Top 10 Most Difficult Songs for Male Singers

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.

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 sign “Faithfully” as well as Perry - well maybe they should stop believing.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

“I'll Make Love to You” (1994), Boyz II Men
To Sing This One You Might Have to Close Your Eyes & Make a Wish

“Go the Distance” (1997), Michael Bolton
To Go the Distance with This Song You Need a Great Set of Pipes

“Supermassive Black Hole” (2006), Muse
It Might Be Easier to Find a Black Hole than Sing This Song

“Cry Me a River” (2009), Michael Bublé
Focus On Your Breathing to Take On This Off-Rhythm Classic

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.