# Great songs that are just too damned short **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2020, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774 "2020-05-31T04:03:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/21 "2020-05-31T23:38:44Z")
_Here She Comes Now_ by The Velvet Underground. Great song, but too short. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/22 "2020-06-01T00:14:15Z")
A mere 54 seconds (after Woody finishes), from “White Men Can’t Jump.” (Possibly NSFW—they’re in bed). The voice is Louis Price, formerly of the Temptations. He actually played one of the basketball players in the movie. What a voice! I wish they’d made a serious song out of this Nice hook, great sax part, brooding. Ah well. Rockpile’s “Now and Always” is 1:57…not even two minutes. And even though it’s not super short, I could listen to twenty minutes of “Burning Down the House.” Live on Letterman, 1983: [Talking Heads - Burning Down the House live and Interview - Letterman 1983 (Higher Quality) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8oxbwx2xAI) ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/23 "2020-06-01T00:26:36Z")
“Colour My World” is 3 minutes long but seems shorter since it’s only one verse. Frank Sinatra wanted an extra verse written but James Pankow wouldn’t do it. It sounds like a UL but it’s not. [Cite.](https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/james-pankow-of-chicago) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/24 "2020-06-01T02:24:03Z")
Helen Reddy’s [Delta Dawn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afsp7MU-nTI). Scant two verses (with a refrain in between) totaling approx. 1:50 that seem to fall far short of telling whatever story seems to be there to be told, then padded out for another full 1:50 or more with five repetitions of the refrain. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/25 "2020-06-01T02:41:02Z")
Here’s a really brief one: [The Miracle Cure](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LahYK2pUeB0&list=OLAK5uy_mE7mv6Mr5CZxclWLHAf4o-g-alrFcXjN4&index=19) from Tommy by The Who. 12 seconds total. Brief and to the point. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/26 "2020-06-01T03:04:49Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > I dunno, I’m speaking as a Rush fan, here, but there’s a LOT to be said for being able to get into a song, say what you want, and get out. “Closer To The Heart” was definitely too short, when played live. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/27 "2020-06-01T03:05:59Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > “100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” As a 6th grader on a bus trip, we once took it to zero. The chaperones probably wanted to rip their hair out, and ours too. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/28 "2020-06-01T04:28:32Z")
**Don’t Stand So Close to Me** might not be too short time-wise, but it definitely needs another verse. Finish the story! They run off together; he’s in jail; he’s reminiscing from middle age; _she’s_ reminiscing from middle age–the song cries out for one more verse. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/29 "2020-06-01T06:28:58Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > **Don’t Stand So Close to Me** might not be too short time-wise, but it definitely needs another verse. Finish the story! They run off together; he’s in jail; he’s reminiscing from middle age; _she’s_ reminiscing from middle age–the song cries out for one more verse. You know the song never actually says they did anything, right? It’s only insinuated. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/30 "2020-06-01T07:49:42Z")
Fleetwood Mac, “Never Going Back Again” I’ve heard it longer, in a live version. But the length added was him singing not him picking so that didn’t really improve it a lot. And it was still too short. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/31 "2020-06-01T10:20:51Z")
I have to say, the vast, vast, vast, vast majority of songs would benefit from greater brevity rather than any increased length. Say what you want to say then get the hell out of there. 3 minutes if you must. I do think however that “American Girl” could do with a definite ending rather than the fade out and if that tacked another 15 seconds on I’d be happy enough. Does anyone know if such a version exists? ---
**Author:** ![SovOque](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sovoque/32/329_2.png) [@SovOque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SovOque)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/32 "2020-06-01T10:59:31Z")
I admire “Ghost In The Shell” OST. Theme song (I guess I can name this track a theme) UTAI IV: Reawakening is too short for me. Have to listen it on repeat. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/33 "2020-06-01T12:27:14Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > “Bad Moon Rising” is one of my favorite songs, but in my opinion, it needs 3 or 4 more verses. You’re just getting into the groove when it ends. There’s a Bad Moon Rising cover done by Battlefield Band (bagpipes, fiddle, etc) that goes on for as long as the band chooses to play.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/34 "2020-06-01T12:33:29Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > As a 6th grader on a bus trip, we once took it to zero. > > The chaperones probably wanted to rip their hair out, and ours too. 😛 When you get to zero, the lyric changes to “go to the store, buy one more, one bottle of beer on the wall…” ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/35 "2020-06-01T12:49:16Z")
“Mississippi Queen” feels like it should be seven or eight minutes longer than the 2:30 it clocks in at. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/36 "2020-06-01T13:00:15Z")
Neil Young’s “The Needle and the Damage Done” is just over 2 minutes (2:03 or so). ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/37 "2020-06-01T13:03:10Z")
The 39 second rendition of the skiffle song _Maggie Mae_ by The Beatles is barely a tenth of the full lyrics and could really use a lead guitar bridge: - Now gather round you sailor boys, and listen to my plea And when you’ve heard my tale you’ll pity me For I was a real damned fool in the port of Liverpool The first time that I came home from the sea We paid off at the home from the port of Sierra Leone And four pounds ten a month that was my pay With a pocket full of tin I was very soon taken in By a girl with the name of Maggie May Oh Maggie, Maggie May they have taken her away And she’ll never walk down Lime street anymore For she robbed so many sailors and captains of the whalers That dirty, robbin’ no good Maggie May Oh well I do remember when I first met Maggie May She was cruising up and down old Canning Place She’d a figure so divine, like a frigate of the line So me being a sailor , I gave chase Oh Maggie, Maggie May they have taken her away And she’ll never walk down Lime street anymore For she robbed so many sailors and captains of the whalers That dirty, robbin’ no good Maggie May Next morning when I awoke I was flat and stoney broke No jacket, trousers, waistcoat I could find When I asked her where they were she said “My very dear sir, They’re down in Kelly’s knocker number nine” To the pawnshop I did go but no clothes there I did find and The policeman came and took that girl away The judge he guilty found her, of robbing the homeward–bounder And paid her passage back to Botany Bay Oh Maggie, Maggie May they have taken her away And she’ll never walk down Lime street anymore For she robbed so many sailors and captains of the whalers That dirty, robbin’ no good Maggie May Oh Maggie, Maggie May they have taken her away And she’ll never walk down Lime street anymore For she robbed so many sailors and captains of the whalers That dirty, robbin’ no good Maggie May\* ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/38 "2020-06-01T13:05:07Z")
“[_Song 2_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSbBvKaM6sk)” from Blur, at 2:02,with two verses and choruses, was the first song I thought of when reading the OP. A longer version wouldn’t fit the joke though, I guess. _Mississippi Queen_, with that intro, really does sound like a song that should be a lot longer. I can just imagine the Allman Brothers Band jamming away on it for 20 minutes or so. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/39 "2020-06-01T13:42:29Z")
[Apple Blossom](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CMwGk22qHM) by White Stripes is 2:14. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774/40 "2020-06-01T13:55:55Z")
I always thought that 1-877-Kars-4-Kids could use a couple of extra verses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-are-just-too-damned-short/854774.md?page=3)