How Short Is Too Short?

Caught

How short is too short in your opinion for a song?

I've always figured two mins and if it's smaller the song is no good.

I wrote a song I like thats 1 min 37 seconds and I wasn't happy when I timed it cause it was so short and there's nothing I can do to make it longer.

So how short is too short do yous think?

xyz1

I wouldnt worry about the length of the song to be honest, if you've done all you think you can with it then leave it as it is. Some songs are long, some are short, theres no need getting hung up on it really. Why dont you post it up and let us have a listen?

theguiltyfolk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUSYlii-374

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNXTh4A4uS0

Songs are long as they need to be. The usual problem is that people write songs that are too long.

Aidan
www.facebook.com/theguiltyfolk

Jemmaa

Caught wrote: »

How short is too short in your opinion for a song?

I've always figured two mins and if it's smaller the song is no good.

I wrote a song I like thats 1 min 37 seconds and I wasn't happy when I timed it cause it was so short and there's nothing I can do to make it longer.

So how short is too short do yous think?

I think there are no rules, it comes naturally. Just stop when you feel you've said enough.

Caught

Thank you everyone(:

xyz1 wrote: »

I wouldnt worry about the length of the song to be honest, if you've done all you think you can with it then leave it as it is. Some songs are long, some are short, theres no need getting hung up on it really. Why dont you post it up and let us have a listen?

Bahahaha, no. :L I'm 15. Anything I say or do sucks. :L I'm no talented Crystal Swing in the making [cant believe the girls only going into 6th year ]. :L

Basically, that'd be embarrassing to think about for the rest of my life. Have you ever read over your first ever song and gone "OMG are you serious? I wrote this terrible thing and thought it was actually half good?" :L

red_ice

anything under a second is just pants.

Shapey Fiend

I like short songs. They tend to work best in the context of an album though of course. One of my favorite rappers just spits for 130seconds or so and it's onto the next track before the loop gets time to get played out.

There are a lot of bands that have incredibly short songs too. Beach Boys songs tend to be mad short even though they'll have an intro, verse, bridge, chorus and outro in them. Wire is another that comes to mind. They've a few classic albums and some of the tracks are 30 seconds or thereabouts.

Colm!

One of the greatest songs (well, it's actually a reprise, but it works very well on its own) I know is "The Suburbs (Continued)":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6RUjC-o51g

It does everything it needs to in one minute twenty eight.

ttoppcat

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

Good things come in small packages;)

PMI

If your writing a song for the right reasons then time wont matter, if your writing to become part of the crowd then 3:10 is your goal

Columbia

There's an album called Short Music for Short People, in which 101 bands play songs between 8 and 39 seconds in length. Plenty good stuff on that (although some absolute dirge too), so I don't think there's a 'minimum' really.

PMI

remember napalm death had some tracks that lasted 7 seconds haha

irokie

PMI wrote: »

remember napalm death had some tracks that lasted 7 seconds haha

HAH! I was going to try find a link to SCUM.

OP, as you are 15 and writing songs that are short, you might find this interesting. It's an album with 101 tracks on it called Short Music for Short people. The running time is under the 80 minutes permissible by a CD.

Joe_Dull

Whatever length you want

KeanSeenan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWt3WVH0iA4

Tokyo Police Club's first e.p. had plenty of short songs.
I think alot of songs benefit from it as they're more to the point and catchy.
The late Jay Reatard also wrote some brilliant short punk songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAv1olf6KuI

Absolutely Cuckoo is a brilliant one, too.