10 of The Shortest Songs Ever Released

This list goes over some of the shortest songs ever recorded and released in music history.

The average duration of a song comes in between two and a half minutes to five minutes. This is the most common occurrence for songs to be in this time range.

While many people would ask themselves “what are the shortest songs ever recorded and released?”, one would think they will be around a minute, but in some cases, it is considerably less than one minute.

1. Napalm Death – You Suffer (1.3 seconds)

In 1989, a British punk band by the name of Napalm Death recorded their song, titled “You Suffer”. Make no mistake, this is the shortest song ever recorded and released as it holds the Guinness World Record with 1.3 seconds. It went down as the shortest song in history and this will unlikely change in the near future as it is an incredibly short song.

2. Queen – Yeah (4 seconds)

Number two on our list is Queen with their song “Yeah”. With its duration being four seconds, it is also considered one of the shortest songs ever recorded in musical history. The song itself features Freddie Mercury only saying one word and that word being ‘yeah’. It was taken from their album “Hot Space”, which was released in 1982, from the song “Action This Day”.

3. The Smashing Pumpkins – 17 (17 seconds)

Smashing Pumpkins comes in at number three on our list, with their song “17”. The name of the song comes from the fact that it’s actually 17 seconds long. It was the last song on their album, which was titled “Adore”. It is the shortest song in the band’s history, as well as one of the shortest songs ever released in the world.

4. Linkin Park – Empty Spaces (20 seconds)

We all know Linkin Park, but most people don’t know that they also have one of the shortest songs ever released in music history. That song is titled “Empty Space” and it’s from their album “A Thousand Years”, which came out in 2010. Granted, it serves as an intro to the song “When They Come For Me” but it is considered a separate piece, therefore a song by itself.

5. The Beatles – Her Majesty (24 seconds)

The legendary Beatles come in at number five with their song titled “Her Majesty”. The song is part of their album “Abbey Road”. With their incredible line of releases, “Her Majesty” is the shortest song that the band has ever released, which was the finishing track on the album.

6. Pink Floyd – Stop (30 seconds)

Joining the ranks of other famous bands is Pink Floyd with their song “Stop”. It was recorded and released in 1979, from their album titled “The Wall”. With a duration of 30 seconds, it is the band’s shortest song but nevertheless, it’s still considered a very interesting and emotionally packed track.

7. Green Day – The Ballad of Willem Fink (32 seconds)

Number seven on this list is Green Day with “The Ballad of Willem Fink”. While punk is considered to be a style of music that is known for creating short songs, with a common time range of two minutes. This is still considered incredibly shorter than the already short timeframe. This song lasts 32 seconds and it’s among the shortest songs ever released in music history.

8. Jonny Trunk – Ladies’ Bras (35 seconds)

The song was composed by Jonny Trunk and Duncan James Wisbey. It is considered a very witty and silly song about women’s bras. Fun fact about this particular track, which by the way only lasts 35 seconds, it actually managed to reach number 27 on the UK single list. Besides the fact that it’s one of the shortest songs in history, it is also the shortest song ever to be featured in the UK charts.

9. Minor Threat – Straight Edge (45 seconds)

Released in 1981, the song “Straight Edge” is a track from the band Minor Threat that is featured in their EP. The song was inspired by a subculture known as ‘Straight Edge’ that originated in the 1970s. It provides the narrative and meaning of how the singer interprets this idea in the song’s opening lines.

10. Coldplay – Parachutes (46 seconds)

Coming in at number ten, we have Coldplay with their song “Parachutes”. It’s a very mellow and acoustic song with the singing credentials of Chris Martin. It is notably the shortest song ever released by the band. Another thing to note is that it’s also the title track from their album “Parachutes”.

Summary

Many people probably don’t know the songs on this list and their incredibly short duration. The fun thing about these songs is that they are mostly released by really great and legendary bands, which makes this a more interesting thing altogether. With every song coming in at under 1 minute, it’s safe to say that these are the shortest songs ever recorded and released in the history of music.