Top 20 Hardest Pop Songs to Sing

[@gregorymeyer1798]

I'm actually thinking the Bee Gee's should have been higher on here, seriously, no one covers them for a very obvious reason. Iconic!!

[@patriciahighton3117]

I agree. Bonnie Tyler too.

[@doobyrhome682]

The Bee Gees need their own video…..!!!!!

[@manantial773]

Glee did it very successfully.

[@freddie488]

UK pop group Steps covered at least one Bee Gee's song in the 90s.

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

Mostly on later BeeGee songs, it's that insane falsetto.

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

Sia is one of my favourite artists, and I do like to sing along... but only if no one else is home!

[@jenewok]

Same! Chandelier is one of my favorite songs.

[@NANYADAMBUZNIS]

She is my favorite🍙🔛🔝. Her songs are so hard and I only sing them in the original key when I'm alone😢

[@NANYADAMBUZNIS]

​@jenewok It's one of my favorites too😢

[@h2odivr]

Every time I hear Ms. Whitney hit 'the note', it gives me chills.

[@saltybird]

Wuthering Heights YESSSSS, I'm obsessed with that song and there's literally no one else imho who can do it justice.

[@elizabethdalton-jandreau5588]

Have you heard Christine and the Queens cover of it? She actually did a Mashup between it and Kiss It Better by Rhianna on BBC Radio 1 years ago. Not the same, but genius, nonetheless imo.

[@germantolosa7267]

In fact, even when the same Kate re-recorded it years later couldn't reach the same pitch.

[@juliewexler9506]

Shaman did justice to it, with a male singer

[@celticpoet21]

Good list! Regarding "believe", Adam Lambert did way more than do "the track justice", he moved her to tears it's so mind-blowing!

[@sabrinanix7671]

You know we all pretend to sing that we can slay these songs, in our own heads ❤😂

[@DevlinDomini]

Finally, Bonny Tyler getting some credit for creating a masterful musical moment.

[@patriciahighton3117]

Not high enough on the list. You really have to have some kind of special ability to sing like her.

[@jenewok]

You mean Bonnie Tyler...give her some real credit

[@AztecWarrior69_69]

Finally?

[@irinabosch7395]

Checkout the metal-coverversion of "total eclipse of the heart" from exit eden :)

[@ejmcguinness6875]

I like to sing a version of this about my coffee cup being empty.

[@ma53jg]

None of these songs are within my vocal reach but I've tried singing most of them many times 😄 The first time I heard "Total Eclipse of the Heart," "Chandelier'," and "I Will Always Love You" I instantly loved them. It's great to see Florence Welch on your list. Have a great weekend!

[@elmonte-xt2wd]

love Florence Welch

[@NANYADAMBUZNIS]

Fr

[@eauhomme]

Wuthering Heights may actually be one of the easier Kate Bush songs to sing. Some of her minor songs, like The Dreaming, Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake, Violin, or Suspended in Gaffa make the voice do things it's not designed to do.

[@rainerzufall42]

Actually WH was covered by Pat Benatar quite soon...

[@donnadrane4977]

Donna summer’s Dim all the lights is a force to be reckoned with. I think she holds the record for holding the longest note, “let it fill you upppppppp.”

[@mikesworldduh]

Yes true but I think she held longer notes on enough is enough with barbara streisand

[@rinaticson390]

Oh yeah ❤

[@markwallerich1455]

Yes, high notes and falsettos are nice but how about difficult to sing properly? Can you say Aretha Franklin? How about Ella Fitzgerald?

[@jobuck879]

Aretha’s songs aren’t that difficult…Ella songs are little bit more complicated than Aretha. However the one and only Whitney covered them both with little difficulty. It’s hard to sing Whitney’s song because of her breath support, diction, range and melisma…,especially live performances…Whitney was on a whole different level. She would take your song and sing it better than you and make people believe it’s her song. Case in point: I Will Always Love You, All The Man I Believe, I Believe In You And Me , The Greatest Love Of All…and live she sang Natural Woman (an Aretha song), I Am Changing (a Jennifer Holiday song), And I Am Telling You (another Jennifer Holiday song), Say A Little Prayer For You….Whitney could sing almost anything and she did-gospel, rock, RnB, broadway, pop, and even playfully sang opera. She was the definition of great. That’s why she’s the greatest vocalist of all time. And anyone who puts Adele on a list of difficult songs to sing is pretty ridiculous, most mediocre singers can sing her songs with no trouble at all.

[@sonyawessel2111]

You and I are on the same page, bud. I get that singing those higher ranges is hard, but it's not the only thing that makes a song challenging.

[@jobuck879]

@@sonyawessel2111 I will say this, high notes are good but only if you can hit the note on pitch. But singing songs require a lot….

[@Djole_NS246]

People don't know the difference between shouting and singing. Singing high notes is pretty easy for those with such voices. But singing is not about hitting high notes, it's about conveying emotions and telling stories. Let's hear how some of the singers mentioned here would sing songs by Barry White or Scott Walker. The aforementioned Annie Lennox song is a kind of dedication and homage to Stevie Wonder and his way of singing, and the quality of his singing does not lie in singing high notes, but in a unique emotion. Just like the singers you mentioned. But that's a quality that many people cannot recognize. And "Bohemian Rhapsody"... Queen never performed that opera section live, it was always played from some CD, tape or media file.

[@libersab]

Some are easy hmm

[@dannysimion]

A-Ha - Take on Me! Heck yeah. Meanwhile, you better put those vocal trinity divas in their rightful place here!! Only one that can beat those three is my cat howling in the middle of the night!

[@rossjames9267]

Now we need one for the lower registers. Try some Barry White or Leonard Cohen for karaoke and watch people fail to reach that low bar.

[@Rizzlergoblin578]

Mariah can still reach that

[@mjweber0313]

So happy Bjork was on here ❤

[@milehighmegs]

How did “And I Am Telling You” from ‘Dreamgirls’ NOT make it on this list???!!! I can easily sing nearly every song here, but I can’t get within a mile of Holliday’s or Hudson’s range, power, & raw emotion on that track…

[@hellopinky89]

It’s not a pop song…

[@Cristinerex5]

Yeah everyone can sing them but can you do them any justice

[@mariaheidilawrence77]

It made it on Mojo’s Top 20 Hardest Broadway Songs to Sing at #6.

[@LaraanneGe]

You definitely need to add : African reggae - Nina Hagen Don't cry- Guns and Roses Dream on- Aerosmith Back to black - Amy Winehouse Tous les cris les sos- DANIEL Balavoine

[@Gustavo-kn9nf]

Karen Carpenter and Nina Hagen, each in their league, brought some serious gems to the table.

[@michaelbraum77]

I definitely agree with Mariah, Celine, and Whitney at the top.

[@lkb-il8iy]

It’s all coming back to me now by Celine Dion

[@eauhomme]

Any song written by Jim Steinman (that song, also Total Eclipse of the Heart, Making Love Out of Nothing at All, anything Meat Loaf sang) is difficult to sing. A really tough one that was only a minor hit is Tonight is What it Means to Be Young, from the Streets of Fire soundtrack (it is the last song in the movie, played in the climax, and is by Fire, Inc).

[@airylserato6266]

Laura Branigan's power of love deserve #1 on this list

[@EricThigpen]

15:56 Pat Benatar covered it pretty well...

[@gesslar]

Pat Benatar is queen.

[@trinaq]

I've done First Aid compressions to "Staying Alive", and I can't hear the song the same way now.

[@sureshmukhi2316]

Yep, Grey's Anatomy.

[@xx_Joker_xx]

Missed some artists that are also unmatched... Laura Branigan's Power of Love I think is much better than Celine's. Most any Pat Benatar song should also be on the list. Just the 2 that come to mind immediately. Steve Perry (Journey) also.

[@airylserato6266]

yeah agree,, Laura's dynamic and powerful voice is x5 better than celine dion..

[@mariannbjorklund700]

Jennifer Rush ❤

[@sachinsharma-bz6bu]

Best rendition by Jennifer Rush🥰​@@mariannbjorklund700

[@ritalinares2892]

Elton John and George Michael have terrific voices!

[@ejmcguinness6875]

I'm not a Cher fan, but I loved the moment when she said "wow!" about Adam's performance.

[@azureblue.567]

3:35 omg I love this one so much!! Annie Lennox will be a huge favourite of mine for a long time, her voice is just * chef's kiss * 😚👌 and she's dead pretty too ❤❤ **Edit: 4:41 ahhh Mika too I feel so nostalgic rn 🥹🥹

[@Godric_71]

While I've never been a Cher fan, my respect for her is off the charts.

[@swedeangel64]

You should have "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" on here and as number 1. High notes in all honor but range and power are the keys.

[@kejweizhou1232]

Christina Aguilera ❤

[@Mjansen77]

In an interview, Franki Valli was asked about his six octaves. He said he thought everyone could do it and never knew it was special.

[@Mightyblackcats]

about time Annie Lennox / Eurythmics got more love from MS Mojo

[@AceMyPlace]

Kesha Praying, Pink and Nate Reuss Just Give Me a Reason, Paramore Only Exception, Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing by Tori Kelly/ Stevie Wonder, actually ANY song by Tori Kelly … or Jessie J (Who You Are)…

[@stephenwmsmith]

If the Top 3 hadn't been Celine, Mariah, and Whitney I would have judged whomever made this list as much as Rolling Stone got judged.

[@crystalweible152]

The songs themselves are not hard to sing. It's actually sounding like the original version. Perfectly parroting someone's voice is extremely difficult.

[@darquevalkyrie3081]

I never try to parrot the original. I take a song and make it my own while maintaining pitch and making it a recognizable tribute to the original.

[@riadutel]

quite a few of these are actually very hard. but tbf u do have a point

[@AmberlashMusic]

Some of my favorite songs to sing!❤

[@jaycooper2812]

There is no one on this planet that will ever be able to cover the Brothers Gibb. All of the brothers were superstars in their own right.

[@Camrographer]

Great selection! I know it's not all encompassing but we are on the same page.

[@blue_ranger]

BonJovi - Livin' on a prayer. The "Whoa-oh!" in the chorus right after "We're halfway there" is so difficult even Jon doesn't sing it. (Backing singers on the recording, and holds microphone out to the crowd on live performances)

[@tristramcoffin926]

Glad to see A-ha in here but frankly their song Summer Moved On is much more difficult to sing even if only for the fact it includes the longest held note in pop music history.

[@DaveYubtub-fe3cy]

Fallin' by Alisha Keys.

[@liria1010]

Not sure if it falls into Pop Songs, but I would add "Killing me Softly" to the list (Lauren Hill has an amazing voice) and "Without You", Air Supply.

[@chaophim1680]

No mention of Weird Al Yankovic practically having to breathe through his ears in "Hardware Store"? Plus dude has true range.

[@tornadokitty]

Pat Benatar did a very good cover of Wuthering Heights. I'd include some Pat Benatar songs.

[@ColorfulBallerina]

Some of Elton John's songs are difficult to sing. It's not always about not being able to sing in falsetto. Some musical notes are easier to sing than others.

[@nixeleth]

And Elton started singing his own songs because people kept shying away from attempting what he wrote.

[@tanyatanya9492]

A ha-Stay on these roads,Rush-Marathon,Mr Big-Photographic smile...

[@beaguzman271]

I am proud to say I can sing along to Celine's All by Myself and Whitney's I Have Nothing.. But I still can't reach Mariah's Emotions 🥲.. If you can, then you are AMAZING!

[@nathanieljohnson5908]

Run to you and I'm every woman is much harder than I have nothing

[@nixeleth]

@@nathanieljohnson5908 I'm Every Woman is Chaka Khan's baby

[@kamsismith]

I would have to say I Want You by Savage Garden, especially the Cherry Cola part of the chorus.

[@giancarlofelicianocastaned9316]

Thats in the first verse

[@BurrShotHam711Jenna]

it took me a bit of practice when i first heard it, i had to follow the lyrics and now i know it well enough

[@JennNofficial]

I tried singing along to bleeding love cause I love it so much!

[@James-l9s]

"A Change Is Gonna Come" - there have be countless covers over the years by great singers and nobody matches the tone and phasing of Sam Cooke which bring a cold shiver even on the hundred listen.

[@HenrykGutmann-kr9tn]

I would have chosen "I play dead" from Björk - never heard such an intense voice! Furthermore, I missed "nothing compares 2U" sung by Sinead O'Connor. Her live version is the best (broken) love song in the world!

[@MarcoKremer]

Or Human Behavior. Impossible for anybody elese than Bjork to sing. Great unique voice

[@Nicky-qo7of]

Since you have rock in here - I’ll bring up Sebastian Bach - “I Remember You”! Saw the Righteous Brothers late in their career and even though he couldn’t hit those high notes …they were just amazing!

[@Ozymandias-d2o]

Philippines videoke singers: "Challenge accepted!"

[@cnnhdlvth9557]

I paused before #1 and figured there would be something by Michael Jackson or Axl Rose. I am not sure what to pick by them, but they are hard to imitate and Axl's range is bigger than all the divas. There's no Prince on the list either, is there? So it's kind of a biased list. I would be tempted to include Barbie Girl, not that I'm a huge fan but because I have heard some pretty good singers try to cover it and they just cannot, they either can't hit the notes or they sound too human.

[@kenmclemore523]

Key changes in "Total Eclipse of the Heart" add difficulty, while the Bee Gees' Australian roots made their vocals unique, and Bobby Hatfield (with Bill Medley) cannot be replicated... Cher using Autotune may signal loss of vocal control; Bohemian Rhapsody is better than No. 11, Celine Dion is simply unique and kudos for the Four Seasons mention...KDM

[@zaul7773]

Amo la música Me gustan estos tipos de videos de MsMojo

[@breeinatree4811]

I can sing most of these, but then I can belt out a song with the best of them.

[@samanthahunter1759]

Take on me is my go to karaoke jam. Probably much to the frustration of anyone listening lol

[@davidallen1782]

Pat Benatar covered “Wuthering Heights” very well on her Crimes of Passion album.

[@colleenkeefer2545]

❤ Wonderful ❤

[@jimwoodard64]

What? "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" by Air Supply [singer - Russel Hitchcock] (originally written for and later covered by Bonnie Tyler), "Faithfully" by Journey [signer - Steve Perry], "Waiting for a Girl Like You" by Foreigner [singer - Lou Graham], "Carry on Wayward Son" by Kansas [singer - Steve Walsh], "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC [singer - Brian Johnson], "Victim of Changes" by Judas Priest [singer - Rob Halford], "Still the One" by Orleans [singer - the late Larry Hoppen], and of course "More Than a Feeling" by Boston [singer- the late Brad Delp]. So many other tougher songs to sing than some of these pop favorites that get covered by karaoke singers week after week with ease, especially since the ones I mentioned came long before the invention of auto-tune. No one can take the skill Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Queen (it was actually the drummer hitting that really high note in Bohemian Rhapsody), and Celine Dione brought to the table; but most of the rest of this list is lackluster at best.

[@BassGoBomb]

It's the melisma through the 'F' that does it .. 'Slow Burn' David Bowie is a great one .. and of course .. Ella, Sarah Vaughan etc., wonderful stuff. :-)

[@mariazamora4595]

I love the raspy voice of Bonnie Tyler, I love Leona Lewis, Sia, Celine Dion, Mika, Cristina Aguilera, unchained melody, all mentioned are potential talents. I love low tones, raspy, different color of tone of voice, but I love lower tone of voice, in my perspective it’s difficult to sing a song in a lower tones, in order to create an emotional connection. You can hear a lot of songs in a lower tone of, with higher notes it depends on the singer if I can hear more than song.

[@larrybryan]

I also prefer to sing and listen to lower, raspy voices, but one of the key factors of the "ideal pop song" is a higher pitched vocal.

[@rondamacion2618]

just visit some street here in the philippines doing a karaoke, it's just a piece of cake!!! lol

[@lenamaynard5493]

I've never heard of Mika, but dayam, he is channeling some Freddie

[@gfear24]

He even mentions Freddie in that song.

[@teenogo6064]

John Farnham version of "Help". He's one of the greatest male rock vocalists ever.

[@michaellang9154]

Is it so much harder to sing in a high voice than in a low voice? This list implies that only songs sung in a high pitched voice are difficult pop songs. I agree that singing in whistle voice is something that not many singers can do. That makes songs including whistle voice automatically hard to sing. But apart from that I think that many great singers (especially from the past without autotune) have unique voices that are hard to replicate. That does not make the song hard to sing but the voices hard to cover. I don't like the Cher entry. It's autotune. Cher was an innovator with autotune and I like her for being a great singer with great songs. But I don't think that her entry is one of the hardest pop songs to sing. The honorable mention of Demi Lovato also sounded autotuned (maybe I'm wrong but this is how it sounded to me). They still can be great singers and artists. But the songs are not the hardest songs to sing. Autotune in general makes songs easier to replicate and sound similar or even the same. You just need the same filter/effect. That's why I don't like a lot of modern (pop)music. It's easy to replicate and everything sounds very similar. Good looks and being a good dancer are currently more important for being a chart topping singer. The actual musical abilities are secondary because they can be enhanced (at least for pop music but other genres are catching up fast).

[@ravenwolf2448]

Pretty good list. But beginning you tossed in some covers. I think you should have put in Olivia N John's cover of Jolene from her 80s concert(82/84 keep forgetting which). Personally I think it's pretty amazing how high she gets and remaining so clear. Then 30 some odd years later KZbin vid with Dolly . Olivia still has a bit of the high note. Oh and from the same concert Sam ,The full note may not be as high but the song's emotion is still very clear.

[@leapguy1235]

A-Ha! I did NOT remember that they had copped the Hallway Transformation Scene from "Altered States" for that "Take On Me" video! The composition was EXACT!

[@NatureLover-cc2hf]

Hurt by Christina Aguilera, that’s all I am gonna say

[@honeyclover80]

Take me to church by Hozier

[@alcarpenter979]

"The Power of Love" by Laura Branigan frankly felt more heartfelt. Michael Crawford of "Phantom of the Opera" fame also did an amazing version.

[@OwainCynanRoberts]

10: You 9: can't 8: rank 7: these 6: They 5: are 4: still 3: very 2: easy 1: Disappearance of Hatsune Miku

[@elchilodelamovie]

22:39 Answer: Dimash Qudaibergen

[@theonlymoo5e]

Air Supply recorded & charted Power Of Love about a year before Jennifer Rush.

[@amielynn8506]

How is Kelly not even an honorable mention? She's covered songs you shouldn't cover

[@shaliseshaw9385]

Barbra Streisand's version of On A Clear Day, Eleanor Rigby, Bad Romance, Dionne Warwick's cover of That's What Friends Are For, Your Song, Move Along(All American Rejects), Pieces Of Me, Let's Get It Started, and other pop songs should've been on the list. 🎹🎹🎹🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🥁🥁📻📻📻🎶🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

[@jlowens0114]

Best vocal range for its emotion and expression has to go to Ann Wilson IMO. My fave Heart song is Alone.

[@KoreyCooper]

Praying by Kesha, that one note is hard for anyone

[@jensnieper8676]

I would like to mention also Emilíana Torrini - Jungle Drum and The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations

[@rizkamirlina1248]

Every time I see a list like this, I always hope that Steelheart's "She's Gone" is mentioned. Never so far. Is it because it's rock? Is it actually easy to sing as for rockers' standard? Is it because the song isn't well known?

[@EBLMarch31996]

There are several covers of it.

[@rursus8354]

Nope. Not for me. As an amateur singer, having a large range and strong voice isn't it. Complicated chords, melodies and odd harmonies is what I'm interested in: this video is just about voice olympics.

[@pr1deman]

One could argue that Alive by Sia is a bit than Chandelier

[@taniasalu2405]

A-ha's 'Summer Moved On' holds a UK chart record for longest held note. A vocal challenge for either the very skilled, or very dumb.

[@DavidBeserock]

Is it longer than Sheriff's "When I'm with you"?

[@taniasalu2405]

@ I think so, it's 22 seconds from what I can recall.

[@hollybarrington1046]

Yes, Morten Harket is a god!

[@DavidBeserock]

@@taniasalu2405 just looked it up. Aha was 22.2 seconds, while Curci's was 19.3. The difference is one is in America, other is in UK.

[@DavidBeserock]

@@hollybarrington1046 I really like a-ha too

[@themasterseiga]

I'm glad to see Sutherland and Caballé on the list for me those two are the top two. Then we need Anna Moffo, Tita Ruffo and Juan Diego Flores on the list somewhere🥰

[@streamskat]

okay before I get into it - my guesses are Chandelier and Take on Me

[@gbernardwandel4174]

Nice choices I didn’t know over 1/2 of them Very cool to see some of them I’ll add “Dick Around” by Sparks Too weird you say? Yeah, I heard the BBC banned it despite it not being controversial at all. Ok, how about “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us?” Also Sparks Which Russell still sings live in his mid-70s-and Justin Hawkins(one of your mentions here) did a fair cover of. Queen owes a bit to the early Sparks too but thems fighting words amongst certain fans-I like both bands -thanks for Kate Bush, Minnie, and even though I’m not a fan I’ll give it up for the Bee-Gees that is a tough song Cool list I might check out some of the ones I’ve never heard of

[@minaco2772]

Miley Cyrus also sang Believe by Cher on NBC Stand by You it was GOOD

[@JamieCobb-o8w]

Miley actually has an amazing vocal range.

[@alecljames]

fun drinking game: take a drink for every song done on glee. take breaks to avoid alcohol poisoning.

[@piggly-wiggly]

Paul McCartney, "Monkberry Moon Delight."

[@ReynaReactsandReviews]

9:34 “It’s a dude…he needs a shower” sorry I’m still not over that 😂

[@footlongsubzero1128]

I'm not a proper singer but when I sing karaoke, I have trouble with "In the City" by the Eagles.

[@SodalisUK]

I know Queen was in the list but IMO Freddie Mercury deserved a spot of his own.

[@SeverityOne]

Try 'S.O.S. d'un terrien en détresse', originally by Daniel Balavoine. You _have_ to sing it in your own key. (Unless you're Dimash Qudaibergen, in which it doesn't matter.) The first line of the chorus covers two full octaves, which is already outside the range of most people. After that, it goes into falsetto. Seriously difficult to sing. But in French, so not likely to appear in a video like this.

[@friautz]

I don't like cover versions and I never understood why people do cover versions, especially when they are hard to sing ;) Write and perform your own songs people!

[@brianborthwick917]

Bruce Dickinson holding one note for over 30 seconds on Iron Maiden's song Hallowed be thy name.

[@sockygaldamez9492]

I agree these songs are iconic and really hard to sing sometimes but I believe if you have great voice control and make these songs your own it wouldn’t be that difficult 👍 another song that I believe is difficult to sing is Because Of you by Kelly Clarkson her vocals to off the charts ❤️❤️

[@Grace1957-]

So basically if it has a high note it's hard to sing? Duh.

[@WarrenBridges-um5cg]

@Grace1957 That's a good point. Breath control is what impresses me the most. For example, the Kate Bush number here wouldn't be as hard as her track "Suspended In Gaffa". She hardly comes up for air on that one.

[@donnarupert4926]

I saw Whitney Houston in concert back in the late 80’s when she was still new

[@minaandres97]

Yay Darkness!

[@eauhomme]

The first time I heard "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", I didn't realize it was an actual song when it first started. I thought it was a parody of 80's glam metal.

[@Ginalopez7877]

Alot of people can sing some these songs not all and if they can props to you 😅😊

[@ericperso3468]

Isn't this selection missing Zombie from The Cranberries ? Dolores O'Riordan's voice was magic !