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[theinevitable]

I remember reading something somewhere about the "perfect length" for a rock/pop song. I do not remember the number. It was a pretty well-supported theory, in terms of great songs. Right now I am thinking 2:34 because that includes such songs as:

007 (shanty town)-- desmond dekker
wild thing --troggs
fine, miserable day -- the talk (they're local. I like this song a lot.)
get back-- the beatles
rock and roll music-- chuck berry
dracula's wedding --outkast
don't let's start-- TMBG (I love this song so much.)
boys don't cry-- the cure
new day rising-- husker du


2:35 has:

baby let me follow you down-- boy dylan
and nothing else.

Am I just being wierd? I'm sure it's just coincidence, but... yeah.

any thoughts?

[Drygioni]

Wow, interesting find. It all depends though. If My Sharona by the Knack was that long, you'd just be wanting more and more of the riff, and it wouldn't be satisfying. On the other hand, plenty of songs stretch a little at the 2:34 mark, such as Wild Thing by the Troggs.

But it is a perfect length for your average pop song, I think. Example: Best '80's Synth Pop Song Ever (Goodbye '70s by Yaz), is 2:33. Close enough.

I find with truly great songs that the time spent doesn't occur if you're really enjoying yourself. Unless it's something like Bela Lugosi's Dead. Hella long song. And don't get me started on those Pink Floyd 15 minute guitar wank-a-thons.

[misterqueue]

A good song is as long as a good song needs to be. 

Reflection by Tool really could not be one second shorter while The Famous Polka by TMBG could not be one second longer.

[Drygioni]

Autobahn by Kraftwerk = 22:43. It is one of my favourite songs; I could not stand it any longer or shorter.

[theinevitable]

goddamnit Q, you are killing it. It isn't fun if anything other than exactly how many seconds they recorded it for matters!

[misterqueue]

Lo I am become Q, destroyer of threads.

[CortJstr]

I remember reading something somewhere about the "perfect length" for a rock/pop song. I do not remember the number. It was a pretty well-supported theory, in terms of great songs. Right now I am thinking 2:34

I'm guessing this is a side effect of 45's only holding 3 minutes thus limiting singles for many years.

[pmcd9]

I'm guessing this is a side effect of 45's only holding 3 minutes thus limiting singles for many years.

45's hold more than 3 minutes.  I've got Hey Jude on 45 and it's like 7 minutes long.

~Paul

[starlight]

I seem to be cool with songs in the 4 to 5 minute range lately.  I'd be more specific, but don't feel like rearranging my iTunes playlist by 'Time' to figure this out.

One thing I know is that songs over 8min begin to lose my attention; even post rock stuff... I'm constantly checking the clock to see how long it was playing.  how sad.

(There are exceptions, but I'm talking preference!
if it were a bad song, I wouldn't like it even if it were 10sec long)

[CortJstr]

45's hold more than 3 minutes.  I've got Hey Jude on 45 and it's like 7 minutes long.

~Paul

I looked this up. It seems a standard 7" 45 holds ~4 minutes. An EP 45 gets up to the 7 minute range via compression.

I don't dig on long songs myself. I was just complaining the other day about the newest Built to Spill opening with an 8 minute track which just made me not want to bother listening to the rest of the album.

[Turbo Ninja]

I'm guessing this is a side effect of 45's only holding 3 minutes thus limiting singles for many years.

Also, jukebox operators wanted songs to be short so people would have to pay more often. 

[pmcd9]

Also, jukebox operators wanted songs to be short so people would have to pay more often.

And we all know how powerful the juke box lobby is.

~Paul

[AlohaDawg]

And we all know how powerful the juke box lobby is.

~Paul

Back in the 50's when the whole single record started? I bet the jukeboxes were the place 'kids' usually heard the music - I don't know if transistor radios were common yet, but I doubt many kids had a radio in their room or of their own...(eventually a ton of them did have small portable phonographs, though) and the parents probably weren't playing the 'race music' or the 'rock and roll' on their radio (and probably, there weren't very many stations playing those types of music outside the big markets) so I bet the companies that leased out the jukeboxes and stocked the music in them probably did have a pretty good voice in the industry at that time, for a short while.

[Limmo]

Presenting The Jay Limmo First Annual Song Length Awards!

Before we begin, I’d like to thank iTunes for making this waste of time possible.  I plugged in my iPod and arranged the songs therein by length.  The number of kick-ass songs at each length were then tabulated. ( Many songs were disqualified, e.g.: jazz fusion cuts; live versions of songs that weren’t the quintessential version of said song; stuff I’m embarrassed to admit I own. )

I started counting in earnest around 2:45 or so.  There needed to be at least thirteen songs per length ( SPL ) to even qualify.  The race started to heat up around 2:53 and got particularly intense between 3:01 and 3:22.  Things were then quiet until 3:26 and raged on until 3:40.  After 3:45, the SPL began to drop below a level worth counting.

Alright, let’s meet the winners.  It’s an exciting time!

The Consolation Prize goes to…3:15!  There were only eighteen songs at this length, but what an eighteen:

Kermit the Frog: The Rainbow Connection / Husker Du: 59 Times the Pain 
The Meters: Look-Ka-Py-Py / Benny Goodman Sextet: Stardust
Motley Crue: Live Wire / Michael Hedges: Ragamuffin / The Beatles: Sexy Sadie
The Posies: Everybody Is a fuck*ng Liar / The Sex Pistols: Pretty Vacant
Black Sabbath: The Mob Rules / Freddie King: Going Down /
Neil Young: Comes a Time / Led Zeppelin: The Crunge / Nomeansno: Big Dick
Lester Young: Lester Leaps In / The Cure: Why Can’t I Be You?
The Replacements: Alex Chilton AND Treatment Bound

We have a tie for third!  3:17 performed respectably, with 21 SPL:

Alice In Chains: Right Turn / Gary Numan: That’s Too Bad
Cheap Trick: Baby Loves To Rock / Moby: Hymn / Beck: Hell Yes
Van Halen: House of Pain / Sex Pistols: God Save the Queen
Lester Young: I Got Rhythm / The Killers: Somebody Told Me
Kiss: All the Way / Sly & the Family Stone: Time For Livin’
Ella Fitzgerald: All the Things You Are / k.d. lang: Wash Me Clean
Iggy Pop & James Williamson: Johanna / Led Zeppelin: Hot Dog
Guns ‘n Roses: You’re Crazy
Smashing Pumpkins: Disarm AND Frail and Bedazzled
R.E.M.: The One I Love AND Kohoutek
The Clash: Tommy Gun AND Police On My Back

But check out 3:36:

Parliament: Ride On / Eurythmics: Sweet Dreams
Allen Toussaint: Southern Nights / Metallica: Blitzkrieg
RHCP: If You Have To Ask / James Brown: I’m a Greedy Man, Part 1
The Beatles: Two Of Us / The Police: When the World Is Running Down…
The Eagles: Desperado / Duran Duran: A View To a Kill
Led Zeppelin: Night Flight / Freelance Hellraiser: A Stroke Of Genius
Nine Inch Nails: Wish  / The Replacements: Bastards of Young
Rufus & Chaka Khan: Tell Me Something Good
Van Halen: Runnin’ With the Devil / Lou Reed: My Red Joystick
Nirvana: Serve the Servants / Be Bop Deluxe: Sister Seagull
The Rolling Stones: Live With Me AND You Got Me Rockin’

Our Runner-Up is 3:27!

J. Geils Band: Just Can’t Wait / Bryan Ferry: The Price of Love
Neil Young: I Believe In You / Burning Spear: Marcus Garvey
Chic: I Want Your Love / Edgar Winter: Frankenstein / X: White Girl
Prince: She’s Always In My Hair / Van Halen: Secrets
The J.B.s: Watermelon Man / Jimi Hendix: Long Hot Summer Night
Public Enemy: Nighttrain / The Beatles: Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
Jeff Beck: The Final Peace / Esther Phillips: Home Is Where the Hatred Is
Queen: Sheer Heart Attack / Heather Eatman: City of Your Heart
Black Flag: I Love You / Big Star: Give Me Another Chance
Donny Hathaway: Voice Inside ( Everything Is Everything )
The Rolling Stones: Let’s Spend the Night Together AND Dear Doctor
AND It’s All Over Now

But the winner, with an SPL of 34, is…drumroll please…3:01!!

Bill Coday: I’m Back To Collect / Benny Goodman: Wholly Cats
Jimi Hendrix: Wait Until Tomorrow / giraffebone: A Selection
Billie Holiday: What a Little Moonlight Can Do
Dead Milkmen: Bitchin’ Camaro / Weezer: Tired Of Sex
Marvin Gaye: It’s a Desperate Situation / Low Pop Suicide: Kiss Your Lips
Sex Pistols: Bodies / MC5: Kick Out the Jams / Frank Black: Men In Black
Smashing Pumpkins: Jellybelly / Queen: We Are the Champions
Ace Frehley: New York Groove / James Brown: Say It Loud ( I’m Black and I’m Proud )
Mel Brown: Swamp Fever / Neil Young: For the Turnstiles
Pixies: U-Mass / Violent Femmes: I Held Her In My Arms
Sly & The Family Stone: Poet AND If You Want Me Stay
The Beatles: I’m Only Sleeping AND Love You To
R.E.M.: We Walk AND Wendell Gee
Van Halen: Atomic Punk AND Let’s Get Rockin’
The Rolling Stones: Honky Tonk Women AND Sad Day
Jane’s Addiction: No One’s Leaving AND Up the Beach
Patsy Cline: You Belong To Me AND She’s Got You

Congratulations, 3:01!  You are The Perfect Length For A Rock Song!!

 ( Alas, 3:01 could not be here tonight, so 3:14 will collect the award for 3:01. )

Goodnight, everyone!

[theinevitable]

wow, there are some good songs of those lengths.

Yay for the 'mats! (did I say that right? i heard you are supposed to call them that.)
yay for Violent Femmes!
yay for the beatles (duh)!
yay for most of those groups!