A Cappella Band Sings Lovely Rendition Of 'The Longest Time' By Billy Joel

Apr 28, 2020 by apost team

Back in 2016, Chris Bandy, Cory Blackmon, Cooper Case, Mark Denman, John Frederick, and JP Stephens performed the Billy Joel song "The Longest Time" for their YouTube audience. In the years since it was posted to an account managed by Bandy, the video has become a hit, having been watched many times. Upon returning to the video, Bandy was astounded to see how much of an impact it has had on the YouTube community.

Addressing the many commenters on the track, Bandy explained in the video's description of how the group decided to perform the song on the fly in May of 2016. Bandy and his friends were looking into the arrangement of “The Longest Time” and decided that it would be fun to put their own spin on the Billy Joel classic. It took the group about 4 hours to memorize the song and perform it. As Bandy had filming equipment with him, he and the rest of the guys thought that it would be nice to film them singing.

apost.com

Bandy confessed that editing the video to the point where he felt comfortable posting it to YouTube was difficult. The teenage boy had to use several re-tracks of the performance to get it to line up correctly. Bandy also added finger snaps and claps to the song during the post-production process.

Reading through the comments section, Bandy further acknowledged that the audio and video do not line up perfectly. While conceding to this, Bandy also took the time to defend the group. Particularly, Bandy focused on what he felt were several unfair criticisms of the soloists. The young man says that all of the soloists were able to keep rhythm, but that the limited time the group had to perform the song made it impossible for them to do one single performance straight through.

Bandy rounded out his post by telling those who have watched the video that he posted it to YouTube not because it was perfect, but because he loves music. Bandy also felt that it was important for his friends to be able to see the fruits of their hard work.

Originally released on Joel’s 1984 album An Innocent Man, “The Longest Time” is a favorite for a cappella performers. Joel’s original version is itself mostly a cappella, with only a bass guitar accompanying him. Interestingly, Joel did not have any backup singers accompanying him. Instead, the vocals in the song’s background are his own.

In the end, Bandy and his friends’ version of “The Longest Time” is a labor of love. While imperfect, the performance shows the passion the teenage boys have for music and the fun they had in making the video.

What do you think of the boys’ performance of “The Longest Time?” What are your favorite Billy Joel songs? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this article along to your friends and family!