No-one's mentioned Dire Straits - the studio version of "Telegraph Road" clocked 14:15. And it'd be impossible to talk about longest popular songs without "American Pie".

Don't think live versions and jam sessions really count, do they? I mean, anyone can noodle round 12-bar or other easy progressions for ten-fifteen minutes without hardly trying. The challenge is saying what you have to say in a reasonable duration, not just giving in to diarrhoea of the fretboard.

Graham.