Is there a market for longwinded songs?

[ProgRock11]

Interesting question. In order for a longer song to work, it must change and morph over the course of the song, otherwise I'd feel as if I'm being beaten to death with the same musical drones over-and-over. Silverchair, a band whom have matured immensely, write some vividly creative songs that can run from 6 to 8 minutes. But the songs can twist and turn on a dime, and really create a dramatic, almost cinematic, effect on the listener. "Across the Night," "Tuna in the Brine," and "Those Thieving Birds" are all long songs done RIGHT.

 

Sigur R

[LeonardScaper]

But I really liked the first 3-1/2 minutes.

 

Touche!

[blue2blue]

Not just trying to be nice -- I really liked it -- but, you know, when the pretty girl you just met the night before stays too long the next day, the magic starts to fade... and then when she won't go home, you start getting edgy...

[rsadasiv]

Not just trying to be nice -- I really liked it -- but, you know, when the pretty girl you just met the night before stays too long the next day, the magic starts to fade... and then when she won't go home, you start getting edgy...

 

And two weeks later this edgy feeling gives rise to a pretty acoustic OneBlueNine song of nostalgia and regret. :poke:

[kurdy]

I think there may be less of an audience for long songs now than there was in the past.

 

I've noticed the trend for longer songs seemed to start somewhere in the mid to late 60s, when artists started purposely pushing the boundaries of the song form, and radio stations played album cuts as well as the hits (This was before my time, but I've heard.) Before then, even three minutes was considered long.

 

Then, for the next three decades, more and more songs seemed to reach the 5+ minute mark. Much of the time, songs were stretched to include instrumental breakdowns and long fade outs.

 

Now I think the trend's kind of reversing--the average length of a song is probably back to around 3 and a half minutes.

 

The only time you might be able to get away with it is if you're an album-oriented rock band, ala Radiohead, or if you write a story-type song, with a beginning, middle and end, and even then, there's usually some kind of variation within the song to keep it from being boring.

[LeonardScaper]

 

when the pretty girl you just met the night before stays too long the next day

 

 

It seems like every time that happened I married her.

 

That is another story....or perhaps another song.

[blue2blue]

It seems like every time that happened I married her. That is another story....or perhaps another song.

 

Yeah... I had a pal who got married the first few times to women who really, really should have been one night stands. I guess everyone has that pal... or is him...