Wired's music blog Listening Post asks the question "Is 2:42 the perfect song length?"
The post's author Eliot Van Buskirk lists these songs as running 2:42...
King Missile: "Jesus Was Way Cool"
Boards of Canada: "Sherbet Head"
The Fall: "Neighborhood of Infinity"
Galaxie 500: "Leave the Planet"
Sonic Youth: "Providence"
Smog: "Your Wedding"
Lee "Scratch" Perry: "Yakety Yak"
Not exactly the classics I was hoping for...here are the songs from my collection that run 2:42.
Highlights include two of my favorite songs "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys and "Walk Away Renee" by The Left Banke...there maybe something to this after all!
The Kooks -- Always Where I Need To Be
From the new album Konk.
Pete Yorn -- Man in Uniform
From the Day I Forgot album.
The Zombies -- Is This the Dream [Mono Version]
From the I Love You album.
Weezer -- American Gigolo
From the underrated Maladroit album.
Weezer -- I Just Threw Out the Love Of My Dreams
The Rolling Stones -- We're Wastin' Time
From the Metamorphosis collection.
R.B. Greaves -- Take a Letter Maria
From the album called...wait for it...R.B. Greaves.
Belle & Sebastian -- Legal Man
From the Legal Man single.
The Electric Soft Parade -- Stupid Mistake
From The Human Body EP.
The Platters -- Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
From the 20 Best of Doo Wop collection.
The Hives -- Fall Is Just Something Grownups Invented
Available as a single on iTunes.
The Beatles -- Lovely Rita
From Sgt. Peppers.
Deerhoof -- Scream Team
From the Runners Four album.
Marvin Gaye -- This Love Starved Heart of Mine (It's Killing Me)
From the Summer of Motown collection.
The Damned -- New Rose
From the Damned Damned Damned album.
The Kinks -- David Watts
From the Kink Kronikles album.
The Dave Clark Five -- Glad All Over
From The Hits collection.
The Cribs -- I'm Alright Me
From The New Fellas album.
Sebadoh -- Rockstar
From the III album.
Gorillaz -- 5/4
From the 1st Gorillaz album.
Johnny Greenwood -- Future Markets
From the There Will Be Blood soundtrack.
The Beach Boys -- Don't Worry Baby
From the Made in the U.S.A. collection.
Franz Ferdinand -- You Could Have It So Much Better
From the album of the same name.
Bruce Springsteen -- From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)
From the Essential Bruce Springsteen.
Tenacious D -- Car Chase City
From The Pick of Destiny soundtrack.
Crystal Castles vs. HEALTH -- Alice Practice
From the Crimewave single.
The Mamas & The Papas -- California Dreamin'
From the If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears album.
The Beatles -- Nowhere Man
From the Rubber Soul album.
Nine Inch Nails -- 10 Ghosts II
From the Ghosts I-IV album.
Dusty Springfield -- What Do You Do When Love Dies?
From the Dusty in Memphis album.
Elvis Presley -- Love Me Tender
From the Essential Elvis Presley collection.
The Association -- No Fair At All
From The Association's Greatest Hits.
The Vines -- Vision Valley
From the album of the same name.
Dinah Washington -- Unforgettable
From the album of the same name.
Glen Campbell -- By the Time I Get to Phoenix
From the Rhinestone Cowboy album.
The White Stripes -- It's True That We Love One Another
From the Elephant album.
Billy Bragg & Wilco -- Christ for President
From the first Mermaid Avenue album.
Black Oak Arkansas -- Jim Dandy
From the Dazed and Confused soundtrack
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers -- Don't Do Me Like That
From their Greatest Hits collection.
The Stone Roses -- The Hardest Thing in the World
From The Complete Stone Roses collection.
Simon & Garfunkel -- Homeward Bound
From the Greatest Hits collection.
Hole -- Celebrity Skin
From the album of the same name.
The Moody Blues -- I Don't Want to Go On Without You
From The Singles colelction.
The Who -- Squeeze Box
From The Ultimate collection.
The Ramones -- Pinhead
From the Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits collection.
The Kinks -- Nothin' in the World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl
From the Rushmore soundtrack.
The Beach Boys -- God Only Knows [Mono Version]
From the Pet Sounds Sessions boxset.
The Black Lips -- Lock & Key
From the Good Bad Not Evil album.
Mates of State -- Gotta Get a Problem
From the Team Boo album.
M. Ward -- Green River [CCR cover]
From the Green River single.
Ol' Dirty Bastard -- Shimmy Shimmy Ya
From The Dirty Story -- Best of ODB collection.
The Turtles -- Grim Reaper of Love
From the 20 Greatest Hits collection.
Harry Nilsson -- Let the Good Times Roll
From the Nilsson Schmilsson album.
Moby Grape -- Someday
From the Moby Grape album.
The Left Banke -- Walk Away Renee
From There's Gonna Be a Storm collection.
