Top 120 Songs Under 120 Seconds (ILM Poll #95)

a blistering start to one of my favorite albums. i limited myself to one-song-per-artist, and it turns out there are at least 2 other EC songs on this list that are also blistering starts to one of my favorite albums. so i voted for a different one.

xp

DAMN YOU

Wow, almost one-third of a point!

even without the artificial points deflation, the points are prettttty tight for a lot of these results. that's why you gotta vote or die

I really meant to vote, but it was overwhelming and life got in the way.

I do agree with giving low points to short songs. Less song, less points, it's just math.

lmao the spotify playlist picture is perfect

also the images look awesome so far too!

gonna be following on my phone today we'll see how that works lol. promise to try to yell too low if any of mine appear :)

This poll made me realise just how brilliant Elvis Costello was at starting those early albums. Love For Tender, Welcome To The Working Week and No Action all ended up on my ballot.

https://i.imgur.com/wIBDTvw.jpg
118. Randy Newman - Dayton, Ohio - 1903 (1:53)
0.3042 points
5 votes

my spouse 4 life is from dayton and neither of us were previously familiar with this song, so it's been in heavy rotation this month

Think this was the last song I cut. Glad it made it. It’s a cuet song.

https://i.imgur.com/0SuVJBn.jpg
117. James Brown - Think (from 'Live at the Apollo') (1:58)
0.3078 points
5 votes

nice

oops - i forgot to switch the color of the 117 in that image. james brown is staring in confusion at the barely legible floating number in the apollo curtains

Yes, it's finally here!

Little Mouth! It was in my top 10 but for some reason I didn’t think it would do particularly well. Which coming in 119h place maybe isn’t great, but 5 votes isn’t bad (and suggests that schismatic vote splitting isn’t much of an issue).

little mouth is one of my fav SK songs. i wish it were higher, but i also have no idea what to expect from the results. so instead of shouting "too low," i'll just be happy a song placed.

https://i.imgur.com/iNUremO.jpg
116. Beastie Boys - Flute Loop (1:55)
0.3126 points
7 votes

love this one but did not vote for it

Agree that it's genuinely impossible to know what's going to break away from the pack at the top of the list here. I assume there'll be a lot of garage rock along the way tho.

hah, forgot about that Beasties track. excellent

https://i.imgur.com/qGgQndX.jpg
115. Arthur Russell - Eli (1:56)
0.3141 points
4 votes (1)

(the (1) by the vote total indicates the number of first place votes)

those first place votes are gonna go a long way in this poll

that's right, they're worth 0.1500 points!

Fifteen Per Cent for Nothing

https://i.imgur.com/LS1oEGl.jpg
114. Beck - Hollow Log (1:54)
0.3144 points
4 votes

i had completely forgotten about 'hollow log' - one of his very best

I voted for this, it is so goddamn good

omg these images haha

speaking of imago...

https://i.imgur.com/pFT3tcb.jpg
(tie) 112. The Sea Nymphs (1:46)
0.3195 points
3 votes

https://i.imgur.com/YvcYkPa.jpg
(tie) 112. Minor Threat - Straight Edge (0:46)
0.3195 points
5 votes

and speaking of images - it turns out there are exactly ZERO good photographs or videos of the sea nymphs. ever

Could not decide which Minor Threat song to vote for so I went for the first one I ever heard, "Filler."

Aaaaah our plane has landed JUST in time for my #2! Yay wow heavenly sound etc. It was also my #1 until a late change of heart so I'm glad to see it place!

*finishes orange juice* and as for the Sea Nymphs,

xp yeah me too, I expect that one to show later

this sea nymphs song is wild. it would be overwhelming if it were any longer than it is.

loving the images/cropping etc

it's still kinda overwhelming tbh

Wow, Sea Nymphs and SK on my ballot so far! The campaigning period also taught me that I probably like Elvis Costello way more than I ever expected.

https://i.imgur.com/w7HqnT3.jpg
110. The Beach Boys - Caroline, No (a cappella) (1:54)
0.3237 points
5 votes

the a capella version of Caroline, No is available on a Pet Sounds Box Set.

or on youtube

i only discarded "straight edge" at the last second from my ballot. i love the anger and power. great song.

"caroline, no" a cappella gives me even more the shivers than the normal version.

https://i.imgur.com/jDdIfit.jpg
109. The dB’s - Big Brown Eyes (1:59)
0.3243 points
6 votes

somehow i've never gotten around to giving the dB's a good listen, despite their label/scene proximity to r.e.m.
i made the mistake of listening to "neverland" first, which was so incredibly good that my first listen to "big brown eyes" was a bit of a disappointment in comparison. still, looking forward to giving them some more time!

xpost the dB's. Voted for Big Brown Eyes - fits perfectly the <2 min pop sound. If you like Neverland > Big Brown Eyes, then probably best to just check out their 2nd LP, Repercussion.

Will resume in about 45 minutes

"Straight Edge" is so great. The highest of the three Threat songs on my ballot!

karl, a small question. don't you like brandy numbers? where is no. 111?

Big Brown Eyes is definitely my favorite dB's song and I'm kicking myself for forgetting that it existed. i think it's listed as more than 2 mins on my iTunes, so i mentally discarded it before the nominations even ended.

'Eli' made my longlist and it's pretty memorable of a song

Listening again, that Arthur Russell song is excellent! It sounds like Jeff Mangum mixed with Charlie Looker.

A pro poller would’ve rolled out 120 songs under 120 seconds in under 120 seconds but still p good job km

Fantastic poll!! Thanks to Mr. Karl Malone for running it. Even though my #1 didn't crack the top 264. Dig my ballot:

1
The Beatles - I'll Cry Instead (1:46)
Wire - Sand in my Joints (1:50)
Buddy Holly - Rave On (1:49)
Scott Walker - Cowbells Shakin' (1:06)
Elvis Presley - That's All Right (1:55)
The Glands - Call Me Doctor (1:03)
Pavement - Zurich is Stained (1:41)
Noname - Self (1:35)
Minutemen - West Germany (1:49)
Ramones - Judy is a Punk (1:32)
White Stripes - Now Mary (1:47)
The Kinks - Two Sisters (1:59)
Bruce Springsteen - Johnny Bye-Bye (1:53)
Best Coast - Crazy for You (1:50)
Gene Clark - Jimmy Christ (1:32)
Big Star - I'm In Love With A Girl (1:48)
Elvis Costello & the Attractions - No Action (1:58)
Bikini Kill - Capri Pants (1:43)
Bob Dylan - Odds and Ends (1:47)
Wire - Outdoor Miner (1:45)
Guided by Voices - Pendulum (1:50)
Bully - I Remember (1:48)
Elastica - Annie (1:15)
James Brown - Think (from 'Live at the Apollo') (1:58)
MIssissippi John Hurt - First Shot Missed Him (1:45)
Sleater-Kinney - Little Mouth (1:45)
Silkworm - Raging Bull (1:41)
Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire (1:53)
Fats Domino - Walking to New Orleans (1:58)
Madvillain - Curls (1:36)
Ray Charles - Hit the Road Jack (1:55)
The Beach Boys - I'd Love Just Once to See You (1:51)
Neutral Milk Hotel - Communist Daughter (1:57)
Parquet Courts - Outside (1:45)
Pixies - Tame (1:56)
PJ Harvey - No Child of Mine (1:13)
Sebadoh - License to Confuse (1:46)
Prince - Sister (1:32)
The Clash - Koka Kola (1:48)
Jay Reatard - Not a Substitute (1:05)
Public Enemy - Show 'Em Whatcha Got (1:56)
The Coasters - Yakety Yak (1:53)
The Magnetic Fields - Love is Like a Bottle of Gin (1:46)
The Mountain Goats - Dance Music (1:58)
Hüsker Dü - Never Talking To You Again (1:41)
Van Halen - Eruption (1:42)
The Box Tops - The Letter (1:53)
The Byrds - It Won't Be Wrong (1:58)
The Doors - Wintertime Love (1:57)
Yo La Tengo - Return to Hot Chicken (1:40)

Did Flopsy/whoever make that "sub-one-minute" paylist?

I guess not.

aw man sorry for messing up "It's Time to Party"

anyway pretty interesting that TMBG got the 10th most points but couldn't place a single song on the poll. "Nightgown of the Sullen Moon" totally should have been on there, not only a perfect 1:59 but also kind of a perfect tune as well

you should've voted for "kiss me, son of god" with me

136 Rihanna - James Joint (1:12) 4 928 0.2784 1

this is an outrage

that was my #1. i dunno what else i voted for.

Wow. Awesome poll. Nice job Mr Malone.

Looking forward to playing around with the playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuFnsdjtCeU

M.O.B • KoKoLeCheL

I'm finally getting around to watching season 5 of Silicon Valley and "You Suffer" makes a cameo in episode 3, which aired a year before this poll. Didn't see "silicon" show up anywhere in this thread so I figure there might be a few other people as surprised as I was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81zBnjh2VT8

Jay Reatard was robbed here! What was I thinking, I shoulda boosted those tunes.

new entry to the list:

Noname - Song 33 (1:10)

Neil Young - Mexico

dang, missed this thread....

Bobby Smith & The Dreamgirls - now he's gone (1:59)

Sven Libaek - open sea theme (2:01)

this was a fun poll

It really was

word

Dead Milkmen - Filet of Sole (1:57)

also, I nominate/invite my friend's band (who worked real hard on their album) for this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lw0zldhiBk

Charles Sheffield - it's your vodoo working (1:49)

What, no “Der Weinerschnitzel”?

Should’ve made it less than one minute instead of two. So many of these songs are good hit songs that just happen to clock in at around 1:58 or 1:59, like “Hit the Road Jack” or “Lake of Fire” or “That’s Alright, Mana”.

i suggested a 90 second poll for that reason but alas. still was a really fun poll tho.

and i still regret not voting. my top 10 would have been something very close to this (sticking to a self-imposed 90 second rule):

moby grape - naked, if i want to
big star - ST 100/6
shuggie otis - happy house
gong - chainstore chant
wire - field day for the sundays
the beatles - her majesty
tom zé - complexo de épico
can - pnoom
de la soul - transmitting live from mars
dead kennedys - nazi punks fuck off

also the db's made the top 120 but where, i ask, where are the nerves ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0kYiqWjkXM

fwiw I was one of 2 voters for Walking Out On Love by (Paul Collins) Beat

It's nominations day in Tom's World Cup of sub-2min songs, in case you're interested

This is the NOMINATIONS THREAD for the

WORLD CUP OF SHORT SONGS

You get 4 noms, each under 2 minutes and from a different decade. 1 track/artist!

Guidelines: https://t.co/8xYKFayUyE
Nominations List: https://t.co/kGhFTMYLQg pic.twitter.com/Y2vjmEUad7

— The World Cup Of 1977 (@peoples_pop) May 30, 2021

on further review, not including video game songs here definitely led to a drastically different selection. i assume SMB1 W1-1 would have won this.

Wow, Yummy Fur are criminally underrepresented here, they should own this

Yes

Anyway, um, "inspired" by this poll I've made a Twitter account where I'm posting a song of every length.

https://twitter.com/EverySecondSong

#170 The Beatles - I'll Follow the Sun (1:48) 3 votes

i love this song

Anyway, um, "inspired" by this poll I've made a Twitter account where I'm posting a song of every length.

https://twitter.com/EverySecondSong

― A viking of frowns, (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, August 4, 2021 4:07 PM (five months ago) bookmarkflaglink

This is cool, I love this CaAL!

just listened to Final Day and got annoyed again about people not liking it on this poll lol.

shocked by this though!

"Hybrid Moments" isn't even in my top ten Misfits songs fwiw

― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Friday, 12 April 2019 23:13 (three years ago) bookmarkflaglink

putting that on next

haha sorry!

I've been creating some playlists on Apple Music based on old ILM polls, and I remember this being a particularly enjoyable one: https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/ilm-top-120-songs-under-120-seconds/pl.u-leylv3Jij3eJ1G

The a cappella 'Caroline, No' isn't available, so I included "Love For Tender" (which made the original countdown before being dropped when a math error was discovered) to make for a nice, round 120 songs.