DMD Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Some of the truly great songs of the past are very long: American Pie 8:32 Stairway to Heaven 8:02 Hotel California 6:35 Freebird 9:10 There are probably others that I cannot think of off the top of my head. This leads me to 2 questions: 1. Why don't they make long songs anymore? Those four songs are all 30 years old or more. Is the world too fast paced now for a long song? 2. Were there are really long songs that flopped? All the longs ones I know of are classics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramhock Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Not sure, but when I am playing a song I like, now, I have to play it 2x. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Is the world too fast paced now for a long song? yes. everything is remarkably accessible almost instantaneously. no way the average teen can slow down and listen to an 8 minute song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrip Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Real music pretty much no longer exists on the radio or tv. Why? Music is no longer about music and expression. It's about lifestyle, convenience and sound bites. You no longer get famous because you're any good, but because The Man has decided you're going to be famous even if you suck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Some of the truly great songs of the past are very long: American Pie 8:32 Stairway to Heaven 8:02 Hotel California 6:35 Freebird 9:10 There are probably others that I cannot think of off the top of my head. In-A-Godda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly (9:00) was always one of my favorites. But today is too fast paced for long songs and drugs are illegal now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delusions of grandeur Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 1. Why don't they make long songs anymore? Those four songs are all 30 years old or more. Is the world too fast paced now for a long song? 1. instant gratification 2. singles 3. mass-marketed crap artists/albums with one "hook" song (see 2) Pretty much all boils down to the fact that hollywood has opted for bland mass-marketed "catchy" music that's fun for kids to dance to and doesn't require a lot of deep thought. The days of symphony-like masterpieces and real artists appeared to have died completely along with Kurt Cobain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 "Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 single by American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song's opening lyric "I said a hip hop, a hippie, a hippie to the hip hop" is world-renowned. The song is ranked #248 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, #2 on About.com's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs, and #2 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs. The 15-minute song was recorded in a single take.[1] There are three versions of the song: 14:36 (12" long version), 6:30 (12" short version), and 4:55 (shortened single version). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsfan Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 The new Linkin Park album "A Thousand Suns" is best listened to as a single song (47:56), 2010 Tool still puts out a lot of long songs, Rosetta Stoned (11:11), 2006 ...And Justice for All (9:45), 1988 (GD that makes me feel old) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Children of the Sun - 6:28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 . Does that fit the bill? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rattsass Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Its all about $$$. The shorter the song, the more time is left for advertising. Long songs are just inconvenient for program managers as well. It is harder to make your pie clock work when there is a big 6 minute chunk in it. Creedence was a master of the short song. It made them very attractive to DJ's because you can squeeze in one of their songs where few others would fit. I don't think the long song is necessarily dead, but it better be a damn good one if you expect airplay. I do agree that the shortened attention span of society as a whole is a big part of it as well. You know, one minute commercials used to be the norm when I was a kid, now hardly ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Real music pretty much no longer exists on the radio or tv. Why? Music is no longer about music and expression. It's about lifestyle, convenience and sound bites. You no longer get famous because you're any good, but because The Man has decided you're going to be famous even if you suck. Good replies all but this one IMO says it best. Form has replaced substance. And not to sidetrack from music too much, but I also notice this with TV shows/etc that will immediately skip from one camera/viewpoint to the next, again and again, giving you almost no time to focus on the previous one. There's also that brilliant idea of ads flitting across bottom the screen (often almost non-stop) while the show is going on. How ADD can you get? I hardly even watch TV because of this. Back to music: not all new stuff is bad or old stuff good of course, but generally speaking, hearing "modern music" (even discounting the more obvious crapola like rap) makes me shake my head in pity for kids growing up w/this empty-calorie stuff. Sadly, they don't know enough to even know any better as it's all they've known. PS back to the OP, pretty sure these are all at least 7-8 mins plus. It is odd how so many are great, but there were clunkers (some of Yes' more "out there" stuff, blech): Aja (St Dan) Deacon Blues (St Dan) Jessica (Allman Bros) Roundabout (Yes) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 In-A-Godda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly (9:00) was always one of my favorites. But today is too fast paced for long songs and drugs are illegal now. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was 17 minutes long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 And not to sidetrack from music too much, but I also notice this with TV shows/etc that will immediately skip from one camera/viewpoint to the next, again and again, giving you almost no time to focus on the previous one. There's also that brilliant idea of ads flitting across bottom the screen (often almost non-stop) while the show is going on. How ADD can you get? I hardly even watch TV because of this. The bolded is almost solely because of the advent of the DVR. People don;t watch the commercials anymore, so now they are placed within the show. This is also evident in the large surge in product placement (as simple as the American Idol judges all having cups with the Coke logo showing at all times to close ups of cell phones, i forget which brand, on CSI:NY etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 my favorite love song is This Love by Pantera:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FWmaker Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Yes' Relayer album had an entire side 21:16 devoted to "The Gates of Delirium" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Off the top of my head, here's a few. http://www.dprp.net/longsongs/longsongs.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingfootball Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 In-A-Godda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly (9:00) was always one of my favorites. But today is too fast paced for long songs and drugs are illegal now. They were illegal then too HR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooknladder Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 commercials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delicious_bass Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 (edited) "Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 single by American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song's opening lyric "I said a hip hop, a hippie, a hippie to the hip hop" is world-renowned. The song is ranked #248 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, #2 on About.com's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs, and #2 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs. The 15-minute song was recorded in a single take.[1] There are three versions of the song:14:36 (12" long version), 6:30 (12" short version), and 4:55 (shortened single version). Always good for a party... Edited July 6, 2011 by Delicious_bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was 17 minutes long. No shit?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 With all due respect, greatness is in the eye of the beholder. I would probably disagree with that classification for a few listed songs. Long yes. Great, maybe not. That being said, Metallica - Am I Evil is 7:50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 A few that leap to mind, all well over a dozen minutes each: I Walk On Gilded Splinters - Humble Pie (24 mins) Curtain Call - The Damned Dogs - Pink Floyd Telegraph Road - Dire Straits 1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be) - Hendrix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 (edited) Dogs - Pink Floyd Good call, although I could've lived without some of the long pauses and the "stone, stone, stone" thing that went on forever. That song should've been about 2/3 as long. Edited July 6, 2011 by BeeR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Comfortably Numb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.