Go Back  DVD Talk Forum > Entertainment Discussions > Music Talk
Reload this Page >

How long is a "long" song?

Music Talk Discuss music in all its forms: CD, MP3, DVD-A, SACD and of course live

How long is a "long" song?

Old 02-19-02, 01:47 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Gorgoroth, Massachusetts
Posts: 602
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
How long is a "long" song?

Okay, this a silly, useless topic, but I'm curious about how other people view song lengths.

I'm sure it depends on what type of music you listen to. With alot of the music I've listened to throughout my life (from art-rock to metal to ambient/electronic), twenty minute songs are not at all unusual. I've even got a few CDs consisting of single 60-minute tracks. If all you listen to is Top 40, then maybe you consider anything over four minutes to be lengthy.

Anyway, my answer is eight minutes. I don't even begin to think of a song as long unless it's over 8:00. (Anything under 4:30 or so seems short to me, while the 4:30 to 8:00 range feels "average".)
Old 02-19-02, 02:05 PM
  #2  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: A suburbē of Miami
Posts: 5,943
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Over 7.
Old 02-19-02, 03:20 PM
  #3  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 9,779
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
For me, anything that is over 6 minutes gets into pretty long.

The majority of bands do not understand enough about musical composition to build a strong enough structure for a song longer than 4-5 minutes. It's pretty pathetic, but it is true that there are very few technically proficient bands.

That said, I've been a fan of Dream Theater and Yes (which often make 20 minute songs or longer). Also, I enjoy listening to Godspeed! and Devil Doll who both write songs that can be 60-70 minutes.
Old 02-19-02, 03:30 PM
  #4  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Boise
Posts: 3,371
Likes: 0
Received 28 Likes on 9 Posts
It seems to me that the longer a band has been around, the longer their songs get. Also, the worse. It's almost as if they forget what their music is all about to begin with.
Old 02-19-02, 03:31 PM
  #5  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Richmond, TX
Posts: 14,583
Received 68 Likes on 45 Posts
An overly long song is anything by Limp Bisquick.
Old 02-19-02, 03:45 PM
  #6  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: North Mankato, MN
Posts: 7,739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Any over 5:59.
Old 02-19-02, 04:01 PM
  #7  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 284
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
First off, I love the beatles, but . . .

The Long and Winding Road is what I consider a long song. It has little to do with length, but quality. CCR does a long version of I Heard it Through the Grapevine that does not seem nearly so long as this shorter Beatles song or that much longer than the real version of this song.

Any GnR song that was over five minutes was too long, and every Collective Soul song on the radio, if indeed they are different songes, is too long.
Old 02-19-02, 04:46 PM
  #8  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Surrounded by idiots...
Posts: 6,990
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I'd say over 5:30 minutes makes me think "hey, that's a long song".
Old 02-19-02, 05:33 PM
  #9  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 3,622
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 1 Post
Depends on what kind of music you're talking about.

If I'm listening to punk, 3:30 is a long song.

If I'm listening to pop music, 5:00 or more is a long song.

If I'm listening to jazz or jamband music, 15:00 or more is a long song.
Old 02-19-02, 05:38 PM
  #10  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 2,864
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
totally depends on the music.
most of the stuff i listen to times in at about 10:00+.....
so anything over that is pretty long.

...and then there are things like dream theater that clock in at 42 minutes, and it seems short.

Old 02-19-02, 06:20 PM
  #11  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Goat3001's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 17,116
Received 23 Likes on 11 Posts
Anything over 8 or 9 minutes
Old 02-19-02, 07:07 PM
  #12  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: is everything
Posts: 17,990
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Tusk by Fleetwood Mack
Old 02-20-02, 09:04 AM
  #13  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Earth
Posts: 5,863
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Ha! You call that long? For me long is 20 minutes+ (such as 2112 by Rush and Echoes by Pink Floyd. The original not the shortened version that appears on the new Greatest Hits disc)
Old 02-20-02, 09:57 AM
  #14  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,545
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally posted by sherm42
It seems to me that the longer a band has been around, the longer their songs get. Also, the worse. It's almost as if they forget what their music is all about to begin with.
Depends on what era the band in question started off in: for instance, there are many bands that started off in the late 60s/early 70s that wrote material reaching 10-20 minutes or more in length (Led Zep, Floyd, Rush, Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, etc). Such material is not for those with attention span issues Judging a song by it's length is pure silliness - the content is what matters. God help us if the only material deemed worth listening to be limited to 3-4 minutes
Old 02-20-02, 11:51 AM
  #15  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Florida
Posts: 5,456
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
to me a song gets long not by length, but by being overly repetitive. Yet I love techno......... Strange dichotomy,,,,,,,,
Old 02-20-02, 01:27 PM
  #16  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 671
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Generally, anything 6 minutes or longer for me. Of course, I'm talking about pop/rock stuff. Jazz could be longer, sure.

On the other hand, there are "long" songs (by the definition above) that I don't think are long at all, just because they're so great. It's like movies -- bad 90-minute movies can seem twice as long as 3-hour masterpieces instead of the other way around.
Old 02-20-02, 02:52 PM
  #17  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Surrounded by idiots...
Posts: 6,990
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally posted by dfbennett
Ha! You call that long? For me long is 20 minutes+ (such as 2112 by Rush and Echoes by Pink Floyd. The original not the shortened version that appears on the new Greatest Hits disc)
So, on average, you like lots of songs that reach the 15:00 mark?? That's pretty strange, sir!
Old 02-20-02, 02:55 PM
  #18  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Gorgoroth, Massachusetts
Posts: 602
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally posted by RoQuEr
to me a song gets long not by length, but by being overly repetitive. Yet I love techno......... Strange dichotomy,,,,,,,,
Yeah, there's something about electronic music that's just more mesmerizing and hypnotic to me. Once it gets a good groove or synthline going, it can explore a theme for 10 minutes and I won't get bored. But with more traditional rock music, if a guitar riff went on for that amount of time I'd be like "what the hell is this?"
Old 02-20-02, 02:58 PM
  #19  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 15,108
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I'd say 8 minutes

I also think anything under 4 minutes is way to short
Old 02-20-02, 03:08 PM
  #20  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Earth
Posts: 5,863
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Toad,
I wouldn't say that most songs I like average 15 minutes, but I really don't think a song that 6-8 minutes is very long. Since Rush is my favorite band, and they have alot of songs in the 8 minutes or more category, I don't think a song is that long until is hits about 20 minutes. It's definately an aquired taste but it's really cool to be 20 minutes into a cd and only finishing up the first song
Old 02-20-02, 09:32 PM
  #21  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Columbus
Posts: 1,015
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I agree with the 8 minute folks. Bohemian Rhapsody, Stairway to Heaven, and American Pie are all 8 minutes and some odd seconds I believe.

Now, what is a REALLY long song? Try Peter Frampton's Do You Feel Like I Do? My word, I can change the station and completely forget about it being on, listen to a couple tunes on another station, and then turn it back to here Peter still going strong.

I am excluding classical music, as it can often last upwards of an hour for a single track.
Old 02-20-02, 09:55 PM
  #22  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: My apartment
Posts: 2,644
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It completely depends on the type of music - One of my favorite songs is Atom Heart Mother, by Pink Floyd it is 23 minutes long I think. If its big important music then the length doesn't matter

then there is John Cage's 4:33. THats a "short" song that is very long. I prefer long songs to short ones typically because the longer ones typically have more meaning
Old 02-21-02, 01:55 PM
  #23  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Solaris
Posts: 1,757
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
To me, anything over 15:00 is long. For example:

The End (live in New York) - The Doors
Blues at Sunrise - Albert King
Most blues songs
Old 02-21-02, 08:21 PM
  #24  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 1,128
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The second concert I ever took my girlfriend to was this one:

Phish - 11/28/97
1: The Wedge, Foam, Simple, TMWSIY-> Avenu Malkenu-> TMWSIY, The Sloth, Ginseng Sullivan, I Saw It Again, Horn, Water in the Sky, David Bowie

2: Runaway Jim*-> Strange Design-> Harry Hood#, Prince Caspian, Suzy Greenberg

E: Buffalo Bill**-> Moby Dick^-> Fire

I know most people don't recognize the songs but the first song of the second set (Runaway Jim) lasted somewhere around an hour. By the end of the show I kind of figured I would never be able to drag her to a Phish show again (the night before had been her first Phish concert) but luckily it had the opposite affect.
Old 02-21-02, 10:06 PM
  #25  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,507
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Anything much past 5 minutes is long for me.... not too long by any means, but longer than what I usually listen to.

Most songs I listen to are about 3 - 3 1/2 minutes. Guess I have a short attention span

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.