Are you wondering who holds the record for the shortest song ever recorded? Well, by the end of this article you will surely get your answer.
The average duration for a regular song fits between 2:30 to 5:00 minutes. This is not mentioned anywhere, but that’s what our common sense tells us.
But there are songs that are too short to be true and are surprisingly recorded by the greatest bands that the world has ever witnessed. So, without wasting any time let’s jump into it.
Here are 10 shortest songs ever recorded by big bands
1. Yeah by Queen
Duration – 0.02 Seconds
Number one in the list is ‘Yeah’ by Queen. Arguably “Yeah’ is the shortest song ever recorded in the history of music. In the song, you can hear Freddie Mercury only saying ‘yeah’. This word is taken from the song “Action This Day” from one of their album “Hot Space ” that was released in 1982.
2. Empty Spaces by Linkin Park
Duration – 0:20 Seconds
Number second in the list is ‘Empty Spaces‘ by Linkin Park. It is the fourth song recorded under the album ‘A Thousand Years’ that is released in 2010. This track serves as an introduction for the song ‘When They Come For Me‘. One can hear sounds of birds chirping, war battle, a bomb exploding and people chants in this 20 sec of interlude.
3. Her Majesty by Beatles
Duration – 0:25 Seconds
Third in the list is ‘Her Majesty‘ by The Beatles. This song was recorded in 3 takes under their 1969 album, ‘Abbey Road’. In rock music history this song is considered as the first example of hidden tracks in an album. McCartney sang this song while playing fingerstyle on his guitar simultaneously. Later ‘The Beatles’ also recorded a longer version for this song.
4. Stop by Pink Floyd
Duration – 0:30 Seconds
Number fourth in the list we have ‘Stop’ by Pink Floyd. Recorded and released in 1979 under the album ‘The Wall’, this song surely made an emotional impact in just 30 seconds. The verse for this song goes like this:-
“I wanna go home
Take off this uniform and leave the show
But I’m waiting in this cell because I have to know
(Have to know, have to know…)
Have I been guilty all this time?
(Have to know, have to know, have to know, have to know…)
(Time, time, time, time…)
5. Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon by Queen
Duration – 1:07 Minutes
Fifth on the list we have ‘Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon‘ by Queen. Recorded and released in 1975 under the album ‘A Night At The Opera‘, this song is all about a man’s love for his Sunday afternoon. In an interview with Record Mirror in 1976, F. Mercury explained and described this song by saying ‘that’s the way the mood takes me‘.
6. Pigs On The Wing 1 by Pink Floyd
Duration – 1:24 Minutes
Number sixth on the list we have ‘Pigs on the wing 1’ by Pink Floyd. This song was released in 1977 under the album ‘Animals’. Roger Waters wrote this acoustic song and when interviewed in 1978, he said this song was dedicated to his wife Caroline Christie. This song is divided into part 1 and 2. Go give it a listen, as Roger believes that this song has a message of empathy in it.
7 – What do you want – Adam Faith
Duration – 1:37 Minutes
After releasing this song in 1959, it became the shortest song ever to top the UK singles chart list. ‘What do you want‘ starts with a mellow intro with piano on the background.
Still today people remember Adam as a lovely singer and actor. After getting influenced by Don Costa ( American Record Producer ) arrangement style, John Barry arranged this song.
Popular American singers like Ersel Hickey and Bobby Vee later did a cover version of “What do you want” in the years 1959 and 1960 respectively.
8. (Let me be your) Teddy Bear – Elvis Presley
Duration – 1:39 Minutes
Teddy Bear was originally written by Kal Menn and Bernie Lowe in the year 1957. In the same year king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley decided to record this song which later topped the U.S Hit charts.
In one of the live performance video of this song, you can see Elvis Presley ( with the band ) slapping the acoustic guitar in the entire song and singing at the same time.
The video is still available on YouTube in HD quality. No doubt that he was ahead of his time.
9. From me to you – Beatles
Duration – 1:50 Minutes
Recorded and released in 1963, this song was the first hit single of the band Beatles. Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote this song on the road ( in a car ) while heading to the tour.
In an interview with Playboy in 1980, John Lennon said, he wrote the first line of the song and from there Paul McCartney accompanied. The songs include a harmonica and guitar solo which sounds great.
10. Fell in love with a girl – The White Stripes
Duration – 1:51 Minutes
10th in the list is “Fell in love with a girl ” by The White Stripes. After the band released this song, it made its place in US Hot 100 singles chart and the UK Singles Chart.
The song starts with a simple guitar riff followed by drums giving the song a rock and roll feel. In the official video, you can see that the complete visuals and theme is based on lego.
Conclusion
There are hundreds of songs that more short than songs listed above. I hope I did a justice in showing you the 10 shortest songs ever recorded by big bands. If you know any songs then you can mention it in the comment section. Anyways, I will be updating this list. So, don’t forget to come back later and give it a check.
