4 of the Best Rock Songs That Clock in at Over 20 Minutes

The common length of a song nowadays is around three and a half minutes. That’s pretty understandable. However, quite a few musicians out there couldn’t be bothered to cut their songs down to such a short length. And we’re glad they didn’t. These four rock songs clock in at over 20 minutes long, and each minute is necessary for these incredible pieces of music.

Videos by American Songwriter

1. “Karn Evil 9” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Progressive rock is known for its pretty long-winded songs. However, underrated outfit Emerson, Lake & Palmer went with the stereotype and created a song that absolutely should have been nearly 30 minutes long. “Karn Evil 9” is an ambitious tune that works, complete with unending guitar riffs and even organ solos.

2. “7 Skies H3” by The Flaming Lips

Out of all the rock songs over 20 minutes on our list, this one is the longest. Not the kind of group to settle for easy music, The Flaming Lips recorded “7 Skies H3 (Can’t Shut Off My Head)” in 2011 at 1,440 minutes. The CD version is cut down to 50 minutes, but that 24-hour-long OG version is something to experience. 

This unusual experimental rock track was recorded in separate chunks, with some cuts only being about 25 minutes long to others being upwards of seven hours long.

3. “Autobahn” by Kraftwerk

This Kraftwerk classic was recorded in 1974 at about 22 minutes and 46 seconds long, though different versions will vary slightly. Another great example of mid-1970s prog-rock, “Autobahn” is a stunning exploration of sound environments made almost entirely of synthesizers and the sounds of automobiles. The whole song takes up the first side of the record, too.

4. “Storm” by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Post-rock still deserves some love on our list of rock songs that are over 20 minutes long. “Storm” by Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a great example of what bands were doing with post-rock concepts in the 1990s. 

“Storm” is technically an entire song at over 22 minutes in length. Though, it is also split up into four individual movements that could stand on their own.

Photo by Blake Studdard/Warner Records

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.