Preferred Song Length?

[DarkDesertFox]

This is a question that popped in my head recently. Everyone always asks the type of music you listen to, but we usually don't talk about how long you like your song lengths. For me personally, 3-4 minutes is the perfect length of a song. Anything under that I feel is a little too short for me to listen to repeatedly. I am okay with listening to songs around 5 minutes too, but anything above that feels like it can really drag on and have low replayability. I can understand people who enjoy long length music for genres like classical, symphonies, extended versions of music, etc. What is your preferred song length and why is it that way for you?

 

[Alienfish]

It very much depends on the style and genre. Obviously if it's like a concept jazz/psychedelic jam/instrumental etc. piece that is supposed to be like 30 minutes then that's fine, but I highly don't get regular pop/rock things being the same chorus for 10 minutes for fun, lol.

 

[Livia]

I don’t have a preferred length. I have favorites that are less than 3 minutes and 10+ minutes. one of my favorite Nightwish songs is 13 minutes

 

[QueenCobra]

It depends on how I’m feeling. I guess I think more along the lines of, “do I want a fast song or a slow song?” That being said, sometimes I listen to entire operas on YouTube (though not all at once) and if the song’s good, regardless of length, I listen. If it’s too fast or slow or if I just don’t like it, I’ll skip through it. I also love Celtic Woman songs of any length; the same with Faun and Blackmore’s Night. It really depends on the kind of music I’m into at the moment.

 

[Kitsuragi]

i feel like anything over 5 mins is a bit much for me, but i'm also the type of person who can listen to the same pokemon song for 30 mins. songs with lyrics and stuff i need like 4 mins tops before i get bored, lest it be through the fire and the flames cause that song is just so eternally epic that its worth the long listening.

 

[.: Meri :.]

I like songs to be around 4 minutes or a little over. Sometimes three minutes still feels too short if I'm really into the song, and I don't really mind if it gets to be around 5 minutes or so. If a song is around two minutes in length, I usually play it twice so it feels like a four-minute song, hehe.

 

[tumut]

If it has the typical chorus/bridge/refrain type structure or whatever I'd say 3 and a half minutes

If its a long and winding and dynamic piece I'm fine with it going on for about 15 minutes

 

[Violet Witch]

4-5 minutes long is my preferred song length, however I've heard some amazing songs that go beyond the 10 minute mark.

 

[LadyDestani]

I would say around 5 minutes is a good length for an average song, but I'll listen to songs of any length as long as they're good.

If a song is much shorter than 5 minutes, I often feel dissapointed or unsatisfied when it ends. It's like I'm just getting into it and it's already over.

I also love quite a few longer songs. They can have an epic storytelling feel.

Examples:
Metallica - One
Korn - Daddy
X Japan - Forever Love
X Japan - Endless Rain
Guns N' Roses - November Rain
Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven

 

[Croconaw]

I prefer 2-3 minutes. The songs that I like tend to be shorter in length. If I wanted the song to be longer, I’d just listen on repeat, lol.

 

[oak]

I prefer 3-4 minute long songs. I get bored with longer songs and tend to skip it half way through.

 

[ZeldaCrossing64]

I picked 2-3 minutes but I don't mind songs that are 1-2 minutes. That's because I listen to a lot of video game OSTs, which are usually repetitive. It's mostly music from Animal Crossing, Legend of Zelda, Tomodachi Life, and Friday Night Funkin'; But I can only listen to those for a max of half an hour (maybe an hour) before I get sick of it and listen to something else.

 

[-Mars-]

--

 

[thatawkwardkid]

It depends on the genre. Genres like classical, at least 9 minutes. With more contemporary music, 3-6 minutes.

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

4-5 minutes. It's annoying when a good song is only like a minute long! I'll still listen to it but I will always think "This song should be longer." As for very long songs, I think they can be great but I kinda have to be in the mood for them.

 

[Neb]

If a lyrics or melody aren’t too repetitive I like most songs around 4-5 minutes. That gives most songs plenty of time to set up into something interesting. There are some songs that work better around 2-3 minutes, but they are few and far between.

 

[amemome]

I like 3-4 minutes as an average but it's really flexible and depends on how deeply I like the particular song! For instance, Roundabout by Yes is a particularly favorite song for me and it's a whopping 8+ minutes long! And so many classical pieces are also on the longer side, but I could listen to them all day long and not feel bored. I also like really quick songs too (like a lot of the K.K. Slider songs) so length really isn't the determining factor for me.

I think the particular chord progressions, lyrics (if there are any), and any interesting dissonances or instrument choices are really what determine how much I like a song.

 

[Ghost Of Autumn]

If I was forced to choose, then I'd probably say that somewhere between 3-5 minutes would be the ideal length for a song. But I actually love and am able to tolerate songs with all kinds of lengths - Some of which are as short as 30 seconds (usually Hardcore Punk/Grindcore stuff) while others are as long as 20-60 minutes and over (usually Progressive Rock, Avant-garde and Metal type of stuff).

 

[Fullmetalwwant]

A lot of songs I enjoy listening to varies in length depending on the genre. Some of my favorite Iron Maiden songs are longer then 6 or 7 minutes. Rush's 2112 is 21 minutes long as it jumps to different sections. I think it depends on the song and my mood for the day that determines what I'll be listening to. Even the Abbey Road Medley from The Beatles is, while different songs, can be considered one long track

 

[Flicky]

I guess for me it depends on what type of music it is. In general, 3-4 minutes works well. When I'm listening to more inspirational music, I prefer the length to be around 6-7 minutes instead.