Johnny Mathis - Johnny One Note Lyrics

Where is this being filmed? Shea Stadium?

No, this is not fake, this was from The Ed Sullivan Show.

Invisible microphones. Even the crowd sounded prerecorded.

My goodness!!!!!!!!!!!!
What"s that???????????

Wow! I've heard of circular breathing for instrumental musicians but not singers. Johnny Mathis sounds amazing here.

I can finally sign off the internet!! Seen this video live and been searching for it ever since. thanks for posting!!

It's great, but it's been pre-recorded and edited. They're all miming.

He is amazing.

Simply amazing! He didn't get enough credit for this song, it should of been in the newspapers. I have a new respect for The Mathis Man ! Wow!😁👍

amazing

I would have passed out after a minute!!!

Wow!!!!!! Perfect

Btw I reuploaded this but with a different title, that hopefully can draw more attention. If you are still on this acc and can give me permission that would be great. I've credited you.

This is real. It is not circular breathing. Circular breathing is breathing in through the nose and into the lungs while expelling air from the mouth that does not pass the vocal cords. Circular breathing is used by brass and woodwind instrumentalists. A great example is the Didgeridoo. It can not be used by singers as air has to pass the vocal cords in singing. Johnny Mathis did this with one deep breath and slow and steady exhalation. It was his many years of formal training and natural "gift" that gave him the ability to do this. It is one of the most memorable moments in music. At the age of 80 he still keeps a busy performance schedule. The man is remarkable! Johnny held the note for 1 min. 30 sec. The record (according to Guinness) is 1 min. 52 sec. by Alpaslan Durmus of Turkey.

I love me some Johnny Mathis but come on! This can't be real! Really? He's got to be in the Guiness Book of World Records!

Totally NOT fake. It's due to years of training and perfecting the circular breathing technique. I've seen him do it several times. Still, it never ceases to amaze me.

What an absolutely ingenious version of this song!

Omgosh what a find thank you

I just 'met' someone on Facebook who says that she saw & heard Mr. M do this live onstage with the singing-dancing group "The Young Americans."

This is NOT fake.  It is accomplished using a technique known as "circular breathing".  I could never do it but a friend of mine at college could do it.  It is mind blowing. 

This is a true rare find.  Thanks for sharing.

fake, if you look closely his lips aren't in sync

jxhensley Hey, that's a good one. lol

Actually, the name of the song is "Johnny One Note" although the lyrics constantly refer to a "Poor Johnny One Note" because of the effects his note is having on others and other things!  Yes, a combination of operatic and sports training (with genuine talent and God-given abilities) has produced quite a phenomenon!

Tell me that's edited. Please.

@Robert Silvestri
He is/was certainly capable of holding the note that long! As written below in comments, Johnny demonstrated his amazing breath capacity by singing the last few notes of "Pieces of Dreams" in one long breath, holding the last note for about 23 seconds, forte (loud),on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Mr. Carson later said that it was the greatest music performance in the history of the series.  Also many examples of The Long Note and/or The Long Phrase on many of Johnny's recordings (such as "Stairway To The Stars," "Remember," "Teacher, Teacher," "Grenada" (another particularly amazing display), "Warm and Willing," many others,  It's possible that a recording engineer for the show may have pre-recorded it as "insurance" for making sure it 'happened ok' during the live performance, but it looks as if he's doing it, for the "heck of it," to see if he could, that night at the live performance. I also listened to it again while writing this, and it sounds like one long note--no 'looping' nor 'editing.' No 'break' in the vibrato where a 'loop' would have been inserted.

And I thought Streisand could hold a note ! As a big fan of Mathis, I never heard him hold a note like this, and if he actually did it (wonder if within the vocals he took a quick breath) I am truly amazed. Most singers would have passed out. Because of the subtitles, I'm going to research to see if I can discover more than I though I knew of Johnny. Thanks for posting this.

Also in reply to drguitphunky: The performers could have been wearing cordless mikes, as if that makes any difference.

Coming back to Niagara Falls, New York, to sing this week (Aug. 24th) TOTALLY SOLD-OUT!

For HIM it's possible!

Nope. It's not an electric piano set on choir--it's HIM (his voice).

I am a fan of Mr. Mathis. But I didn't see a microphone anywhere in that clip.....

Thank you. All these comments raving about how he 'really' sang this here.

Supposedly, and this is not from a terribly reliable source, Johnny Mathis is able to vibrate his vocal chords by inhaling /and/ exhaling, similar to the way a harmonica produces sound. It seems this could be the only method he could use to produce a note of that strength for almost two minutes. Circular breathing is often cited as the technique he used, but that is not physiologically possible by any vocalist. Google "circular breathing" to find out why.

An amazing singer!

Check out the legendary note on "Pieces of Dreams," posted on YouTube. (Johnny Carson is quoted as saying that Johnny's performance was the 'greatest music performance of all the years he hosted the Tonight Show'):

BELIEVE IT!

Wt...f? THIS NEEDS MORE VIEWS.

he has a great voice :-)

His lungs must be the size of 2 liter bottles... Holy crap....

How can he do this?

Greatest singer ever in this lifetime..was lucky to have seen him 2 weeks ago...Columbus, Ohio March 24, 2012...2nd row seat..at the end of the concert I went up to stage when he took his bows, I put my hands up wards and outwards and he came over took both of my hands, gazed into my eyes and did the kissing motion with his lips....and the world stood still for a moment in time.. He was gracious to allow me to get a photograph with him later at hotel...OMG. what a gorgous mand.. Jane in Ohio

WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW. COOOOOOOOOOOL

YESSSS! I've been looking for this version for ages! (it's the first version I ever heard)

love his note!!!!!!!!!!

Wow!! What does one say after that performance? Longest note I've ever heard anyone carry.. Have you all seen Johnny sing "pieces of dreams" from the tonight show? Type it in here, he carries a note at very end for like 28 seconds, beautifully...Simply the greatest singer ever in this lifetime...wow! Love you Johnny. Jane in Ohio

@purplehairponcho proably because his lungs would explode if they didnt.

Wow, I love Johnny Mathis but I never knew he could hold a note like that. Props to this magnificent singer. Sadly not remembered as he ought to be.

johnny looks like Elvis. probable an electric piano set on choir.

jhonny looks like Elvis.

wow! is he like... round breathing or something????? btw. they skipped a verse.

Um. Has he really just been holding that one note? That's not possible.

beanepie um. Yes it is...he just did it here...

Thats ASTOUNDING, honestly . O.O

Good gratious. What a note.

That reminds me, Mr. M sang here at the Fallsview Casino, beside Niagara Falls, about a year ago. Apparently, it's a good thing he didn't sing this particular song, because according to the song lyrics, Niagara Falls would have ''stood still!'' lol However, he DID sing ''Misty'' and it was so perfect hearing him sing it live with the orchestra just yards away from the mist of the real Falls. He's the EIGHTH wonder of the world!

Incredible! Fantastic! Almost unbelievable (unless you know how amazing his breath control is)! Thanks so much for posting this!

Amazing!!!! Johnny, you are extraordinary!

dddaaammmnnn!!!! that is absolutely amazing!!!

holy lung capacity, Batman!

Awesome . one of the best singers singing with 4 of the best singers. What a treat!

Actually it is real, Mathis had operatic training!!

That couldn't possibly be real!!