Good luck belting out these tunes! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 30 Most Difficult Songs to Sing. Our countdown of the most difficult songs to sing includes tracks by Christina Aguilera, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Queen, and more! Which of these songs is your go-to in the shower? Let us know in the comments.
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#Music
#Songs
#Difficult
#Hardest
#Challenging
#Musical
#Artists
#Karaoke
Which of these songs is your go-to in the shower? Let us know in the comments. For more content like this, click here: kzhead.info/sun/htmKhdCLnKSci3k/bejne.html Don't forget to play our Live Trivia (www.watchmojo.com/play) games at 3pm EST for a chance to win cash! The faster you answer, the more points you get!
Heart- Alone Pet Shop Boys- What I've Done To Deserve This Whitney Houston- The Greatest Love Of All, One Moment In Time Cher- Shoop Shoop Song Usher- Scream Justin Timberlake- Can' Stop The Feeling
Jazmine Sullivan: pick up your feelings.
None cuz I'm not that good
Christina Aguilera hurt ❤
By the way Josh Groban is trash, Karl Loxley's version of you raise me up is way better. 👌🏼
How come "Stayin' Alive" ain't on here??? Those falsettos are tough A.F. to nail.
And more than a woman from the B gees
b gees should be here
@@demos9836 Just about any of the BeeGees songs could be on this list but my favourite is their last, "Alone" will always hold a special place in my heart along with a hard "nope" if asked to try and sing along.
@@scottguffie7759 lol
Thank you for mentioning Minnie Riperton ❤. She could break glass!!
I did Bohemian Rhapsody with an absolute stranger at a karaoke bar once, as she was looking for a partner. Surprisingly enough, we harmonized very well and fell into our parts easily! It was so much fun! The crowd absolutely loved it! I didn't get her name but I hope she knows she freaking killed it on the mic!
I witnessed an entire wedding party perform “Bohemian Rhapsody” at a local bar, and could tell it was going to be a tough act to follow. Spoiler alert number 1, it was a regularly-scheduled karaoke night, the wedding party was the party crasher, so to speak. Spoiler alert 2, I was up afterwards, performing “Wasted Years” by Iron Maiden. Ever since then, I have come to believe that “Wasted Years” is a great song for such an occasion (you do have to know what the song is about to understand). 🎵🎶Don’t waste your time always searching for those wasted years!🎶🎵
I tried to sing along in the car a few times and found out the Bohemian Rhapsody is INSANELY hard. And not only the middle part, the entire thing!
@@NiiloPaasivirta It's a tough number for sure! If you don't have your breathing techniques figured out and don't adjust too well to key changes you're absolutely lost trying to perform this! Massive respect to Queen for delivering this masterpiece.
Meh. I never had any trouble singing it. Aside from Rogers falsetto I think it really isnt that hard. And I find thats true for many other songs on this list. At least for me. I started singing when I was nine and started simply by imitating the styles of Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Elton John, George Michael, Pink Floyd and Simon and Garfunkel (my mom always played good music around the house) and by the time I was 20 I could rip most of their songs with little to no problem.
Freddie Mercury vocal range is so good
Freddie reminds me of Cindi Lauper, who's also noted for having an incredible 4-OCTAVE(!) range in her singing prime. For comparison, Freddie had full command of 3 whole octaves, absolutely mind-blowing!
Should have been under pressure
@@Sarappreciates freddie also had essentially 4, but mainly sang between 3
@@ripleyfry2107 I meant complete control. Freddie could get to a 4th octave, but I meant octaves in which he could comfortably dwell in full command. We all have a range that's comfortable and easily maneuvered within, but then there's that range we can each hit only if we work up to it, and we can't stay long because we're not at the top of our game there. Freddie hit 3 octaves with monster control. Believe me when I say that's impressive enough. We don't need to embellish since there are only 10 octaves our ears can perceive. 3 is a LOT for one human voice, especially considering how sick he was for some of that time.
@@Sarappreciates don't forget Mitch from Pentatonix (I don't know his last name, but I'm sure you know who I mean). His range is FIVE octaves!
Freddie Mercury: The Best.
I am super impressed that you included Kate Bush in this list. 'Wuthering Heights' is brutal on the vocal cords but, when done by Bush, it's a beautiful song.
20:51 OMG, Fergie positively *butchered* the 'Star Spangled Banner!' It was an embarrassment listening to her try to emulate Whitney Houston or some other goddess. Her attempts at vocal trills and key changes were just awful from start to finish. 😖😖😖😖
Yeah, that shit was *horrendous* 😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂
@@Ldyklr420 I think that the word we use is _heinous._
@@koriw1701 Nah... Horrendous works. 🤔😏
Heart’s earlier stuff, like Barracuda and Magic Man. Damn, she belts those notes out.
And Alone.
I can sing Magic Man. Love that song.
Some of the songs mentioned are not that hard to sing, but it's the singers very distinct sound that makes it difficult to replicate.
by that logic, all songs arent hard to sing
Example?
@@red5robb1 Ehhh no?
@@Shaz-Daz That Bolton song... Bon Jovi... Bonnie Tyler, those songs are defined by their voices, not because of incredible range or difficult technical vocal acrobatics.
I have the same view . Rare singers are/were emotionaly and by nature capable to deliver the same song in more impressive way. . It's not from the song but from the singer
Definitely “Bohemian Rhapsody”! That operatic section was crazy!
That song is why Freddie is the goat
Nah! I have friends and even a Brother who have nailed that. Queen has way harder songs in their arsenal.
I kinda like the idea and ambition of Bohemian Rhapsody more than the song itself. It's not the vocal difficulty that makes it so big. It's the bigness of it that makes it so big. Within that bigness, however, few risks of the vocal variety were taken. There's no "high note," nor is there an extreme in any direction other than big. Had it been any bigger, it woulda called for a full orchestra. Had Queen chosen such vocally technical feats, I doubt the song woulda been so "catchy" for those of us who enjoy singing along.
They never ever sang the opera bit live , it just used to go to a screen with their faces on in that iconic grouping. Mercury is arguably the best ever , on this list some of the singers had the best song at the best time , whereas Mercury had the best voice all of the time , pretty much could have had 15 songs on this list by himself.
Anyone can sing Bohemian Rhapsody. And if they can't, just jack the volume up to the threshold of pain and keep singing anyway.
I loudly agree, "Emotions" by Mariah Carey is the most difficult song to sing and she does a gorgeous job with it! Though her whole career has been just brilliant and vocally phenomenal. She is the best for a reason!
Somebody should’ve warned me Mariah was gonna murder my earphones.
You should’ve know… all she does is slay
Her mom was an Opera singer and it shows. She can break glass.
You've had since 1990 😅
Wtf?! Cheers for sticking your head over the parapet; warning gratefully received.
lmao! 🤣🤣🤣
_"Got to be There"_ by Michael Jackson as a kid! His vocal range is STUNNING! ...And how could Prince not get at least an honorable mention?
I had to stop the video 1 minute in to go rewatch Toni Braxtons I break my heart…..just….wow. She so gorgeous and her voice made me tear up not to mention the topic of the song. We don’t have women like that comin in these days.
Unbreak my heart, not I break my heart
Boston's "More Than a Feeling" deserves to be on this list.
It would have worked
Agree. More than unbreak my heart for sure. Definitely should be top 10
Amen to that ! Brad Delp had an AMAZING voice ! I miss him still. I love Boston.
The video narrator said at the very beginning that this wont include rock songs! Focus and listen up! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@pdgf WTF do you think "She's Gone" by Metal Band Steelheart is ?
Child in time, DeepPurple is missing here
When you said Christina Aguilera, my mind went to Fighter. The variations in the tempo and delivery of the lyrics is insane. Especially after a few drinks.
How does "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights" not make this list, the range, depth, and ENDURANCE. Nice list, but you missed one for sure.
dancing queen by ABBA has a huge octave range, xanadu by Oliia Newtin John, Solitaire by the Carpenters
Steve Perry's my favourite singer and Don't Stop Believin' definitely isn't his hardest song to sing. 'Mother, Father' or 'Lay It Down' would be my picks.
I was going to say the same. Mother Father and Lay it Down are absolutely phenomenal!
Definitely missed Richard Harris with the original version of MacArthur Park. Je hit that end note that shattered glass
Are you sure that was him and not a back-up singer? Tone sounded very different.
Unbelievably thrilled you selected All By Myself as Celine's entry.
So many great songs on this list. Steven Tyler's scream in Dream on gave me goosebumps and my Canadian girl Celine made me grin from ear to ear. Whitney was fkn brilliant! Humans are amazing. 😊❤
Queen👑
You had me at Streisand!
Rip Chester legend
That was a hard loss. I had tickets to the Dallas concert when he passed. RIP
I am aghast that "I Remember You" by Skid Row didn't make this list. The unbelievable range, power, and control that Sebastian Bach achieves is legendary. Another song, equally impressive, is that of Jared Leto in the song "Alibi" by Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Minnie Riperton - Expecting is harder than any song here
Heard Chris Stapleton singing Tennessee Whiskey the other day and try and sing that chorus with its vocal run. I've heard so many bad covers of this its almost untouchable.
He is soulful to the max, what a voice.
Child in time - Deep Purple Even Gillan stopped singing it a very long time ago.
Annie Lennox, Linda Ronstadt ,Freddie Mercury, Aaron Neville. Each unique & unforgettable.
I know you don't do country really but to me Crazy by Patsy Cline is difficult just from the notes.
100%
And country wise for men Shameless by Garth Brooks really hits the high notes.
I agree. It's a very difficult song.
Her voice is amazing.
"Bohemian Rap City" translation of "Bohemian Rhapsody" text in the timeline, classic!
The hardest song to sing is Queen's The show must go on, period
It's not as hard as Emotions. That's a fact.
Child in time by Deep Purple is pretty hard to sing too, check it out
"Oh, Darling!" The Beatles
Thanks for updating this list!
# 7- Pat Benatar also had this song on one of her albums. Can't recall which one but hers gave me chills every time i heard it.
Layla (Eric Clapton) and the night they drove old Dixie down (the band) are particularly hard to sing perfectly
Many opera arias go into completely another level...
I don't think Birgit Nilssen was on their radar. Not even a Yank so no chance.
As a lead singer myself, with a powerful voice, I've not found many songs that hard to emulate, however, Steelheart's lead singer, Miljenko Matijevic, singing "She's Gone," is extremely difficult to pin down. Keep in mind, I can sing like Geoff Tate, formally of Queensryche, but still have problems following the voice of Matijevic. The guy is just a power unto his own. Ah-Ha - Take on Me is no "walk in the park" either, but Matijevic, and Perry, formally the lead of Journey, are what most of us wish we sounded like. They're my heroes.
Perry is the voice of a generation.....Pure talent!
You forgot Riperton's excellent backing vocalist, a live bird! 😅
Though y’all nailed the top 3 there is a Disturbing lack of Black male R&B here on this list. You try singing Lately by Jodeci and see if you do need to clear your throat multiple timez and no Luther!?! In addition a lot of Stones songs are hard to sing because of Micks unique tones
That’s not even the tip of the iceberg lol. Try singing Tevin Campbell “can we talk” or Jesse Powell “You.” It’s vocal suicide for a guy lol.
Why did you capitalize the word "disturbing"?
You could argue that most R&B songs are not all that hard to sing.
@@DavidRay39 then why they charting so high here? Y’all will create the narrative right from the CRACK of your a-. Now guess why I capitalized that
Unbreak my heart was such a good rnb ballad 😮
Haven’t finished the video but I just bet Layne Staley isn’t mentioned. His Love, Hate, Love is amazing. Is Chris Cornel mentioned? Another great vocalist with an amazing range.
Part of the reason why it is hard to get it right with Crawling because he literally pours his experience with (and emotions about) traumatic events into his voice. That is on top of his vocal range, which allows him to go from sounding like an injured innocent to screaming like a demon out for blood.
As far as hardest to sing, Somebody to Love is insanely hard to nail
The only person who ever came close was George Micheal , I often watch that version instead of Freddie , just because of the pressure George must have felt. That concert whilst a great tribute wasn't that great imo , some of the acts just couldn't do the songs justice, then George Michael had a nice warm up with Lisa stansfield , but then smashed somebody to love.
Seriously? You're not going to mention The Diva Dance sung by Diva Plava Laguna in The Fifth Element?
That was amazing.
Absolutely! It was so beautiful❤❤❤
As far as Whitney Houston songs go, it's hard to find one more technically demanding than "I Have Nothing", also from The Bodyguard.
You give good love by Whitney Houston will remain one if the most well delivered songs vocally by this incredible singer for me. Please listen to this song and you'll know what I mean
And people always think I Will Always Love You is the hardest. And I'm like no, that song is not that difficult, honestly. Not easy, but not that difficult. Try I Have Nothing, now, you're talking. People hear I Will Always Love You and think of the impact of the song, cause it's an iconic song. However, Whitney had more technically difficult songs than I Will Always Love You.
@AseBonani you are absolutely right. I will always love you is very emotionally empactful song. More of a belting song but not much vocal gymnastics. I Have Nothing requires more vocal talent and skill.
A random Filipino in a videoke bar, during any festivity with drinks: *HOLD MY RED HORSE*
Akin ka na lang ni Morissette!!!
These are just regular Karaoke song for you people
I would like to mention "Troy" by Sinéad O'Connor, one of the most powerful, cathartic, unique, and impossible to replicate performances ever. Sinéad's voice goes through 20 different stages and styles of singing throughout the song. "Troy" starts off soft and soulful, then it becomes a hurricane of rage and pain, relentlessly powerful until the end.
I would add More Than a Feeling(Boston), Donna(10CC) and This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us(Sparks) to the list, but sometimes it's not the high notes in a song that make them difficult to sing, rather the length of a note eg Lovely Day(Bill Withers), The Air That I Breathe(The Hollies), I Can See Clearly Now(Johnny Nash)and Evergreen/Enough Is Enough(Barbra Streisand).
I’m surprised not ONE Heart song was mentioned…Barracuda?? Alone??
This I love - Axl Rose Cemetery Gates - Phil Anselmo Painkiller - Rob Halford
What a great list!
i can actually sing josh grobans you raise me up but i end up crying because it reminds me of the last memory i have of my grandfather alive because my elementary school sang it and obvi my whole family was there to see us sing it and i end up crying because whenever that pops into my head i can see him in the crowd
11:57 - Automatic thumbs-up for correctly using "heart-rending." Well done.
What about "Run to the Hills" from Iron Maiden? Extremly difficult to sing.
I really love to sing Take on me and at least for me it is not hard to hit that high note. Don't stop believing is much harder because Steve Perry has real power behind the voice at that range.
Got to get you in to my life - the beatles.
Up to Jon Bovi - if John Farnham or Freddy are not on this list - going to be pissed! Hahaha
John Denver frequently did The Star Spangled Banner a capella
The Eagles "take it to the limit " should have been on there. Especially the live version.
Agree!
How the hell is Chris Cornell not on here?
Josh Groban has an even harder song called, “Remember When It Rained”. That one makes “You Raise Me Up” look and even feel quite easy.
"Remember When It Rained" gives me chills and has made me cry on more than one occasion. It's a beautiful song!
@@fuelledbylattesLOVE that song!!! Definitely my favorite by Josh Groban. It would even make me cry if I weren't so macho. 🤪
completely forgot it existed I was in a band and we used it as part of our show, listening to that you need to pretty much be an opera singer to have a shot at nailing it
That's one Josh Groban song I'm unfamiliar with. I'll have to check it out sometime.
Yeah, I love his music. You raise me up would have not been at the top of my list. Remember When it Rained is my favorite and I believe it is his best. I also love February Song.
Omg Unchained Melody 🎵 was my favorite heard it in the movie Ghost love it still ❤️
The lLive version.
I was just going to say that! The live version from the Andy Williams Show. @@williammartinez840
High pitched vocals is not the only criterion for what makes a difficult song to sing. Guttural vocals is incredibly difficult, too. See "Homage for Satan" by Deicide.
Fast car of Tracy Chapman should be on the list
Very low female voice.
Would have been nice to see some real bass voices in there. High notes are great, but a deep rumbling bass is awesome.
Indeed! Bass is underrated as a vocal range and very few men can achieve it. I believe that bass should be listed as one of these because, like the women who can hit High-C (soprano) bass is the lowest male register, which hits the 'Deep-C." Have you heard a new-ish song to hit KZhead that's been posted by 'The Wellermen' called 'Hoist the Colours?' It has a sub-listing as'The bass singers of TikTok' and if you go for classic bass singing, this is the song for you! They can actually do 6-part harmony and it hits you where your soul lives. It's magnificent! I highly recommend it.
Or low notes by females. Ruth Pointer is an example.
😂😂 Difficult songs without the amazing Bee Gees tune "Fanny be tender" - nobody can cover this beast since today, because you need to be a heck of a monster vocal performer - mission impossible - but maybe not on this list - maybe on another planet 🕺🔥
stay by Shakespeares Sister... def thought that would be on this list
Phantom of the Opera sung by Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman
Phantom of the Opera Floor Jansen and Henk Poort
I'm not a fan of POTO. At all.
Absolutely, that one always makes the hardest songs on broadway list. When I first got that CD in the early 90s, it used to make the hair raise on my arms. Raw power.
To me Steve Perry’s best vocal performance is Faithfully….
I would have to agree with that one.
You have to admire Paul Simons writing, to literally forsake your own ego to write a song a for your musical partner is one of the most selfless ever. He knows he can't sing the song in that key and rather than adjust it and not do it justice, he writes it in the best way. I think it did eventually come between them in the end , its like being the very best chef , creating the best meal , with the best ingredients, but not eating it yourself.
I've heard it said that Simon regrets not having harmonized or added his voice to the song more than he did. I wish I could tell him that IMO he wrote the perfect song, from the lyrics to whoever orchestrated it. It still gives me Goosebumps when I hear it and it is the only song I'll stop everything I'm doing when it plays just to hear it again. As for Garfunkel's magnificent voice, again IMO no other vocalist, today or in the future, will own this song like he owns it. The entire collaboration is as close to perfection as any tune I've ever heard. Well done, boys.
Stargazer by rainbow…. Ronnies voice is incredible Rip ❤
Total Eclipse of the Heart was a love song about vampires allegedly.
It was
Patti LABELLE, / Over The Rainbow/ and If Only You Knew.
She murdered If Only You Knew!
Linking Park live sounded just like the album. They wouldn't lower the key at any moment, THE WHOLE CONCERT. May Chester rest in peace, amazing artist!
No Big O? Where's 'Only The Lonely'?
Definitely should be on this list
Adverts every 5 Minutes? Takes the joy of watching this video immensely.
They need that money
The Windmills of Your Mind is a difficult song too. The lyrics, the range... beautiful.
Great list but what about A Change is Gonna Come? No one can match the soul in Sam Cooke's voice
Truth here. Unmatched to this day…
Jane Zhang - The Diva Dance She sang a song that was composed that no human could sing, Yet she nailed it. And when it comes to Freddy, NOBODY can even get close to his voice because he uses more than one set of vocal cords. The famous intro to Bohemian Rhapsody wasn't the 4 band members but Freddy times 4.
Mariah's whistle notes are INSANE!
Ikr
… and annoying. Skipped this whole video when the voice-over introduced nr 28 with “you wanted more whistle notes?” NO!! I guess Minnie Riperton is somewhere in this list too, but I’m not too eager to find out.
Mind boggling
@@jonathanvelazquezph.d.2719 Yep.
Yet all she does is annoy. She's highly overrated. When I listen to music, I don't want to hear someone that tries to sound like a fucking bird.
Any song by Sparks are pretty much hard to sing. Russel has a falsetto out of this world.
The first time I heard Steelheart, I was blown away by Milli's uncanny high notes. Though I'll Never Let You Go and She's Gone are amazing, you have to check out two others - Steelheart (from the 2nd album) and I Can't Stop Me Loving You. These two include the full vocal range of Milli and are downright incredible.
You are correct on the song hurt one of the best vocals, if you watch song contest you will see the most difficult songs not covered
No It's Only Make Believe by Conway Twitty. He might not hit the highs that some do in these songs but it takes great voice control to get through that song properly especially to slide the notes down in the chorus.
I can nail "Take on Me." I based my falsetto on Morten Harket, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickenson.
Cindi Lauper, Time After Time! It all sounds the same. Until it doesn't. And until it doesn't again.
Cindi Lauper and Patti LABELLE , Time After Time Live, it's incredible.
More than a feeling by Boston and dreams by Van Halen. Should be on this list.
I love Linkin Park! After Bennington's passing, I couldn't listen to LP without crying. Took me a year before I listened to them again. FYI- Elvis Presley wanted to sing "I will always love you" but his manager wanted the rights to the song but Dolly refused.
As a vocalist and 1st soprano can attest that the list is well made emotions is one of the most difficult songs specially because of her riffs and runs with the high and low change mix vocals falsettos and the whistles. It is a very fun song to play with and also learn from.
Okay, but what about "Can't Live, If Living is Without You" by Mariah Carey/Nilsson/Badfinger? Surely, it's more difficult to perform than a couple of these.
Chester Bennington had an insane vocal range. He could sing like an angel and scream like a demon
What is "hard to sing" varies from singer to singer. I will have to say that any such list that does not include Sinead O'Connor singing "Nothing Compares To You" has very little credibility in my mind. I literally don't know anyone else who can do it.
Prince!
Defying Gravity is really impossible to sing too.
Agree
My favorite falsetto is from I’ll be loving you forever..Jordan Knight absolutely kills it, even now 30+ years later
VERY MUCH, all my faves 🩵💚💜🩷😎love you!!!!!!!😎zane
Chester Bennington will never get the credit he deserved and sadly, he died because of it. He's the voice of a generation in the same fashion that Kurt Cobain was.