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You are here: Home / Music / We Learned More From a Three Minute Record, Baby Than We Ever Learned in School

We Learned More From a Three Minute Record, Baby Than We Ever Learned in School

by Four Seasons Total Landscaping mistermix|  March 1, 202010:11 am| 145 Comments

This post is in: Music

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There is a bit of irony in the fact that “No Surrender”, the song containing the lyric in the title of this post, clocks in at 4:02. God knows how long it would last if the Boss did it in concert – at least 10 minutes, I’d guess.

But we’ll leave the Springsteen to Chris Christie. Let’s talk three minute songs. As a kid who grew up on bands like the Clash and the Sex Pistols, I like short, hard-driving songs. As someone who appreciates brevity, I think a good short pop song is an underrated and difficult art form. So let me name a few three minute songs that are from the last 10 years or so. None of them are masterpieces. I think they’re all pretty good. And, shit, they’re under three minutes long — it’s not like you’re making a major investment in time listening to them.

I’ll start with Cuffing Season by Beach Bunny (2:58 on the album, the YouTube version has a few seconds of silent padding). It’s the song that made me think of this post. It also introduced me to the concept of cuffing season, and the lyrics are a great commentary on the ambivalence of an affair that may be just be a convenience to ward off the cold. I also really like the phrasing.

Strawberry Blond from the cleverly titled album “Retired from Sad, New Career in Business” by Mitski is a fun little song, and at 1:58 is under two minutes of your precious life. What a beautiful voice she has, and this little piece showcases it.

I’ll finish up with a live version of the song “Love Doesn’t Just Stop” (2:41) from a group called Standard Fare, long dissolved, performed in a studio in Austin when they were there for South by Southwest ten years ago. You can feel the band’s excitement, the lyrics are simple but smart, and the lead singer, Emma Kupa, just belts it out (her delivery makes the song, in my view). That drummer is having the time of his life.

(Another track from the same lead singer that’s longer that 3 minutes but still fun is Boy Look at What You Can’t Have Now (3:42). It’s about a girl who broke up with her boyfriend, “put a stone on her hips became size 12” and makes sure her ex knows how hot she is, and that he can’t have her. )

Drop your favorite 3 minute or less song in the comments.

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Reader Interactions

145Comments

  1. 1.

    brendancalling

    March 1, 2020 at 10:16 am

    This was the very first Dead Kennedys song I ever heard, and it changed my life FOREVER.

    https://youtu.be/ZBa6YMs-AbY

  2. 2.

    download my app in the app store mistermix

    March 1, 2020 at 10:21 am

    @brendancalling: Now that’s the right idea!  1:07

  3. 3.

    ThresherK

    March 1, 2020 at 10:25 am

    ELO’s Illusions in G Major, with a fuzz guitar I wish Jeff’d used more.
    The Byrds’ Feel a Whole Lot Better.

  4. 4.

    Amir Khalid

    March 1, 2020 at 10:27 am

    I Wanna Be Your Man — the Stones’ version goes like a rocket!

  5. 5.

    johnnybuck

    March 1, 2020 at 10:28 am

    Kids don’t follow 2:18

  6. 6.

    debbie

    March 1, 2020 at 10:29 am

    The songs that most affected me are closer to five minutes (Gloria, Patti Smith), but with the way the world is going, I’ll take this 2:30 moment of brilliance. The Ramones saved rock and roll!

  7. 7.

    download my app in the app store mistermix

    March 1, 2020 at 10:30 am

    @ThresherK: I’m a sucker for a jangly guitar.

    @Amir Khalid: Aren’t you a big Springsteen fan?  Night, Born to Run, 3 minutes exactly.  That’s a great song

    @debbie:    Perfect song for the Trump era.

  8. 8.

    Craig

    March 1, 2020 at 10:33 am

    Lexicon Devil by Germs covered by Melvin’s. 1:43.

    ETA: BADGE by Cream. Genius song.

  9. 9.

    Amir Khalid

    March 1, 2020 at 10:33 am

    @download my app in the app store mistermix:

    Night is a great song, but it doesn’t go like a rocket.

    ETA: Because I’m a pedant, the line from Springsteen’s ode to kids in their first band goes, “We learned more from a three-minute record than we ever learned in school.” We, not I.

  10. 10.

    Cameron

    March 1, 2020 at 10:33 am

    Sorry – this is longer than 3 minutes, so please skip by if so inclined.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJzgzoEV1kg

  11. 11.

    hells littlest angel

    March 1, 2020 at 10:33 am

    The Red Aunts, “I Can’t Do Anything Right,” 51 seconds, perfect rock n roll:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye23jB9I8mk

  12. 12.

    germy

    March 1, 2020 at 10:34 am

    I really like Tierra Whack.  Back in 2018 she released an album of one minute songs:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOTebhPy04g

    A great video to go with each song, too.

    (And ten years ago she was homeless. A real success story.)

  13. 13.

    ThresherK

    March 1, 2020 at 10:36 am

    How can I forget the perfect little slice of Beatleiania that is XTC’s Earn Enough for Us?

  14. 14.

    frosty

    March 1, 2020 at 10:37 am

    Don’t know the actual time by the clock but I’ll throw out Black Is Black (I want my baby back) by Los Bravos.  It’s got one of my all-time favorite bass lines.

  15. 15.

    Sure Lurkalot

    March 1, 2020 at 10:37 am

    Walk Away Renee. Under three minutes. Original Left Bank and a few fine covers.

  16. 16.

    TPO

    March 1, 2020 at 10:39 am

    Breakdown

  17. 17.

    Craig

    March 1, 2020 at 10:40 am

    @hells littlest angel: they were awesome.

  18. 18.

    MomSense

    March 1, 2020 at 10:40 am

    My Babe, Little Walter.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=duRp_avXtMM

  19. 19.

    debbie

    March 1, 2020 at 10:42 am

    @Sure Lurkalot:

    I’ll see your Left Banke and raise you the Troggs.

  20. 20.

    Lefty McLefterson

    March 1, 2020 at 10:43 am

    @ThresherK: That’s a masterpiece. But I can’t lie I’ve jammed to the XTC tunes ‘Are You Receiving Me?’ or ‘Red’ way more often.

  21. 21.

    cleek

    March 1, 2020 at 10:44 am

    Blur, Song #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSbBvKaM6sk

    shit, Big Star has like half a dozen on their first two records that should be on any list, from In The Street to September Gurls.

  22. 22.

    jeffreyw

    March 1, 2020 at 10:47 am

    I do like a nice boogie.

  23. 23.

    Benw

    March 1, 2020 at 10:48 am

    West coast: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L7-zRWai5yY

    East coast: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypkmp6D90KU

  24. 24.

    download my app in the app store mistermix

    March 1, 2020 at 10:53 am

    @Amir Khalid: Thanks, corrected to what lyricsfind says.  Someday I’ll learn the lesson of never trusting my memory, however I find it difficult to remember to do so.

    @Sure Lurkalot: That’s a good song.  I just looked it up and there are a lot of covers.  The Left Banke version is 2:42.  Rickie Lee Jones covered it and hers is 4:28.  That made sense to me.

    @cleek: Another good one (Blur).  Jeez, you’re right about Big Star.  The first four top played on Google Play Music are all under 3.

  25. 25.

    Amir Khalid

    March 1, 2020 at 10:54 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    Correction: Night does go like a rocket, but the Stones’ I wanna Be Your Man goes even faster.

  26. 26.

    ThresherK

    March 1, 2020 at 10:54 am

    @Lefty McLefterson:  Andy P. himself has remarked on how the band have gone “Beatles backwards” from triangular new wavey items like AYRM and This is Pop, to songs on Skylarking, Oranges&Lemons, and Nonesuch which resembled the Fab Fours’ earlier efforts.

  27. 27.

    Craig

    March 1, 2020 at 10:55 am

    @cleek: Song #2, and September Gurls are perfect.

  28. 28.

    download my app in the app store mistermix

    March 1, 2020 at 10:57 am

    @Benw:

    West coast: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L7-zRWai5yY

    East coast: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypkmp6D90KU

    Best Coast (Only Place, 2:59):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJW00gx4wvE

    Sorry, couldn’t resist.

  29. 29.

    Mike E

    March 1, 2020 at 10:58 am

    Bill Withers, Ain’t No Sunshine… barely 2 minutes of pop perfection

  30. 30.

    PaulWartenberg

    March 1, 2020 at 11:01 am

    DAMMIT

    Plimsouls’ “Million Miles Away” clocks in at 3:35.

    It’s still great.

  31. 31.

    A Ghost To Most

    March 1, 2020 at 11:02 am

    Don’t Bogart That Joint

    Fraternity Of Man/Little Feat

  32. 32.

    MomSense

    March 1, 2020 at 11:02 am

    @jeffreyw:

    Good song!

  33. 33.

    MoxieM

    March 1, 2020 at 11:03 am

    favorite?  I’d be here all day.  For some reason Black Tongue by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs popped into my mind. Clocks in at 2.59. Perfect! linky 

  34. 34.

    jeffreyw

    March 1, 2020 at 11:04 am

    I Put A Spell On You

    Great song, lots of covers.  I like this one for an under 3:00 version.

  35. 35.

    Craig

    March 1, 2020 at 11:04 am

    Everything I know about sex I learned from KISS- Hickey 1:37

    https://youtu.be/YLj-Cmwq9Xg

  36. 36.

    johnnybuck

    March 1, 2020 at 11:06 am

    Radio Free Europe 3:11

  37. 37.

    jeffreyw

    March 1, 2020 at 11:06 am

    Two greats on this cover of The Weight.

  38. 38.

    MoxieM

    March 1, 2020 at 11:07 am

    @cleek: speaking of Big Star, the ‘Mats song Alex Chilton is a classic. linky  As are many Replacements songs, of course.

  39. 39.

    jeffreyw

    March 1, 2020 at 11:09 am

    Billie Holiday – Summertime

  40. 40.

    EthylEster

    March 1, 2020 at 11:10 am

    Red Rubber Ball 2:18 pure pop co-written by Paul Simon

    3 verses plus a chorus

    “I think it’s gonna be alright. Yeah, the worst is over now.”

  41. 41.

    James E Powell

    March 1, 2020 at 11:10 am

    The Beatles had many great songs under 3:00 that they probably deserve a post of their own.

    Three non-Beatle stand outs:

    Queen doing everything Queen does well in 2:17

    The Box Tops with one of the greatest AM radio songs in 1:54

    Jefferson Airplane’s (arguably) greatest single in 2:33

  42. 42.

    Nicole

    March 1, 2020 at 11:10 am

    I’m a sucker for Cat Stevens’ “The Wind.”

    I think a lot of early rock singles were expected to be under 3 minutes long, for easier insertion of commercials on the radio. The Beatles were one of the pioneers in pushing longer hit singles onto radio (and yet, of course, with “Yesterday,” writing one of the finest short pop songs ever).

  43. 43.

    delk

    March 1, 2020 at 11:12 am

    Shoes Tomorrow Night

    2:57

  44. 44.

    A Ghost To Most

    March 1, 2020 at 11:16 am

    “Buttholeville” from Town Burned Down, by Adam’s House Cat, is 3 minutes of driving, lost classic rock n roll, circa 1990.

  45. 45.

    Benw

    March 1, 2020 at 11:18 am

    @download my app in the app store mistermix: lol LA rocks! Him jumping into the pool with that lovely Fender, yowch

  46. 46.

    DigitalAmish

    March 1, 2020 at 11:19 am

    Jefferson Airplane – White Rabbit  (2:33)  Only to be played at full volume.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnJM_jC7j_4

  47. 47.

    DigitalAmish

    March 1, 2020 at 11:21 am

    @James E Powell:  Damn it!  I’m always late with these things.

  48. 48.

    Zeecube

    March 1, 2020 at 11:33 am

    “Poor Little Critter on the Road” by X.  Great hangover song.  Also excellent back in the day for use of the space at the end of a cassette tape.

  49. 49.

    MuckJagger

    March 1, 2020 at 11:43 am

    Only ‘cuz I haven’t seen any of them mentioned yet, I’m gonna give a shout-out to Ramones, The Blasters and Nick Lowe. So many terrific songs in their catalogues, and there are literally dozens that clock in under 3:00.

  50. 50.

    PIGL

    March 1, 2020 at 11:43 am

    Lucky Guy, The Muffs

    that is all.

  51. 51.

    DigitalAmish

    March 1, 2020 at 11:45 am

    Since  @James E Powell beat me to the punch with White Rabbit I’ll go with just about anything from a Buddy Holly playlist.

    For example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2L84dvoag

  52. 52.

    Ronno2018

    March 1, 2020 at 11:47 am

    “Starting with the affirmation of man I work my way backwards using cynicism The time monitor, the space measurer”

    https://youtu.be/dSsGEfi6Nu4

    RIP D. Boon

  53. 53.

    cintibud

    March 1, 2020 at 11:48 am

    Billy Joel – Piano man. The version “they cut it down to 3:05″ LOL (Complaint from BJ song ” I am the entertainer”)  “If you want to have a hit you got to make it quick”

  54. 54.

    smintheus

    March 1, 2020 at 11:49 am

    This will be our year by the Zombies, from an album that dropped after the band had already called it quits.

  55. 55.

    PsiFighter37

    March 1, 2020 at 11:51 am

    “The Kids Aren’t Alright” by The Offspring is a solid entry from my generation / time growing up. Right at 3 minutes on the dot.

  56. 56.

    piratedan

    March 1, 2020 at 11:55 am

    just saying a big ty to delk (power-pop represents!) and johnnybuck (for that lesser known REM fave)

    and in the spirit of this thread, a power-pop never was and at 2:40 is an awesome example of what I consider an awesome example of audible bliss, naturally ymmv…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk-PtE6PIOk

    and something else that just kinds of fits…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amGkjEZMdsE

  57. 57.

    laura

    March 1, 2020 at 11:57 am

    Billy Bragg “Between the Wars”

    X “breathless”

    John Prine “Knocking on my screen door”

  58. 58.

    Mike J

    March 1, 2020 at 11:58 am

    The Letter is 1:52

    Twenty Two Seconds by the Goo Goo Dolls is :40

    Rabbit by the Lemonheads is 1:17  (ETA: 1:44 on the album Lick, 1:17 on Hate your Friends)

    And of course the band the Minutemen were famous for short songs.

  59. 59.

    Steeplejack

    March 1, 2020 at 11:58 am

    Favorite? Oh, hell, ’mix, for anyone who grew up in the ’60s—as a large percentage of your elderly shut-in readers did—everything was under three minutes. Any longer than that and the program director would be sneering, “What is this, some kind of pot-smoking hippie album track?”

    I also hesitated to get into this because everything from my formative musical salad days is old, old, old. But here are two that immediately came to mind when I read this and hold up pretty well on a sunny Sunday morning.

    Unit 4 + 2, “Concrete and Clay.” 2:17. Quirky little gem. Never got the attention it deserved, possibly hampered by the weakest acoustic guitar solo in history. Retro-validated by inclusion in a Wes Anderson soundtrack. (See “quirky little gem” above.)

    The Tremeloes, “Here Comes My Baby.” The most goddamn upbeat song ever about being dumped by a girlfriend. Clocks in at 2:59 even with a leisurely intro and a fade at the end. Written by Cat Stevens, whose version was also retro-validated in a Wes Anderson soundtrack.

    Love, “Seven and Seven Is . . .” 2:19. A little paleo-punk to uncloy the mix.

    Okay, making an effort to come up with something from this century: Durand Jones and the Indications, “Sea Gets Hotter.” 3:17. Just over the line, but close enough. I thought it was a lot longer. This was my theme song last summer.

    Les Sabler, “In the Light.” Okay, 3:56, but that’s pretty crisp in the world of smooth jazz. Great guitar and a kicking horn section. Didn’t mean to include it here, but I couldn’t resist it as I tumbled down the YouTube hole.

  60. 60.

    The Dangerman

    March 1, 2020 at 12:00 pm

    I like short, hard-driving songs.

    You must like Black Betty by Ram Jam (which, BTW, is NOT about a woman named Betty). Clocks in at 2:32.

    If that is too long for you, the original clocks in at 1:55.

  61. 61.

    miserybob

    March 1, 2020 at 12:00 pm

    @PIGL: The Muffs, sooo good.  That whole album is fantastic.

  62. 62.

    WereBear

    March 1, 2020 at 12:05 pm

    Here you go, teen love, rock singing, backbeat that won’t quit and a jukebox mention!

    Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll • TopPop

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5ecqUhec-s

  63. 63.

    miserybob

    March 1, 2020 at 12:06 pm

    Beastie Boys have some great sub-3 minute songs.  The album version of Sabotage clocks in at 2:58.  Fun video, too!

  64. 64.

    Jager

    March 1, 2020 at 12:08 pm

    Capitol Records had a service for radio stations called “short cuts”. They edited songs to under 2 minutes. Imagine “Cry Me a River” by Julie London chopped to 1:54. Sinatra, when he was with Capitol, told them to piss off and wouldn’t allow it.

    When I started in radio, we didn’t do commercials by the number of minutes, we did it by interruptions. Nobody knows or cares how long a commercial is, they just know they hear it. We had the highest-rated top 10 market A/C in the country, we ran 12 interruptions an hour and made a ton of money. My first FM rocker ran 8 and we made money.

  65. 65.

    Sure Lurkalot

    March 1, 2020 at 12:10 pm

    @debbie: Love that one too!

  66. 66.

    Ruckus

    March 1, 2020 at 12:10 pm

    This y tube is longer because there is more than one song in it and it’s a live version.

    But the first song starts at about 30 seconds in and runs about 3 minutes.

    Leon Russell “Will the circle be unbroken?”

  67. 67.

    phein60

    March 1, 2020 at 12:12 pm

    @MuckJagger: Elvis Costello Mystery Dance.   Lots of early Elvis is short, powerful, driven.

  68. 68.

    ruemara

    March 1, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    I don’t really have faves, because I love a lot of music. here’s one to start the day that I adore. Vitals, by Mutemath, remixed with vocals by Flint Eastwood.

  69. 69.

    Benw

    March 1, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    @PsiFighter37: that was just on the radio yesterday – great driving song! Other faves from that time: She/Green Day and American Jesus/Bad Religion

  70. 70.

    lumpkin

    March 1, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    Bizarre Love Triangle, Frente. I think this is the best treatment of the song I’ve heard.

    https://youtu.be/b3AemDaZoEc

  71. 71.

    Mike P

    March 1, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    PJ Harvey – Who the F*ck (2:18 Minutes of glorious energy)

  72. 72.

    JoeyJoeJoe

    March 1, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    Separation of Church and Skate by NoFX is one of mine, and I think a bunch of System of a Down songs are under 3 minutes

  73. 73.

    Steeplejack

    March 1, 2020 at 12:15 pm

    @Cameron:

    Eight minutes of John McLaughlin?! You just shat the bed there, buddy. But well played.

  74. 74.

    jeffreyw

    March 1, 2020 at 12:15 pm

    @The Dangerman:

     

    I said "Oh, Cow Kitty" (Bam-ba-Lam)Whoa, Cow Kitty (Bam-ba-Lam) pic.twitter.com/vYjcZ11AF6— jeffreyw (@imjeffreyw) February 23, 2020

  75. 75.

    piratedan

    March 1, 2020 at 12:16 pm

    @phein60: agreed, both No Dancing and Pump it Up fit the bill exactly…

  76. 76.

    Amir Khalid

    March 1, 2020 at 12:17 pm

    I’m just listening to Jungleland. The Big Man’s legendary sax solo, a kind of song within the song, clocks in at 2:30 minutes, about as long as many songs named here. It certainly does not lack musical substance compared to any of them.

  77. 77.

    kindness

    March 1, 2020 at 12:20 pm

    Back when the Beatles & the Stones started, radio wouldn’t play a song if it was over 3 minutes.  That ‘rule’ wasn’t really broken till Album Orientated Radio became a thing.

  78. 78.

    frosty

    March 1, 2020 at 12:27 pm

    OMG all of these are great!

  79. 79.

    WereBear

    March 1, 2020 at 12:28 pm

    @kindness: Wasn’t Inna Gadda Da Vida the one that broke the time barrier?

  80. 80.

    Craig

    March 1, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    Between the Bars- Elliott Smith. perfect 2:30 pop song

    https://youtu.be/74j0Hs9OkOo

  81. 81.

    Ruckus

    March 1, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    Too long for y’all but it’s a great song for the time.

    John Prine – That’s How Every Empire Falls

  82. 82.

    Kathleen

    March 1, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    Green Onions, Booker T & the MG’s (Booker T was 17 when this record was made)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bpS-cOBK6Q

  83. 83.

    Kathleen

    March 1, 2020 at 12:32 pm

    @download my app in the app store mistermix: Walk Away Renee by the Four Tops

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu5ynjOlnOg

  84. 84.

    Ruckus

    March 1, 2020 at 12:37 pm

    Another just a bit too long but also timely.

    Fuck All The Perfect People – Chip Taylor The New Ukrainians 

  85. 85.

    Steeplejack

    March 1, 2020 at 12:39 pm

    @WereBear:

    “In-a-Gadda-da-Vida” never got much AM air play. “MacArthur Park” did, and it came out a little earlier in 1968. Seven-plus minutes of treacly sludge. The one I remember pushing the time boundary was “Light My Fire” in 1967. There was “radio cut” around three minutes, but there was a lot of interest in the long version.

  86. 86.

    Jager

    March 1, 2020 at 12:39 pm

    @kindness:

    Dylan changed it with “Like a Rolling Stone”.

  87. 87.

    Aleta

    March 1, 2020 at 12:47 pm

    (3:15) Nora Jones, Sunrise

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd02pGJx0s0

  88. 88.

    scottinnj

    March 1, 2020 at 12:58 pm

    Here is a vote for  the absolute masters of < 3 minutes songs (indeed I think substantially all of the songs in their catalog are under 3 minutes) – The Ramones.

    For a favorite I will go with “Teenage Lobotomy” – not only a great song clocking in at 2:01, in that very short time frame you get classic lyrics like:

    Now I guess I’ll have to tell ’em
    That I got no cerebellum

     

    To the best of my knowledge this is the only song that includes the mention of the word cerebellum, and it is part of a rhyme as well.

  89. 89.

    BGinCHI

    March 1, 2020 at 12:59 pm

    First two songs on Parquet Courts’ first record, Light Up Gold:

    “Master of My Craft”

    and

    “Borrowed Time”

    I almost wrecked my car when I first heard these songs, and I wasn’t even driving.

  90. 90.

    Bighorn Ordovician Dolomite

    March 1, 2020 at 1:01 pm

    One of my favorites based on song length

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIw7oeZKpZc

     

    Although to be fair maybe I have missed the point a bit!

  91. 91.

    BGinCHI

    March 1, 2020 at 1:02 pm

    @Mike J: There are almost no Lemonheads songs over 3:00, in the early stuff.

    I saw them 6 or 8 times the summer I lived in Boston (1988), at TT the Bears.

  92. 92.

    Amir Khalid

    March 1, 2020 at 1:08 pm

    Chuck Berry, The Promised Land, 2:23.

  93. 93.

    WereBear

    March 1, 2020 at 1:18 pm

    @Steeplejack: I forgot about “MacArthur Park” but then I always try to!

  94. 94.

    piratedan

    March 1, 2020 at 1:26 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    afaik… the best cover of that awesome tune… Dave Edmunds take

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN5hVveuleI

  95. 95.

    Petesh

    March 1, 2020 at 1:28 pm

    The Beatles Twist and Shout changed my life. I was not quite 14, and I knew immediately that (1) such noise was not proper, and (2) I LOVED it. My first genuinely personal aesthetic decision. Ruined my life, fortunately.

  96. 96.

    Amir Khalid

    March 1, 2020 at 1:28 pm

    @WereBear:

    Why? It’s Albus Dumbledore’s biggest hit.

  97. 97.

    PIGL

    March 1, 2020 at 1:35 pm

    @miserybob: I discovered them only very recently. Lucky guy has the best five words in rock and roll.

  98. 98.

    Gravenstone

    March 1, 2020 at 1:39 pm

    You Keep Me Hangin On

    The Vanilla Fudge version also had a 3:00 edit, to keep with the theme.

  99. 99.

    DropKicker1

    March 1, 2020 at 1:46 pm

    Waiting Room by Fugazi deserves mention.  I hereby mention it!

  100. 100.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    March 1, 2020 at 1:47 pm

    @WereBear:

    As well you should!

  101. 101.

    PIGL

    March 1, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    Here’s one none of you have ever heard of… And I’m talking to you mistermix.

     

    The Modernettes: Barbara & Rebel Kind

    They’re on uTube

  102. 102.

    Ivan X

    March 1, 2020 at 1:55 pm

    I remember as a kid buying Devo’s Freedom Of Choice LP and noting that ten of its twelve songs are under three minutes. Whip It is a perfect example, at 2:37. Efficient, succinct, effective.

    The Descendents probably will forever own the definitive short song, All — just the word “all,” one second long.

    i’m going to take a moment to self-promote, since it seems like a good moment to do so — I spent the last year embracing a one-minute-max, at-least-one-per-week ethic and wrote 70 songs. Some work within the constraint, a few do end up sounding like incomplete intros. They’re not for everybody, but if you’d like to hear them they are on Instagram (with videos) and SoundCloud, if you search for ivanxnyc at either place.

  103. 103.

    Citizen Alan

    March 1, 2020 at 2:00 pm

    @WereBear: I always loved MacArthur Park, but it was because the first version I ever heard was an instrumental jazz version by Maynard Ferguson.  It wasn’t until many years later that I even learned the song had lyrics, let alone hilariously bad lyrics.

  104. 104.

    Ivan X

    March 1, 2020 at 2:04 pm

    @lumpkin: this triggered a thought exercise as to whether New Order ever laid down a song under three minutes. I know their catalog very well (at least their 80’s output) and off the top of my head I can’t think of any.

  105. 105.

    Aleta

    March 1, 2020 at 2:08 pm

    Breaking form (trans-genre I guess):
    Instrumental (1.53) Rhiannon Giddens – Following the North Star 
    I Won’t Back Down  (song lasts about 3.15)  arranged/sung by Rhiannon Giddens, Dirk Powell & studio-recording friends

    (2:28) Rhiannon Giddens – Wayfaring Stranger

  106. 106.

    trollhattan

    March 1, 2020 at 2:22 pm

    @scottinnj:

    My Ramones intro was “Beat on the Brat,” which floored me then had me in stitches.

    The added enjoyment was it being played on “Your mother won’t like it” a show that featured a listener spinning records for a couple of hours on Sunday evening, on a Seattle commercial “FM Rock” station.

    Guaranteed auto-recoil will result from reviewing this Billboard Top 100 from 1976, the year that gave us the Ramones. They helped save music (unless Captain & Tennille and Starland Vocal Band and Donnie and Marie are your thang).

  107. 107.

    trollhattan

    March 1, 2020 at 2:25 pm

    @Citizen Alan:

    That damn cake in the damn rain. Will nobody save the poor cake?!?

  108. 108.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    March 1, 2020 at 2:31 pm

    @trollhattan:

    And we’ll never find the recipe again!

  109. 109.

    Jack Canuck

    March 1, 2020 at 2:32 pm

    @PIGL: You are so mistaken that none of us have ever heard of the Modernettes! Got some of their stuff on vinyl, and picked up the Zulu and Sudden Death compilation CDs as they came out. Awesome band, great songs.

  110. 110.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    March 1, 2020 at 2:45 pm

    I can give you an entire album. Practically every son on Get Happy by Elvis Costello & The Attractions clocks in under 3:00 and that album is strong start to finish. Also Strict Time by them is great too

  111. 111.

    Elizabelle

    March 1, 2020 at 2:50 pm

    Love this thread!  Look forward to hearing some new music — that will not wear out its welcome.

  112. 112.

    Sister Golden Bear

    March 1, 2020 at 2:57 pm

    Xs cover of “Breathless”

  113. 113.

    p.a.

    March 1, 2020 at 2:59 pm

    This is old.

    This is short.

    This is great.

    https://youtu.be/WWolUsgO_to

  114. 114.

    RSA

    March 1, 2020 at 3:35 pm

    Checking out my playlist for songs within 5 seconds of 3:00, I find a few favorites:

    Cage The Elephant – Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKtsdZs9LJo
    U2 – Desire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8rQ575DWD8
    Green Day – Basket Case https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUTGr5t3MoY

    They all capture the spirit of a 3-minute song, for me, but in different ways.

  115. 115.

    Ruckus

    March 1, 2020 at 3:35 pm

    Have a question.

    Life isn’t 3 minutes long, why should songs be?

  116. 116.

    2liberal

    March 1, 2020 at 3:39 pm

    hard driving pete townshend  song jools and jim 2:36

    Utube Link

  117. 117.

    NickM

    March 1, 2020 at 3:45 pm

    Orgasm Addict by The Buzzcocks. Gets the job done in about 2 minutes.

  118. 118.

    BGinCHI

    March 1, 2020 at 4:05 pm

    @NickM: Joke here somewhere.

  119. 119.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    March 1, 2020 at 4:14 pm

    @BGinCHI:

    “That’s what she said.”

  120. 120.

    ThresherK

    March 1, 2020 at 4:27 pm

    @NickM: “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone)”, at 2’40”, and not an extraneous second, suggests a trend.

  121. 121.

    BGinCHI

    March 1, 2020 at 4:33 pm

    @ThresherK: The Buzzcocks and The Undertones produced a very long list of amazing 3 minute gems.

    I love The Undertones.

  122. 122.

    FlipYrWhig

    March 1, 2020 at 5:03 pm

    Squeeze, Another Nail in My Heart, is 2:55.

    i was hoping the Black Keys, Lonely Boy, would work, but it’s 3:00+.

  123. 123.

    piratedan

    March 1, 2020 at 5:56 pm

    @BGinCHI:

    Teenage kicks is an absolute classic

    @FlipYrWhig:

    imho their best effort (although Messed Around is pretty close)

    this comes pretty close at 3:08

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXVhh7TKgcA

  124. 124.

    Kathleen

    March 1, 2020 at 5:56 pm

    @jeffreyw: Robert Randolph resurrected this:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inqLkhPd8LU

  125. 125.

    Bruuuuce

    March 1, 2020 at 6:02 pm

    Wow. No Fans of The La’s? The entirety of their eponymous album clocks in at three minutes and under (except for a few seconds here and there). Here’s Doledrum

  126. 126.

    Shana

    March 1, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    @2liberal: I took a History of Rock and Roll class my senior year of college (’80-81) and The Boy Looked at Johnny by Julie (Jools) was one of our required texts.

  127. 127.

    RSA

    March 1, 2020 at 6:22 pm

    @Bruuuuce: No Fans of The La’s?

    Does it count if I’m a huge fan of There She Goes?

  128. 128.

    Bruuuuce

    March 1, 2020 at 6:29 pm

    @RSA: Sure. I was just a bit surprised not to see them at all in the thread. Then again, it took 49 comments to get to The Ramones, whose concerts clocked in at 38 songs in 90 or 100 minutes.

  129. 129.

    suezboo

    March 1, 2020 at 6:36 pm

    Chopin’s Minute Waltz clocks in at about 2 minutes. Never trust a Pole in Paris.

    Have you heard Streisand’s version? Quite droll.

  130. 130.

    RSA

    March 1, 2020 at 6:41 pm

    @Bruuuuce: I’m also surprised (though I haven’t read carefully) not to have come across mention of Creedence Clearwater Revival, whose reputation a generation earlier (in rock and roll years :-) was built almost entirely on tight short songs.

  131. 131.

    Bruuuuce

    March 1, 2020 at 6:57 pm

    @RSA: Yes. Just looking at the Best of CCR album, we see (excluding a number of 3:00-3:15 songs), “Bad Moon Rising”, “Up Around the Bend”, “Good Golly Miss Molly”, “Commotion”, “Who’ll Stop the Rain”, ‘Green River”, “Lookin’ OUt My Backdoor”, and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” — and that’s just Disc 1 (of 2). Definitely in the sweet spot for the AM Top 40 3:00 mandates of their time.

  132. 132.

    RSA

    March 1, 2020 at 7:10 pm

    @Bruuuuce:  I have that album, on cd, but I haven’t ripped it to my computer! Thanks for the reminder.

  133. 133.

    billcinsd

    March 1, 2020 at 8:09 pm

    @Bruuuuce: well, it took 49 comments if you ignore debbie at #6

  134. 134.

    billcinsd

    March 1, 2020 at 8:13 pm

    Some unmentioned goodies

    No Place Like Home — The Neighborhoods

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nppopfNt3ks

    Bigger Stones by The Beat Farmers

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92T6skSf_6g

    and a longer one — 1 time, 2 times, devastated by the DM3

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99JwwTNkXLY

  135. 135.

    Bruuuuce

    March 1, 2020 at 8:23 pm

    @billcinsd: I plead youth and innocence and long and faithful service, all of which derive from eyes awaiting cataract surgery. Thanks for correcting me.

  136. 136.

    mad citizen

    March 1, 2020 at 8:45 pm

    Come on man, between this and the Noir thread, too many cool things on BJ tonight!  I’m sure I could think of 100 if I put some time in, but my first thought went to the Feelies, who have many.  How about Fa Ce La, clocking in at two minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv0HcnTkO54

    Or, heard this one arriving at work one day last week, clocking in at 1:16, Bruce with Held Up Without a Gun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxBhIeTARBE

    The Minutemen…

  137. 137.

    mad citizen

    March 1, 2020 at 8:48 pm

    @RSA: Desire is one of my favorite U2 songs.  Bo Diddley would have been the first music billionaire if he had got paid from all the songs using his beat.

  138. 138.

    Lee M Meade

    March 1, 2020 at 9:18 pm

    (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes

    Elvis Costello

  139. 139.

    BigJimSlade

    March 1, 2020 at 9:34 pm

    Dooooods!!!! (please take that as a full-spectrum of gender possibilities ‘dude’)
    Lots of great stuff listed above, but Wire’s first album, “Pink Flag” has 23 songs and only 2 of them are over 3 minutes (if you forgive 4 seconds over on another) – and it’s awesome!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wi94-JGrtc

    @download my app in the app store mistermix – you know this one, right? I mean, you gotta!

  140. 140.

    cope

    March 1, 2020 at 10:24 pm

    Just over 2 minutes on YT, poetic story in the lyrics and wonderful guitar work, “Wasn’t Born to Follow” by the Byrds is my choice.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hEfcawx6Fc

  141. 141.

    PIGL

    March 1, 2020 at 11:36 pm

    @Jack Canuck: I see that I have flushed another Canadian of a certain age.

    I could’ve mentioned Cub: Main and Broadway.

  142. 142.

    JWR

    March 2, 2020 at 12:04 am

    Dead thread? Oh well, here’s a shout out for Spot 1019, a Santa Cruz – SF bay area based band (c. 1986 – 1996), who’s guitarist was my BFF starting in grammar school, was the bassist in all of our bands together, and remains a great friend to this day.

    Here’s a cut from their second album, “This World Owes Me A Buzz” (from back when they were label-mates and best buds w/ Camper Van Beethoven), and it’s called Peace War (2:08)

  143. 143.

    Mike G

    March 2, 2020 at 1:51 am

    Depeche Mode – I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead  (2:18)

    (an upbeat song with a totally random title)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De6si7sgEx4

  144. 144.

    Jack Canuck

    March 2, 2020 at 4:58 am

    @PIGL: Dead thread, but just in case – yes, you have. And I’ll add to your Modernettes with DSK: Cementhead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-D1Se-zBa4

  145. 145.

    oldpunk

    March 2, 2020 at 2:16 pm

    How about under 30 seconds?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhc4m2zPHI0

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