# Great Songs Under 2 1/2 Minutes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-under-2-1-2-minutes/441855 "2008-03-18T22:44:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-under-2-1-2-minutes/441855/61 "2008-03-23T15:24:21Z")
The Strokes-_12:51_ fits the category. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo\_Pin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mojo\_Pin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo_Pin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-under-2-1-2-minutes/441855/62 "2008-03-23T16:17:00Z")
[QUOTE=JohnBckWLD] John Zorn & Naked City - Batman [/QUOTE] Quoted for emphasis ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3DHQX7SwF1w/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/3DHQX7SwF1w?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-under-2-1-2-minutes/441855/63 "2008-03-23T17:21:27Z")
Just about everything the Ramones ever did; except maybe _Time Has Come Today_. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-under-2-1-2-minutes/441855/64 "2008-03-23T20:41:18Z")
Bad Religion’s “Supersonic” and “Materialist” both fit in this category. At least to me. Also, Idlewild’s “I’m a Message” just barely makes it. Avail’s “Clone” comes in at 2:40. Also awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-under-2-1-2-minutes/441855/65 "2008-03-23T21:51:07Z")
**Blister in the Sun** - Violent Femmes 2:22 ---
**Author:** ![Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tool_of_the_Conspiracy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-under-2-1-2-minutes/441855/66 "2008-03-24T04:45:56Z")
My three favorite sub-2:30 songs: “Not Your Girl” by **Bree Sharp** : 2:14. A great song about a woman chasing a man who isn’t that into her. “Bunnyrabbits, Satan, Cheese and Milk” by **Stark Effect** : 2:20. Part of [a free EP](http://www.comfortstand.com/catalog/003/index.html) with vocals assembled solely from home-recorded clips that were accidentally shared on file-sharing networks. “Straight Out of Compton” by **Nina Gordon** : 1:50. This song always comes up in threads about great and/or unusual cover songs. If you haven’t heard it yet, go get it from [her official site](http://www.ninagordon.com/sightsandsounds.html). Some more-mainstream artists: “Sweet Sweet” by **Smashing Pumpkins** : 1:39. Not exactly cranking, but nice. “Fell In Love with a Girl” by **The White Stripes** : 1:50. Now _this_ is more like it. Subject of both a Michel Gondry video and a Joel “Spongmonkeys” Veitch [animation](http://www.rathergood.com/punk_kittens/). “Cowtown” by **They Might Be Giants** : 2:19. A favorite sing-along at the Conspiracy house. (also “Nightgown of the Sullen Moon”: 1:59, one of their better B-sides) ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-under-2-1-2-minutes/441855/67 "2008-03-24T05:17:20Z")
Yeah, My iTunes covers a lot of strange ground, including many a capella groups. UNDER 1:00 Sittin’ On The Groom’s Side—Throat Culture 0:23 The Jetsons —The 4 Tunes 0:34 Telephone Message—The Brown Derbies 0:36 47 Reasons—The Bobs 0:42 Alternate prayer —John Hartford 0:47 They won’t play this song—Monty Python 0:48 Three Part Invention No.10—Bela Fleck 0:55 I Ain’t Heard You Play No Blues—Steve Goodman 0:56 UNDER 1:30 WKRP opening theme song—Steve Christie 1:01 Heartbreak Model—The Dan Orr Project 1:02 Superflabbergasted—Spanky and Our Gang 1:06 Zipper Fly—Martin Mull 1:06 Yuppie With Attitude—17th Avenue All-Stars 1:12 Lonesome Rider—Cooder Browne Band 1:15 Holly Jolly Christmas—Burl Ives 1:17 Nagasaki—Spanky and Our Gang 1:19 Turn Your Radio On—John Hartford 1:20 The Element Song —Tom Lehrer 1:23 Euphoria—Holy Modal Rounders 1:28 UNDER 2:00 God’s Own Jukebox—Jesse Winchester 1:35 Commercial—Spanky and Our Gang 1:36 In the Still of the Night—The Persuasions 1:37 Why Don’t We Do It In The Road—The Beatles 1:38 Guide Me, Sweet Jehovah—Maria Maldaur 1:38 In The Midnight Hour—Jefferson Airplane 1:39 Run With Scissors—Trailer Park Troubadors 1:40 Heaven Help the One —The Sky Boys 1:40 Jingle Bells —The Singing Dogs 1:40 Bye Bye Blues—Albert King 1:40 Stay Gone—Mumbo Gumbo 1:40 Since You Been Gone—Brava 1:40 A Berry Happy Birthday—Strawberry Shortcake 1:40 Down on the Farm—Webb Wilder 1:41 Guru Man Blues—Eric Bibb 1:41 By the Rivers of Babylon—Soweto Gospel Choir 1:42 She’s A Lady—John Sebastian 1:42 Hawaii Five-0—The Ventures 1:42 I Will—The Beatles 1:42 An Dro—The Blackbirds 1:43 Drip, Drip—The Persuasions 1:43 I Hear Music—Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians 1:43 Masochism Tango—Harvard Krokadiloes 1:43 A Little Romance—Mockingbird 1:43 Slack Key Soquel Rag—Doobie Brothers 1:45 Elwood Decker—The Bobs 1:45 I Love You—The Kirby Stone Four 1:46 I’ll Follow the Sun—The Beatles 1:46 Blue Skies—Doris Day 1:47 Plastic Jesus—The New Originals 1:48 Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries—The Hi-Los 1:48 Hawaii Five-O —The Ventures 1:48 Unsettled Ways—Gordon Lightfoot 1:49 I Left My Heart in San Francisco —The Four Freshmen 1:49 Oh, Mary Don’t You Weep—Nat King Cole 1:50 Tiptoe Through the Tulips—Tiny Tim 1:50 Dream—The Nylons 1:51 Nashville Pickin’—Doc Watson 1:51 Hank Senior Moment—John Gorka 1:52 Queen of the Roller Derby—Leon Russell 1:52 The Rebel - Johnny Yuma—Johnny Cash 1:52 Street of Dreams—The Four Freshmen 1:53 Smokin’ in bed Billy Bob Thornton 1:53 Lover Please—Clyde McPhatter 1:54 Nut Rocker—B. Bumble & The Stingers 1:56 From Me to You The Beatles 1:56 I Wish I Was a Lesbian—Louden Wainwright III 1:57 You Don’t Have to Be a Baby to Cry— The Caravelles 1:57 When My Sugar Walks Down the Street—The Kirby Stone Four 1:57 Save Your Heart For Me—Gary Lewis & The Playboys 1:58 Forty Miles of Bad Road—Duane Eddy 1:58 Sink or Swim—The Waifs 1:58 We’re all gonna die someday—Kasey Chambers 1:59 Blue Smoke—Doc Watson 1:59 I Could Write a Book—The Hi-Los 1:59 All I Really Want to Do —The Byrds 1:59 Mean, Mean Man —Wanda Jackson 1:59 Tell Me All About Yourself—Nat King Cole 1:59 What’s That I Hear—Phil Ochs 1:59 Devil in Disguise—J.J. Cale 1:59 ---
**Author:** ![Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tool_of_the_Conspiracy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-under-2-1-2-minutes/441855/68 "2008-03-24T05:56:08Z")
OK, but which are your favorites? I have 101 tracks under a minute, and more than twelve hours of tracks that are less than 2:30 each. (Most of the 101 tracks fall into one of three categories: the “Fingertips” segments of **They Might Be Giants** ’ _Apollo 18_ album, songs from **Dora the Explorer** for my daughters, and control codes for my iTrip FM transmitter.) ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-under-2-1-2-minutes/441855/69 "2008-03-24T15:22:24Z")
**Benny the Bouncer** by Emerson, Lake and Palmer clocks in at 2:21 according to [www.lyricsfreak.com](http://www.lyricsfreak.com). I also wanted to list Black Sabbath’s **Paranoid** since I’m sure it makes the 2:30 cut, but the site doesn’t list a play time for this song. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-under-2-1-2-minutes/441855/70 "2008-03-24T15:38:56Z")
[QUOTE=dwc1970] **Benny the Bouncer** by Emerson, Lake and Palmer clocks in at 2:21 according to [www.lyricsfreak.com](http://www.lyricsfreak.com). I also wanted to list Black Sabbath’s **Paranoid** since I’m sure it makes the 2:30 cut, but the site doesn’t list a play time for this song. [/QUOTE] According to All Music Guide, \*Paranoid \*clocked in at 2:50 as originally released on the [1971 _Paranoid_ album](http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wifoxql5ldte). Good song, though. My dad played that album incessantly. That lyric site is correct on _Benny the Bouncer_. Dad? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-under-2-1-2-minutes/441855.md?page=3)