CURIOSITIES
What are the shortest songs in rock music? Here are some of the most famous (one of them lasts less than 2 seconds!)
Very short, but intense: some songs last a few minutes (or even a few seconds), but they are enough to remain in the history of rock and music in general.
In this ranking we find some of the most famous rock songs, but also of a shorter overall duration.
Among these songs, also some famous artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Led Zeppelin and of course Beatles, which when it comes to charts, somehow are always present.
Here are some of the shortest songs in the history of rock!
Some of the shortest pieces in the history of rock
Very short, but intense: some songs last very few minutes (or even very few seconds), but this time is enough to remain in the history of music. In this ranking we find some of the most famous rock songs, but also of shorter overall duration. Here are some of the shortest songs in the history of rock!
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin: 2 minutes 26 seconds
This song has one of the most famous intros in the history of rock. It is the opening track of the album Led Zeppelin III and is the only song on the album to have been released as a radio track.
Help - The Beatles: 2 minutes 18 seconds
John Lennon, who wrote the song, considered Help one of the best songs he had ever written. For the writing of the text, Lennon was inspired by the sense of discomfort and stress that he began to feel after the sudden notoriety achieved with the Beatles.
Blizkrieg Pop - Ramones: 2 minutes and 12 seconds
Blizkrieg Pop is the first song released by Ramones. The song occupies the ninety-second place in the ranking of the 500 best songs of all time, made by the magazine Rolling Stone. The text of Blizkrieg Pop refers to the tactics of war conceived by Germany during World War II.
Song 2 - Blur: 2 minutes 02 seconds
Song 2 was supposed to be the working title of this song, since the Blur had not yet decided on the official name, which then remained just Song 2. The song was ranked sixth on the list of the most recognizable refrains of all time.
Effervescing Elephant - Syd Barrett: one minute and 52 seconds
This song is taken from a poem by Edward Lear and is known for its typically childish rhythm, as if SydBarrett were telling a fairy tale to a child.
Please, Please, Please, Let Get What I Want - Smiths: one minute and 50 seconds
In this song the sound of the mandolin predominates, played by the producer John Porter. The lyrics are a prayer for a better life and to get out of the isolation in which the protagonist of the song himself had thrown himself.
You Always Sing the Same - Red Hot Chili Peppers: 19 seconds
You Always Sing the Same officially lasts 19 seconds, but the singing part is even shorter: just 15 seconds! In this particular song, the singer Anthony Kiedis always repeats the same words from beginning to end.
You Suffer - Napalm Death: 1.316 seconds
You got it right: You Suffer lasts just over a second and for this reason it holds the record for the shortest song in history. Given its brevity, the Napalm Death had no problem playing this song in all their concerts!
Rankings
25/04/2024
The well-known US magazine Rolling Stone in 2021 has updated the list of the 500 most beautiful songs of all time.
The ranking was first published on December 11, 2003 and was compiled by a jury chosen by the editorial staff, composed of 172 musicians, music critics and experts in the recording industry. Subsequently, the ranking was changed twice: the first in 2010, the second in 2021, when 254 songs that were previously not present were added.
Obviously, there is nothing more subjective than music: these songs are considered the best according to the criteria defined by Rolling Stonemagazine, but each of us has his own personal ranking of the best songs ever. Here, however, is the Top 20 of Rolling Stone.
Rankings
23/04/2024
In 2008, 'Rolling Stone' compiled a list of the 100 best singers of all time.
This ranking was compiled 15 years ago by 180 people, including several musicians (e.g. Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Justin Timberlake, George Michael, Keith Richards), journalists and music experts.
On 1 January 2023, however, 'Rolling Stone' published an update of the ranking that revolutionised the list, especially with regard to the Top Ten. As the well-known US magazine was keen to point out, this ranking does not only take into account technical and vocal abilities (it is not a list of the best voices of all time), but also the originality of the vocal timbre, the record catalogue, the writing ability and the musical legacy of the singers in question. Here are the top 20 positions.