Five Songs Under Two Minutes

By Neil Manning
Music Journalist

Short songs can be both satisfying and disappointing. There are times where I hear a short a song, and it feels like a perfect song nicely wrapped, while other times it leaves me wanting more. I have created a playlist of five songs, all under two minutes, to add to any playlist to help create a little break in between your favorite songs, and that can really improve the flow of a playlist.

“You’re Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)” is the first song I added to the playlist. The opener for the album De Stijl by The White Stripes is simple song that has a stripped down garage rock sound to it. It consists of just guitar, drums and vocals. At just 1:49, this song leaves you happy with a catchy melody that will be stuck in your head.

“Disciples” by Tame Impala is next on the playlist. This song has great production and mixing that impresses the listener in a short time. As the song starts, it sounds like it is behind a mesh screen. It sounds a bit fuzzy and not entirely clear. At around the halfway point, you hear a switch and the sound becomes perfectly clear. This is well done and stays like this until the last 15 seconds when the switch is heard and goes back to sound like the beginning. This song is a great buffer for two songs in your playlist.

“I Have Friends in Holy Spaces” by Panic! At The Disco is third on this playlist. This song is written solely by Brendon Urie and has a vintage effect on it. The instrumentation adds to the old-fashioned sounds with a ukulele, trumpet and clarinet. It has some jazz vibes, but with the modern sound of Urie’s voice. This song was the one I was most wary of adding due to the song ending at 1:26, but it has an additional 30 seconds leading up to the next song. It’s a nice simple song on its own accord, so I’m sure it can fit somewhere perfectly in one of your playlists.

“I Will” is a very simple love song that I chose to start leading us to the end. The song, written by Paul McCartney, is best described as pleasant. McCartney’s voice floats through the song and compliments his guitar playing throughout the whole song. An interesting thing to note in this song is that the bass that is heard is actually McCartney mimicking a bass using just his voice. This song should be the easiest to fit into a playlist as it’s a great love song, plus with a title like “I Will,” you can easily use it to help convey your message within your playlist.

The final song is the least known. “You’ve Found Love” by I Am Arrows is another love song to be the closer for this playlist. This song is the closer for its album, Sun Comes Up Again and perfectly closes out a playlist. In theme, it is not complex, with the main ear catching sounds being the guitar and harmonies in the second verse. It leaves this playlist and any listener with a hopeful and calming feeling.

Here’s the playlist:

Image by Meredith Marlowe.