THE LIST ON AP: Short Songs For The Shortest Month

With a scant 28 days (and every fourth year, 29), February is the shortest month in our calendar. I also happen to be a fairly short person (I come in at 5-feet, 3-inches–if I stretch), so I feel February and I are kindred spirits. In honor of the month and my stature, I sorted my iTunes by song length, and came up with the best short songs I’ve got. Now, keep in mind, this is strictly from my current iTunes collection (otherwise, everything would have been from the Fat Wreck Chords comp series Short Music For Short People, which my boyfriend–and therefore me, by proxy–was obsessed with in high school). What are the shortest songs in your playlist? Let us know in the comments below! –Rachel Lux








Relient K‘s ‘Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care’ from Five Score And Seven Years Ago (2007, Capitol)


Clocking in at 13 seconds, Relient K vocalist Matt Thiessen has just enough time to sing, ‘I just wasted 10 seconds of your life.’ He sounds so sincere when he sings it, though, that we don’t really mind.
Relient k - Five Score and Seven Years Ago - Crayons Can Melt On Us for All I Care">





// VIEW THE LIST HERE

Dashboard Confessional‘s ‘Theme From Volume 1’ from The Wire Tapes: Volume 1 (2007, Self-released)


Possibly the politest intro to any album ever, Chris Carrabba takes 29 seconds to explain, ‘This is a brand new record/Of songs we covered/We hope you like them/Here is Volume 1.’ Did we mention there are strings involved, too? That’s a big punch for just under half a minute.">


Paul Baribeau‘s ‘Jordan’ from Paul Baribeau (2005, Plan-It-X)


A bitter love song in exactly half a minute? Impossible, you say? Don’t tell that to folk singer/songwriter Paul Baribeau. He’s able to ponder the lack of a view of the stars from the city and say goodbye to someone (presumably named Jordan) who prefers the city to the country.
Paul Baribeau - Paul Baribeau - Jordan">


Conor Oberst‘s ‘Valle Mistico (Ruben’s Song)’ from Conor Oberst (2008, Merge)


So this 50-second track only consists of a little bit of talking and then three ‘illustrious’ attempts to play some sort of brass instrument. Is it a trumpet? Trombone? Conch shell? So much mystery in so little time…
Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst - Valle M">


Kimya Dawson‘s ‘My Rollercoaster’ from the Juno soundtrack (2007, Rhino)


Kimya Dawson is no stranger to the short, little ditty: She mastered the method with her contributions to the Juno soundtrack. On ‘My Rollercoaster’ she ‘do do do dos’ her way over a sweet acoustic guitar part. Though there aren’t any words, you can imagine yourself skipping through the amusement park.
Kimya Dawson - Juno (Music from the Motion Picture) - My Rollercoaster (Juno Film Version)">


Ben Folds‘ ‘Before Cologne’ from Way To Normal (2008, Sony)


This aptly titled 54-second piano piece sets up the song ‘Cologne’ on Ben Folds’ most recent long player. Even though it’s less than a minute, it’s a nice bridge in the middle of the album, and definitely stand on its own, musically.
Ben Folds - Way to Normal - Before Cologne">


Christine Fellows‘ ‘Road Trip’ from Paper Anniversary (2005, Six Shooter)


This 55-second track would constitute the shortest road trip pretty much ever, but the textures Christine Fellows plays with (is that waves crashing? applause? we’re not sure, either) fills the near-minute time slot nicely.
Christine Fellows - Paper Anniversary - Road Trip
">


Say Anything‘s ‘Hangover Song’ from In Defense Of The Genre (2007, J)


At 59 seconds, we wish every hangover would last only this long… (Bonus points to Mr. Bemis for included some ‘wretching’ sound effects. Ewww.)
Say Anything - In Defense of the Genre - Hangover Song">

Categories: