What is the longest song in the world?

There's no single definitive "longest song in the world" because the criteria for measurement can vary (total runtime, number of movements, etc.), and verifiable claims are difficult to establish. Many extremely long pieces are either experimental, avant-garde works or composed of repetitive, ambient textures, making it hard to definitively judge their musical merit or "song-like" qualities.

However, some contenders for exceptionally long musical pieces often cited include:

• John Cage's Organ²/ASLSP: This piece, written for organ, has a performance duration theoretically lasting up to 639 years. It's a set of instructions that allows for a vast number of variations, making any single performance extraordinarily long but not a single continuous piece.

• Various "ambient" or drone pieces: Many artists have created extremely long pieces of ambient or drone music, lasting many hours or even days. These often rely on slowly evolving textures and are not typically structured in the traditional verse-chorus format. Precise lengths are often not fixed, as these works may be extended or looped.

It's crucial to understand that the idea of a "longest song" is problematic. Most songs have a defined structure, making it clear where they begin and end. The pieces mentioned above operate on a much different level of musical composition, pushing the boundaries of what constitutes a "song" in the conventional sense. Therefore, claiming a specific piece as the absolute "longest song" is usually not meaningful.