I think some songs are too long, and could be shorter because they're so simple.

i was thinking about doing this. There are times when songs deserve to be long. (Frank Zappa and Pink Floyd)
but my favorite thing about They Might Be Giants is that their songs are so short, you can't get bored.

I like short songs because long songs could get too boring and you wind up becoming uninterested.

How about Meat Loaf?  Even radio friendly, his songs are like atleast 7 minutes long

Not Just Knee Deep (Parliament-Funkadelic) 15 minutes :o

i was thinking about doing this. There are times when songs deserve to be long. (Frank Zappa and Pink Floyd)
but my favorite thing about They Might Be Giants is that their songs are so short, you can't get bored.


My songs are the same.  No more than 3 minutes, ever really.

Mr. Zappa has a track that's 40 minutes long!  :o

Mr. Zappa has a track that's 40 minutes long!  :o


As do the Paper Chase, you know.

I really don't care, as long as it stays interesting the whole time.

As do the Paper Chase, you know.

I really don't care, as long as it stays interesting the whole time.


that's a tough accomplishment.

I usually don't like songs that are too long... American Pie, Light My Fire and Free Bird are examples of songs I like, but I don't usually listen to because they're too long... although Light My Fire does have a shorter version...

I don't like really short songs either though... I think anywhere from 2:45 to 5:00 is about right...

One of the shortest songs that I know of to become a hit was the 1983 cover of "It's Late" by Shakin' Stevens.  It was only 2 minutes long

Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles 2:01
Twisting - They Might Be Giants 1:56
Palisades Park - Freddy Cannon 1:54
Little Deuce Coupe - Beach Boys 1:41

Little Deuce Coupe - Beach Boys 1:41


I hadn't realized that one was so short :o

There are some songs that I can easily listen to long (Al Stewart's 'Year Of The Cat' comes to mind)...and others that drive me nuts (The Doors' hit, 'Light My Fire', for example)...so it really depends on the song, I guess... :)

I always joke with my dad that you can tell when the DJ has to use the bathroom because they'd play the longer songs like Paradise By The Dashboard Light, Stairway To Heaven, American Pie, Layla, etc,. 

As for which one I like better, I like the longer songs when I'm in a mood to groove and chill out, but when I'm driving or just puttering around the house, I like the shorter songs so the mix is continuous.

I think it depends on the song. As you say, 'Light my fire' gets annoying because most of it is an instrument, but other longer Doors songs like, 'The End' (11 minutes) and 'When The Music's Over' (10 minutes) are long but interesting because they have 'parts' like Stairway to Heaven, Bohemian Rhapsody, Good Vibrations, Champagne Surpernova.etc.

Depends on the song, 3-4 minutes seems to be the scientifically derived best length for radio friendly pop singles.

More pressing is the issue of album length. I think artists do two things; they put out many tracks with alot of filler so you can sort of forgive them, or a great album with too few songs. Why do we have to choose between quality and quantity? Even the Beatles' Revolver 14 tracks are not all top-notch.

Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles 2:01
Twisting - They Might Be Giants 1:56
Palisades Park - Freddy Cannon 1:54
Little Deuce Coupe - Beach Boys 1:41


And for the record, Andrea...

'Stay' - Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs 1:38 (Shortest US #1)
'What Do You Want' - Adam Faith 1:38 (Shortest UK #1)
'Let's Get Together' - Hayley Mills 1:26 (Shortest song to make US Top 10)
'Little Boxes' - The Womenfolk 1:02 (Shortest song to chart in US)

...and not forgetting 'Some Kinda Earthquake' - Duane Eddy
We in Britain had a 1:54 version, while the States had to make do with a 1:17 edit!

I think one the longest song to reach the chart has to be 'Back to the Sixties' by Tight Fit 

For you international folks, it was split into two parts (both which separately charted), but for North American release it wasn't, and at a full 9:30 in length, it became a very minor hit on Billboard

Here are some other lengthy chart hits ...

A Criminal Mind - Gowan (7:20)
Shooting Shark - Blue Oyster Cult (7:11)
Tell Me if You Still Care - SOS Band (7:00)
Tonight is What it Means to Be Young - Fire Inc. (6:55)
Fight the Good Fight - Triumph (6:24)
Wrap Her Up - Elton John and George Michael (6:09)
The Last Worthless Evening - Don Henley (6:02)
Seasons of Gold - Gidea Park (6:01)

and here are some more short songs that reached the charts ...

Theme From Dynasty - Bill Conti (1:18)
Oh Julie - Barry Manilow (2:16)

Not Just Knee Deep (Parliament-Funkadelic) 15 minutes :o


I was listening to Parliament's "Flashlight" which was fun for about the first 4 minutes, then it kept going and going and finally I decided to look at the time and it was a nearly 11 minute long song!  :o

I usually don't like songs that are too long... American Pie, Light My Fire and Free Bird are examples of songs I like, but I don't usually listen to because they're too long... although Light My Fire does have a shorter version...

I don't like really short songs either though... I think anywhere from 2:45 to 5:00 is about right...


The range for me is... 1:30 to 4:00... some musicians (They Might Be Giants, Atom and His Package, The Magnetic Fields) accomplish everything they need to in a short time.. others (Pinback, Led Zeppelin) may take a long time, but I usually don't sit through the whole song.

[quote author=whis

I was listening to Parliament's "Flashlight" which was fun for about the first 4 minutes, then it kept going and going and finally I decided to look at the time and it was a nearly 11 minute long song!  :o


Parliament/Funkadelic was known for long funk songs.

Any Motown song is considered pretty short.