Brevity In Song

Let’s keep this brief, shall we?

Since Mandel and Sam decided that the side two medley from Abbey Road was out, I also disqualified using any of the “Fingertips” from They Might Be Giants’ Apollo 18 (such a great album, purposely built to be played in shuffle mode).

So I bring you 18 short songs. Some lack lyrics, but all are complete and lovely in their own right.

1. “Our Prayer” - The Beach Boys
   Such a lovely opening to an album (SMiLE!) that never saw the light of day - at least not as a Beach Boys affair. Dig the interwoven voices of the Wilson brothers, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston as they sing a lovely little prayer.
2. “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” - John Denver
   Old campfire song standards work, and this song, from Denver’s final studio album before his untimely death, is one that’ll stick with you and take you back…. way back.
3. “Tip-Toe Thru’ The Tulips With Me” -Tiny Tim
   The falsetto of Tiny Tim kept the vaudeville show tune alive for the 1960s generation.
4. “Eruption” - Van Halen
   EVH’s guitar acrobatics here are…. just plain WOW.
5. “A Hard Day’s Night” - Peter Sellers
   Before he recorded The Beatles, George Martin’s oversaw a lot of comedy recordings by groups like The Goons. Peter Sellers was a member of said comedy troupe, and The Beatles were huge fans of Sellers, so the natural crossover was for Sellers to put his touch on this Lennon-McCartney nugget.
6. “Rave On” - Buddy Holly
   Buddy Holly made the most of the time he had on this mortal coil, and “Rave On” is a song that influenced many rock acts to follow.
7. “Not Fade Away” - The Rolling Stones
   This early Stones nugget shows sonic influence from “Rave On,” don’t you think? I do. (And it’s kind of a trick question, as this song is a Buddy Holly song.)
8. “Johnny Saucepan” - Moxy Früvous
   A tongue twister of a song from one of my favorite folk groups.
9. “Mercedes Benz” - Janis Joplin
   One of Janis’ best: a politically charged message delivered with a drunken-yet-immediate fury by one of the best soul singers of the past 50 years.
10. “If You’ve Got The Money I’ve Got The Time” - Willie Nelson
    In just over two minutes, Willie proposes lots of fun things to do on a night out.
11. “Rejected Commercial Jingles: Twister®” - Paul And Storm
    This is what it is….
12. “Shoehorn With Teeth” - They Might Be Giants
    While I exempted the “Fingertips” from this list, I couldn’t omit all the TMBG canon.
13. “Bookends Theme” - Simon & Garfunkel
    “Time it was/and what a time it was….” Such a sad lament. This is the mono mix, which is very, very tough to find.
14. “Prologue” - Kraftwerk
    Kraftwerk’s Tour de France work netted some lovely, short sonic statements.
15. “People Are Strange” - Brave Combo
    I doubt that Morrison and Manzarek envisioned this song as a strident polka. But Brave Combo sure did.
16. “T.V.” - Cheryl Wheeler
    If you need some reasons not to watch, Cheryl Wheeler will provide them.
17. “If Only” - The Kooks
    British power pop can be quick and tidy, too - take that, Oasis!
18. “Song For The Asking” - Simon & Garfunkel
    Yes, it’s a second S&G song, but a perfect closer.

Enjoy these - then go out and listen to Pink Floyd’s “Echoes” or something similarly long.

Download: “Our Prayer” - The Beach Boys (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” - John Denver (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Tip-Toe Thru’ The Tulips With Me” - Tiny Tim (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Eruption” - Van Halen (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “A Hard Day’s Night” - Peter Sellers (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Rave On” - Buddy Holly (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Not Fade Away” - The Rolling Stones (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Johnny Saucepan” - Moxy Früvous (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Mercedes Benz” - Janis Joplin (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “If You’ve Got The Money I’ve Got The Time” - Willie Nelson (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Rejected Commercial Jingles: Twister®” - Paul And Storm (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Shoehorn With Teeth” - They Might Be Giants (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Bookends Theme” - Simon & Garfunkel (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Prologue” - Kraftwerk (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “People Are Strange” - Brave Combo (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “T.V.” - Cheryl Wheeler (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “If Only” - The Kooks (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Song For The Asking” - Simon & Garfunkel (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download all the songs in a handy ZIP file:

Download: “‘Brevity In Song” (ZIP)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)