marks provide valuable hints! 1. This song by "The Eagles" has been widely regarded as one of the "greatest rock songs" of all time. The tune was given the Grammy Award for "Record of the Year in 1978." The song is the band's "interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles." The album cover featured "The Beverly Hills Hotel", a hangout for Hollywood stars. One of the group's bestselling LPs of all time (behind their Greatest Hits), this concept album featured other songs like "Life in the Fast Lane" which continued the theme of L.A. excess. -Can you name this long running 6-minute song? Till the next one... Source- Wikipedia and songfacts.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_MjCqQoLLA