4 Short Songs From the 1960s We Wish Were a Little Longer

For much of the 1960s, listeners weren’t going to hear lengthy singles. A song’s running time was limited due to the physical limitations of vinyl, but also by how radio juggled collecting ad revenue with keeping listeners’ attention. And if a record label wanted a hit, it needed to keep a song’s duration to be less than three minutes.

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But in 1965, Bob Dylan challenged the convention of short singles and forever transformed the music business with a six-minute-plus classic, “Like A Rolling Stone”. It’s too bad these four short songs from the 1960s didn’t go on for a little longer.

“Polythene Pam” by The Beatles

In John Lennon’s taut punk precursor, he recalls a night out in New Jersey with English Beat poet Royston Ellis. Ellis introduced Lennon to his girlfriend, who was fond of wearing plastic clothing. Lennon embellished the jackboots and kilts part of her wardrobe, but what he didn’t embellish was the track’s arrangement. It speeds by in a breezy 73 seconds. It also features one of my favorite guitar solos by George Harrison.

“You Really Got Me” by The Kinks

If you are new to the guitar and want to understand the immense power of the power chord, start with “You Really Got Me”. Ray Davies wrote The Kinks’ breakthrough hit with what became a blueprint for punk and hard rock. The stabbing chords give urgency to Davies’s obsession, and the short track demands repeated listens.

“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by The Beach Boys

Brian Wilson’s pop masterpiece, Pet Sounds, opens with a brisk two-and-a-half-minute gem. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” features a wall of orchestral instrumentation and layered voices as Wilson bent the recording studio to his will in 1966. The track also proved there were no limits to the pop song. A lesson absorbed by The Beatles, Queen, and many others. It shows that you can pack a lot into a catchy tune without sounding complex. One just needs Wilson’s genius ear for melody.

“Stay” by Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs

The hook in Billboard’s shortest No. 1 single in history goes like this: “Oh, won’t you stay / Just a little bit longer.” Yet Maurice Williams’s doo-wop hit ignored its own plea. Released by Herald Records in 1960, the track ends around one minute and 38 seconds. But check out The Hollies’ cover, which increases the tempo yet stretches the song past two minutes.

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