Most songs tend to stay under three minutes. It’s a tradition left over from a time gone by when recording capabilities peaked at that runtime. However, as technologies have advanced, a few brave artists have opted to expound on that tradition, leading to a song 10 minutes or longer. Below, check out three of our favorite songs that are too long for their own good.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Achilles Last Stand” (Led Zeppelin)
For many bands a 10:30 song could be a drag. But, truly, who has ever wanted less of Led Zeppelin? Certainly their fans would not stand for a single second of “Achilles Last Stand” to be trimmed from the runtime. The band pressed the rock pedal down to the floorboard for the entirety of this raucous track. It’s so driving you’ll nearly forget you’ve been listening to the same song for double the time of a normal hit. You might even go for a round two…
“It was an April morning when they told us we should go
As I turn to you, you smiled at me
How could we say no?
Oh, the fun to have
To live the dreams we always had
Oh, the songs to sing
When we at last return again.”
“Station To Station” (David Bowie)
Though a little shorter than Led Zeppelin’s entry on our list of songs far too long for their own good, David Bowie’s “Station to Station” is equally as hypnotizing. You’ll get sucked into this pulsing classic rock number. Bowie gives the listeners a variety of tones on this one song. It goes from a funky melody to a tried-and-true disco offering. If you’re going to make a song over 10 minutes, you might as well deliver a diverse sound. Bowie did so superbly here.
“Here are we, one magical moment
Such is the stuff from where dreams are woven
Bending sound, dredging the ocean
Lost in my circle
Here am I, flashing no colour
Tall in this room overlooking the ocean
Here are we, one magical movement
From Kether to Malkuth
There are you, drive like a demon
From station to station.”
“Terrapin Station” – Grateful Dead
If there is one thing the Grateful Dead does better than anyone else, it’s jam. While many rock bands take to extending their songs in a live setting, the Grateful Dead aren’t afraid to put extraordinarily long tracks on their albums. “Terrapin Station” weighs in at 16:23. The band’s unparalleled artistry makes that runtime feel like nothing. You’ll be on the edge of your seat, waiting to hear what comes next in this smörgåsbord of a song.
“Inspiration, move me brightly
Light the song with sense and color
Hold away despair
More than this I will not ask
Faced with mysteries dark and vast
Statements just seem vain at last
Some rise
Some fall
Some climb
To get to terrapin.”
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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