Not Short, But Still Sweet
The idea of the three-minute pop song is one that has been around for a long time—generally having to do with the 78 rpm-speed phonograph records that could only hold 3-5 minutes per side. But we don't doubt the perceptions of the general public's attention spans also had something to do with this—or even the ability for radio stations to play more songs if they aren't too long. Well, regardless of why, 3-5 minutes has ruled the pop music landscape, and probably always will.
But there have been many songs that have gone against that trend and we wanted to look at some of them. For this list, we've set the bar at 10 minutes or longer (and no, not just because that allows us to talk about Taylor Swift's "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)").
All Too Well (10 Minute Version): 10:13
Well, we just mentioned it so might as well start there. Taylor Swift's lengthy recording on her Red (Taylor's Version) 2021 re-release comes in at 10 minutes and 13 seconds and it also comes in as the longest song to ever hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Free Bird: 10:07
Lynyrd Skynyrd's signature—and longest—song is a rock classic that runs for just over 10 minutes on the album, but has been known to hit 14 minutes when played live.
Selbymay, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That): 12:01
Meat Loaf's classic debut album Bat Out of Hell features three songs over eight minutes long, with the title track missing our 10-minute barrier by a mere 12 seconds. But for the sequel album, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, Mr Loaf would record two songs that make our list, the first one being the 12-minute long "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)".
christopher simon, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are: 10:16
The other song on the album topping 10 minutes is the one with the longest title, "Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are".
Super Festivals, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Station To Station: 10:14
David Bowie's addictions meant he didn't remember much, if anything, about the recording of his tenth studio album, Station to Station. But it did lead to the recording of his longest ever studio song—the title track comes in at just over 10 minutes.
Do You Feel Like We Do: 14:15
The original album version of this Peter Frampton song clocks in at just under six minutes and 45 seconds. However, the live version that appeared on his mega-selling, career-defining Frampton Comes Alive! album rocks on for 14 minutes and 15 seconds.
Carl Lender, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Supper's Ready: 22:54
You could probably eat a whole meal in the time it takes to listen to Genesis' 1972 track.
Andrew St.Denis, Wikimedia Commons
Ain’t No Use: 11:51
In 2012, Rolling Stone named the Rejuvenation album by The Meters as the 139th greatest album of all time. Almost every song on the album came in between three and five minutes, but track 7, "It Ain't No Use", funked its way to 11 minutes and 51 seconds.
Annettejones07, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Angola Anthem: 17:35
Dr John's third album, Remedies, had six songs—five on side A and one on side B. That one was the 17 minute and 35 second "Angola Anthem"—a song he recalled being given by a friend just released from the titular Angola prison:
"A friend of mine had just come out of doing 40-something years in Angola, he was just someone special in my heart – called Tangleye. And Tangleye says, 'I’m gonna sell you this song. Got it in Angola, but ain’t nobody ever cut this song…' Even now, guys I know getting out of Angola know this song. It’s still a horrible place to be".
Schorle, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Celebration Of The Lizard: 17:01
"Celebration of the Lizard" is a performance piece by The Doors, made up of a series of poems performed both as spoken word and sung lyrics. Performed as a live piece at concerts, the song also included audience reactions (which the band got by initially telling everyone they were about to do "Light My Fire"). The live versions of the piece can be found on a couple live albums with a run time around 14 and a half minutes. A studio version, on their 2003 Legacy: The Absolute Best album runs for just over 17 minutes.
Joel Brodsky, Wikimedia Commons
Child In Time: 10:18
The longest song on Deep Purple's 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock is "Child in Time". The song, according to the band's lead singer Ian Gillian, used "the Cold War as the theme"—and the lyrics came pretty easy to them because, as Gillian pointed out, "we were all aware of the nuclear threat looming over us at what was probably the height of the Cold War".
Stadtarchiv Kiel, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Desolation Row: 11:21
Bob Dylan's brilliant 1965 album, Highway 61 Revisited, begins with the second longest song on the album ("Like a Rolling Stone" (6:13)) and ends with the longest, "Desolation Row" (11:21).
Echoes: 23:30
Side 2 of Pink Floyd's 1971 album Meddle features 23 minutes and 30 seconds of music—and just one song: "Echoes".
National Archives at College Park, Wikimedia Commons
2112: 20:34
Rush kept everything between 3-4 minutes on side 2 of their 1976 album 2112. However, on side 1, they continued to develop their progressive rock style with a sci-fi story in the form of the 20-and-a-half- minute long title track.
Enrico Frangi, Wikimedia Commons
Autobahn: 22:43
German electronic music group Kraftwerk were OGs of the electronica genre—and their biggest hit in North America was the 22-minute-and-43-second long track "Autobahn", which they released in the mid-1970s. Well, actually, their biggest hit was an edited down three-minute long single version of "Autobahn". They also released a 12-minute animated video a few years later.
Andréas Hagström, Wikimedia Commons
Disco Inferno: 10:43
"Disco Inferno" by the Trammps burned baby burned for 10 minutes and 43 seconds on their 1976 similarly-titled fourth studio album.
Rob Gosenson, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding: 11:07
Elton John opened up his 1973 double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road with a double song. "Funeral for a Friend" is an instrumental piece John wrote when thinking about the kind of music he'd want played at his funeral. "Love Lies Bleeding" was a completely separate song, but John noticed they fit well together ("Funeral" ends in the key of "A" and "Love" opens in "A") and so they were combined into an 11-minute medley to open the album.
Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Gates Of Delirium: 21:55
Yes' 1974 album Relayer features 40 and a half minutes of music...but only three songs. Side 2 of the album consists of two nine-minute long songs and side 1 features the 21-minute-and-55-seconds long The Gates of Delirium. Yes, that's long, but should we expect anything else from a song based loosely on Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel War and Peace?
Rick Dikeman, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Get Ready: 21:30
On their second album, rock band Rare Earth recorded a 21-and-a-half-minute long cover of "Get Ready" by the Temptations. And speaking of rock covers of Motown songs...
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
I Heard It Through The Grapevine: 11:06
The Gladys Knight & the Pips version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" was under three minutes long. The extended version of Marvin Gaye's classic take on the track is just over five minutes long—and in the 1970's, Creedence Clearwater Revival had a hit with their 11-minute version of the song.
United States Department of Defense, Wikimedia Commons
In Held 'Twas In I: 17:31
Divided into five movements, "In Held 'Twas in I" takes up most of the B side of Procol Harum's 1968 sophomore album, Shine On Brightly.
KRLA Beat/Beat Publications, Inc., Wikimedia Commons
Karn Evil 9: 29:37
The original vinyl release of the 1973 Emerson, Lake & Palmer album Brain Salad Surgery split up "Karn Evil 9" between the two sides of the album because of how long it is.
Gorupdebesanez, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys: 11:44
The title track off of Traffic's 1971 album The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys rolls in at almost 12 minutes long.
Heinrich Klaffs, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Maggot Brain: 10:21
This great Funkadelic track runs in at over 10 minutes, with much of that time spent on a mostly improved guitar solo by Eddie Hazel. And if we're talking improvised guitar play, let's not forget...
Mountain Jam: 33:41
The most famous version of this improvised live jam by The Allman Brothers Band was recorded on May 4, 1969, at Macon Central Park, and released on their Eat a Peach album. That version clocks in at almost 34 minutes. Some other live takes of the song come in at around 17 minutes and even 44 minutes.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
In My Time Of Dying: 11:08
"In My Time of Dying" is Led Zeppelin's longest studio track. They should've ended our high school dances with this one instead of "Stairway to Heaven" (would've got us all about three extra minutes of hands-on-hips time at the end of the night).
Atlantic Records, Wikimedia Commons
Rapper's Delight: 14:37
Get your hands on the original 12-inch release of this Sugarhill Gang classic and you don't have to stop the rockin' to the bang-bang boogie for over 14 minutes.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Shine On You Crazy Diamond: 25:57
Dedicated to founding member Syd Barrett, this nine-part Pink Floyd track was split up on the band's Wish You Were Here album. However, put together, the piece totals just under 26 minutes.
Sister Ray: 17:29
Take a look through The Velvet Underground's entire studio discography and the longest song you will find is "Sister Ray"—on their second album White Light/White Heat.
Verve Records, Wikimedia Commons
Starless: 12:18
English prog rockers King Crimson recorded this lengthy track for their seventh studio album, Red.
Atlantic Records, Wikimedia Commons
Telegraph Road: 14:18
The first track on Dire Straits' 1982 album Love over Gold is the over 14-minute long "Telegraph Road".
Helge Overas, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida: 17:05
This one might surprise a few folks given that the version of this Iron Butterfly classic heavy metal track that we are most familiar with, is the 2:52 edit that reached number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. But if you go back and listen to the album, the original version found there is a 17-minute-and-5-second long banger that takes up all of the album's side 2.
Thick As A Brick: 43:46
Jethro Tull were annoyed when critics called their Aqualung album a "concept album". So, they decided that their next record would be a fun, light parody of concept albums and the progressive rock music. What they came up with was Thick as a Brick, which is one continuous track split up over both sides of the album. "Thick as a Brick" rides for 43 minutes and 46 seconds and looks to be the longest popular rock song ever recorded.
Heinrich Klaffs, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The End: 11:41
Jim Morrison originally wrote "The End" as a breakup song, but over the course of months playing it live, the song evolved and grew into the almost 12-minute long masterpiece it became on The Doors' 1967 debut album.
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