Top 20 Most Difficult Songs for Male Singers
#20: “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’”
Scissor Sisters
In reality, we could have very easily added any number of Scissor Sisters’ biggest hits due to the vocal talents of singer Jake Shears. This one requires full on falsetto and head voice for large portions of the track, which is immediately going to rule out a lot of singers. Trying to recreate this one note for note is just not an option for most, and yet, Shears glides through the track effortlessly, never sounding like he’s straining his voice. The song was actually co-written by the legendary Elton John and you hear his influence all over it!
#19: “Kiss From a Rose”
Seal
When it comes to iconic power ballads, Seal has most vocalists beat with his signature song “Kiss From a Rose”. Not only does he belt out its chorus with pure power and conviction, he also somehow still manages to nail the silky smooth lushness of the verses. You can forget about trying to match Seal’s own natural tone of voice, but this one is quite difficult to cover in any style. There is a lot going in the melody that requires elite rhythm, breath control, and restraint. The fact that Seal himself can still pull this one off decades later is a testament to his talent.
#18: “Life on Mars?”
David Bowie
Though he had enjoyed some success prior to the release of “Hunky Dory”, that album was when David Bowie truly showcased his songwriting talents. “Life on Mars?” might just be the greatest song of the bunch, a track that has a meandering verse chord-progression that builds to an explosive chorus. It’s glam rock at its absolute peak. Even if you can make your way to the chorus and reach Bowie’s high notes, a lot of attempts will fall flat on that final belt of the word ‘mars’ that brings us back to the verse. Ziggy Stardust gets a lot of credit as a songwriter, an innovator, and a conceptualiser, but he’s got some heavy vocal chops to back it all up.
#17: “Pride (In the Name of Love)”
U2
Bono might be a pretty divisive figure in rock music circles, but one thing nobody can deny is that he has a pretty impressive set of pipes. During the first peak of U2’s commercial success, the band were writing some of the most explosive arena-ready rock songs around. Chief among them was “Pride (In the Name of Love)” off “The Unforgettable Fire”. Bono really lets his vocal power shine through on this one, beginning with a subdued verse that eventually sees him break into one of the biggest choruses in the U2 discography. Written about civil rights hero Martin Luther King, the song has rarely strayed too far from the band’s setlists in the four decades since it first came out.
#16: “Supermassive Black Hole”
Muse
Matthew Bellamy of Muse is a man with more than a few vocal tricks up his sleeve. In fact, his versatility as a musician should probably be studied. From shredding guitar solos to effortlessly rattling off Rachmaninoff pieces on the piano, Bellamy is a real dynamo on-stage. His ability to sing in insanely high falsetto and head voice is truly remarkable as well. “Supermassive Black Hole” was a pretty big step into funk-infused pop for the band, but to say that it works well would be an understatement. There’s a clear Prince influence there, and for most vocalists, simply reaching those high notes might be a bridge too far. That’s before you even worry about making it sound good.
#15: “Sherry”
Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons
One listen to “Sherry” as done by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons should make the reasons for its inclusion here very obvious. Infamous for its stratospheric tenor lines, this song is a very tough nut for most singers to crack. Even for those who are blessed with enough range, having the pitch control and composure to pull it off requires some real practice. Valli was, of course, packing all of the necessary ingredients in abundance. Unfortunately, a lot of covers of this notoriously difficult song end up sounding quite thin and fragile by comparison.
#14: “Best of You”
Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl gives a vocal performance on “Best of You” that can be described as relentless, raw, and heavy on emotion. Like many of the band’s best moments, Grohl does not take his foot off the gas once those big moments start coming. He’s not just singing this song, he’s demanding you pay attention to what he’s saying. Over the years, Foo Fighters have developed into one of the most unmissable stadium rock bands on the planet. The sound of tens of thousands of people roaring this song at the same time is something that is not to be missed. Although, with that being said, only a small fraction of them can keep up with Dave note for note.
#13: “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)”
Meat Loaf
Operatic rock rarely came around quite as infectious as it was on Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” albums. The centrepiece of the sequel record, “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” gave Meat Loaf’s career a huge resurgence in popularity, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s bombastic, anthemic, and totally over the top, but that’s why it has such enduring appeal. Meat Loaf’s voice, at its peak, was truly something to behold. He was capable of being vulnerable and intimate one minute before lifting the roof off the place just seconds later. This captures the full spectrum of his singing ability as well as any song in his catalogue.
#12: “Back In Black”
AC/DC
When AC/DC’s original lead singer, Bon Scott, tragically died, the band didn’t attempt to replace him with a carbon copy. They all agreed that Scott would want them to continue, and so, that’s exactly what they did. Brian Johnson, who was drafted in shortly after, introduced himself to the band’s fans with the album “Back in Black”. The title track, which eventually came out as a single, contains some of the wildest rock and roll singing imaginable. Johnson’s screeching vocals fit the unruly and rebellious vibe of the band so perfectly. Considering that the song was written as a tribute to Scott, it’s pretty fair to say that they succeeded in their mission. To this day, it might be Johnson’s most electric vocal performance.
#11: “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
Simon & Garfunkel
When Paul Simon wrote “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, he had enough humility to know that it should be given to his bandmate Art Garfunkel. For a songwriter who, in many ways, had just written a masterpiece, that requires a level of selflessness that is not common. When the world first heard Garfunkel singing his signature song, Simon’s suspicions were proven correct. It’s a truly huge ballad and the vocal performance earned its reputation as one of the most poignant in music history. For a singer with as much as Garfunkel had, it was the perfect use of his talents, and a real thorn in the side for many other singers who attempted to cover it over the years.
#10: "Take On Me" (1984)
A-ha
For most people, especially those who grew up in the 80s, the first thing that comes to mind when they think of A-ha’s “Take On Me” is the classic pencil-sketch animation music video. And while the video is impressive, people’s focus on it may have distracted them from the impressive voice of the band’s lead singer, Morten Harket (MoRRRhn). If nothing else, just trying to hit those “I'll be gone/In a day or two” high notes at the end of each chorus is a lot to ask of most male singers.
#9: “Faithfully” (1983)
Journey
We picked “Faithfully,” but the truth is that most songs in the Journey catalog could have made this list. And the reason for that is Steve Perry, lead singer of the band and one of the truly great voices in the history of rock and roll. Rolling Stone ranked him as the number 76th greatest singer of all time, and his friend, Jon Bon Jovi nicknamed him “The Voice.” And “Faithfully” puts that voice on full display with its beautiful tones and amazing range. Now, we don’t want to discourage people from believing in themselves, but if someone thinks they can sing “Faithfully” as well as Perry - well maybe they should stop believing.
#8: “You Raise Me Up” (2003)
Josh Groban
“You Raise Me Up” was originally written by the duo Secret Garden. The Norwegian-Irish twosome released the track back in 2002 and since then it’s gone on to be covered by over 100 different artists both male and female. One of the most popular covers is the 2003 version by Josh Groban and copying that version is quite difficult for other male singers. Groban’s vocal range is wide and trying to replicate it isn’t easy, or even possible, for many other male vocalists. In 2005 Irish boy band Westlife released their version of the song. It’s a very nice version of the song, but as you can hear, the vocals stay in a much narrower range.
#7: “Crawling” (2001)
Linkin Park
Chester Bennington was a phenomenal vocalist, and gave Linkin Park one of the most unique sounds of the 2000s. But the notes Bennington could hit isn’t really what makes the song “Crawling” a difficult song to master. Rather it’s the range of styles and techniques he employs throughout the three and a half minute track. From the softer, more melodic singing of the verses to the loud, emotional screaming of the chorus, it covers a lot of ground. You better prepare your throat if you plan on attempting this one.
#6: “Earth Song” (1995)
Michael Jackson
If you think you can throw on a red leather jacket and a bedazzled white glove and this song will be smooth sailing, well then you have another thing coming. Everyone remembers how amazing Jackson was as a dancer and performer, but his vocal abilities are sometimes overlooked. Well, they can’t be overlooked with “Earth Song.” The song speaks to our destruction of our planet and requires real, heartfelt emotions to pull it off. Also, one needs to range into higher notes that aren’t a moonwalk in the park for many male singers.
#5: “Livin' on a Prayer” (1986)
Bon Jovi
You can take our hand, but when it comes to properly rocking this track, we can’t swear to the fact that you’ll make it. Awesomely awful 80s hairdo aside, Jon Bon Jovi powers through “Livin' on a Prayer” with some subtly impressive vocal stylings. The song might seem like a rather simple 80s rock ballad. But as many karaoke audiences know, making it through that chorus ain’t as easy as many think it is. Most guys should probably just remember that it’s all for fun and it doesn't make a difference if they make it or not.
#4: “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” (2003)
The Darkness
Justin Hawkins of The Darkness believes in a thing called love and so do we. We also believe that this song is one of the most difficult for male singers to sing. If you’ve never heard the song before, then as it begins you might be wondering what it is that makes it so difficult. But don’t get cocky. Wait until Hawkins hits those “touching you” high notes and keeps it going into the chorus. By then any male singer who thought this was going to be easy starts to realize that most definitely isn’t the case.
#3: “Dream On” (1973) Aerosmith
Every time Steven Tyler looks in the mirror he sees a man with an amazing singing voice. But for most any other male out there who thinks they can sing like Tyler, we have two words for you… “Dream On.” And it isn’t just the vocal range and the sheer power of Tyler’s voice that makes this a tough one. There’s also the change in melody which can catch some singers off- guard. And the same holds true for another difficult Aerosmith track that deserves a mention on this list: “I Don't Want to Miss a Thing.”
#2: “Unchained Melody” (1965)
The Righteous Brothers
Originally released in 1955 “Unchained Melody” has been recorded over 1,500 times by more than 670 artists. But for the purposes of this list we will focus our attention on the 1965 version recorded by The Righteous Brothers. We can’t imagine any male singer listening to Bobby Hatfield croon and think to themselves that it would be easy to do that. Even Elvis Presley, who has a great voice and does a great version of the song, doesn’t try to hit the same high notes and pull off the same crescendos that Hatfield does so effortlessly.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
“Go the Distance”
Michael Bolton
Demanding Solo Ballad That Requires Extremely Versatile Vocal Work
“I’ll Make Love to You”
Boyz II Men
A Balancing Act Between Emotional Restraint and Technical Skill
“Never Gonna Let You Go”
Sergio Mendes
Frequent Vocal Leaps Make This One a Unique Challenge
“We Didn’t Start The Fire”
Billy Joel
Endurance and Articulation Make This Billy Joel Classic Tricky
“Writing's On The Wall”
Sam Smith
A Falsetto-Heavy Tune That Requires Exceptional Breath Control
#1: “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975)
Queen
Where do we start with this one? “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a prog rock classic. Part ballad, part opera aria, part hard rock anthem all wrapped up in an almost six minute vocal trip that has humbled many a singer who has taken the ride. And we aren’t the only ones who think Freddie Mercury’s performance of the song is a vocal feat not to be taken lightly. In a Rolling Stone readers poll, Mercury’s performance of the song was voted the greatest in the history of rock and roll. But ya, you can go ahead and try to sing it if you want. Just remember, this is the real life. This isn’t just fantasy.
But what do you consider to be the hardest pop song for a male singer to sing? Let us know in the comments below.
