1972 No. 1 Hit Became the Longest Classic Rock Song of All Time
Jethro Tull's 1972 classic release, "Thick As a Brick," (accidentally) became a progressive rock anthem. Not only that, the track is the longest rock song ever recorded, lasting over 40 minutes. In fact, it is so long, it's the only one on the entire album.
Written by flute-flailing frontman Ian Anderson, the album's artwork claimed its contents to be a musical adaptation of a poem by a fictional 8-year-old boy, according to VH1. In a 2022 interview, he described the hit as an "absurdity," admitting that it started as somewhat of a joke.
"When I wrote Thick As a Brick, I tried to approach it in a humorous and satirical way. The whole idea happened very quickly. It was done in a fast and furious period of time," he told Louder Sound at the time. "Some of the elements in the lyrics are quite serious, where I drew upon my own childhood and my own early experiences for ideas for sections within the overall work. But I was also drawing very much on the world of the eight-year-old Gerald Bostock. It was part of the absurdity."
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Online, Largest.org ranked the 10 longest rock songs ever, with the Jethro Tull release coming out on top, notching a 43-minute and 50-second run time. "There is also a radio edit version of the song that's shortened dramatically in order to provide a nice sampling of the music that would fit within the constraints of a radio song. Thick as a Brick is also said to be the first of Jethro Tull's albums that consisted entirely of progressive rock," the entity noted.
The landmark album became famous for containing the single, 43-minute song split across both A and B sides of its vinyl. It hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 on June 3, 1972, holding the top spot for two weeks. Additionally, it was an international smash, reaching No. 1 in Canada, Australia, and Denmark, and peaking at No. 5 in the UK.
Decades after its release, fans still celebrate the historic track. "A wise man once said, 'Who knew a satire of progressive rock could be one of the best progressive rock albums of all time?'" one wrote in the comments section of a YouTube video.
"Jethro Tull needs to be in the Rock Hall of Fame, who agrees with me! This is a piece of history. I have it on vinyl," another added, with a third chiming in, "The album unfolded into a newspaper. Still have my original. Saw this concert after the album came out. After an hour and twenty minutes, Ian said, 'now for the 2nd song.'"
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List of Top 5 Longest Songs Ever Recorded, According to Largest.org
- 1972: "Thick As a Brick" by Jethro Tull (43:50)
- 1970: "Mountain Jam" by The Allman Brothers Band (33:41)
- 2015: "Karn Evil 9" by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer (29:36)
- 1975: "Shine on You Crazy Diamond," by Pink Floyd (26:01)
- 1972: "Supper's Ready" by Genesis (22:58)
Next, 1981 No. 1 Hit Took Just 10 Minutes to Record - But Its Meaning Was Misunderstood for Years
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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 1:39 PM.