# Which songs are definitely too short? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 29, 2021, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482 "2021-10-29T19:45:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/1 "2021-10-29T19:45:05Z")
I have bluetooth connection problems with my laptop, so I’m listening to an old CD for a change, the sampler “Ultimate Experience” with, you guessed it, the best songs from the Jimi Hendrix Experience. “Little Wing” comes up, and that’s a song I could listen to for hours, but after about two minutes, there’s a brutal fade out, just when you think that Jimi is just warming up for the GREAT guitar solo. More than 30 years later, Stevie Ray Vaughan made up for it a bit with his long instrumental cover, which sounds like everything that we expected to follow after that fade out. I’ve often read complaints here about songs being too long, but too short songs rarely come up. What’s yours? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/2 "2021-10-29T19:50:02Z")
I always think “Love is Alive” by Gary Wright could go on a bit longer, although at 3 minutes 24 seconds, I guess it’s not unusually short. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/82DSEkHatpw/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHOBYACkAOKAgwIABABGGUgTyhAMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBNK74CzpqrHwqufXAD-PLZB20SZQ "Gary Wright - Love Is Alive") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82DSEkHatpw) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/3 "2021-10-29T19:52:28Z")
The Immigrant Song is only 2:26 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/y8OtzJtp-EM/maxresdefault.jpg "Immigrant Song (Remaster)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8OtzJtp-EM) ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/4 "2021-10-29T20:00:04Z")
The titular song on Cat Steven’s Tea for the Tillerman is less than a minute long. Part of me thinks it’s too short and part of me thinks it’s just fine the way it is. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/TY4kQPSHzVU/maxresdefault.jpg "Yusuf / Cat Stevens – Tea for the Tillerman") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY4kQPSHzVU) ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/5 "2021-10-29T20:15:27Z")
Ramones songs. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/6 "2021-10-29T20:21:13Z")
No, that’s just alright. I don’t expect a guitar solo on a Ramones song. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/7 "2021-10-29T20:46:06Z")
Black Betty by Ram Jam clocks in at 2:24. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/I_2D8Eo15wE/maxresdefault.jpg "Ram Jam - Black Betty") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_2D8Eo15wE) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/8 "2021-10-29T20:51:26Z")
But the album version is much longer: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4cn_woPvjQI/maxresdefault.jpg "Ram Jam - Black Betty (Official Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cn_woPvjQI) (though in this case, I prefer the single) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/9 "2021-10-29T20:52:28Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > But the album version is much longer: I never knew of that version. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/10 "2021-10-29T21:32:51Z")
“Ban the Game”, by Men Without Hats, from the _Rhythm of Youth_ album. [48 seconds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_9Exi3IoJk) The 2010 “re-mastered” version of the album has a longer version, at [3 minutes, 49 seconds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENJgFpqgwm4). But it’s not as good. It replaces good piano with bad synthesizer, and the lyrics get monotonous after a while. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/11 "2021-10-29T21:35:25Z")
Aquarius definitively needs at least a second verse to lyrically replace Let the Sun Shine extension ---
**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:** [October 29, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/12 "2021-10-29T22:31:21Z")
Gary Moore’s Parisienne Walkways is a nine minute song, but the lyrics are few, leaving me wanting to hear more of the story. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/13 "2021-10-29T22:41:11Z")
I’ve seen Rush four times, each in a different state which is another story altogether. Anyway, there was one show where they stretched the instrumental section of “Closer to the Heart” out to what IIRC was about 10 minutes. That was great. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kyhW2v0NDM0/maxresdefault.jpg "Rush - Closer To The Heart (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyhW2v0NDM0) (One of those “men who hold high places” wasn’t a man, but I digress.) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/14 "2021-10-29T22:51:01Z")
Napalm Death’s “You Suffer” is both stupidly short and kind of catches their entire vibe. They even made an official video for it. It’s 3 seconds long. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9Z1IGjr2cT0/hqdefault.jpg "Napalm Death - You Suffer (Official Video) - Celebrating 20 Years of Scum") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z1IGjr2cT0) ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/15 "2021-10-30T06:25:56Z")
Echoes by Pink Floyd is just finding its groove when it fades out. A shame. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/16 "2021-10-30T15:57:13Z")
I’d say Jim Croce’s “Photographs and Memories”. Not that it has too short a run time, more that it just seems unfinished. It just stops, rather than ends. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/17 "2021-10-30T16:03:30Z")
Oh, I just thought of another one, Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”. It’s not the runtime, it runs over five minutes, but there’s just one verse and one chorus. I find this song achingly beautiful, and I wish It had at least one more verse. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/18 "2021-10-30T17:55:11Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > The titular song on Cat Steven’s Tea for the Tillerman is less than a minute long. Part of me thinks it’s too short and part of me thinks it’s just fine the way it is. (a) - excellent choice (b) - this is exactly how I feel about Chameleon by Cockney Rebel (which is even shorter). [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/x6utZ7K60eY/maxresdefault.jpg "Chameleon (2012 Remaster)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6utZ7K60eY) j ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/19 "2021-10-30T17:58:04Z")
Into The Mystic [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PZ59spYH9mk/maxresdefault.jpg "Into the Mystic | Van Morrison | Lyrics ☾☀") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ59spYH9mk) ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482/20 "2021-10-30T18:23:57Z")
Now I think of it, High Fidelity by Elvis Costello fits the bill. Just as you think it’s about to veer off somewhere else musically interesting, it fades out. Where’s the rest of it, then? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DJS-2kacmpU/maxresdefault.jpg "Elvis Costello & The Attractions - High Fidelity") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJS-2kacmpU) j [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-songs-are-definitely-too-short/953482.md?page=2)