Behind the Notes:
 
The Buzz of Time in a Great Pop Song:
 
In mixing and releasing my new record, I’ve been contemplating time and the perfect length of a great pop song. Many songwriting books recommend keeping your pop song under three minutes in length. They cite that radio stations need to play as many songs in an hour as they can. The shorter the song, the more rotation it will get. But why three minutes?
 
Is there something in the brain that clicks off after 180 seconds?
 
Is this three minute attention span due to the fast-paced world in which we live?
 
What is the essence of a pop song and why, historically, is a great pop song only three minutes long?
 
Classical pieces like symphonies and concertos can run from 15 minutes to 2 hours in time. Are classical music fans more patient than pop music fans? Are classical music listeners smarter? Can they tolerate more notes than the average popster?
 
And then – what about an entire album? With 10-15 songs by the same artist, placed in a certain sequence, an album is a statement and an experience for the listener. It transports to another world, state or mood. It can be a cerebral experience due to lyrical content. It can cause sudden and surprising emotions. Sometimes a physical sensation will result. A record can make a person get up and dance – or meditate or sleep or relax or want to party. Albums are cool like that.
 
But today, with I-pods, digital downloads and advertising, the single is the thing. And the single has got to be short.
 
A single pop song – a hit – is short. It is memorable, catchy, hooky and lyrically it is rather simple. There is usually no "dead" time. In other words, no time where nothing is happening. Something has always got to happen!
 
Whether it’s a background vocal ("Bar- Bar-Bar-Bar-Barbara Ann"), a hooky guitar or piano riff (The Beatles' Day Tripper or Coldplay’s "Clocks"), or the lead vocal itself ("All you need is love"), some musical hook will tickle your fancy and keep you "hooked" in. When all of these elements combine and interweave to keep the ear busy and the mind interested, a pop song can make an impact.
 
In fact, the impact is powerful, even though the song is short. My friend Tom says that a pop song is about the buzz of communication. So, a good song makes ears buzz with information and/or emotion and connects personally to the listener.
 
That’s another thing. A good pop song’s lyrics are personal and at the same time generic. The words are repeated often enough so that the song becomes like a slogan or mantra. Think again of The Beatles’ - "All You Need is Love", Fleetwood Mac’s - "Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" or Pink’s - "Get The Party Started". These songs prompt an action – "Love" "Think" "Party". Actually they are more like commands than slogans – but either way – they talk straight and personally to the listener and convey an immediate communication.
 
In trying to think of what other activities I do for three minutes, I came up with brushing my teeth, unloading the dishwasher and scrambling an egg. These seem like everyday, routine activities. I almost couldn’t find them – as they are so mundane – I hardly notice the time they take. And I would hardly have time to digest Mahler’s 6th in the time it takes me to brush my teeth!
 
Maybe that explains the beauty of the pop song. The length is such that it slips into my consciousness under the radar. Makes me sing, dance, cry and think. Sticks in my mind, calls me to act and feel, repeats in my head over and over after the song is finished – and all in just about three minutes. Before I knew it was even playing. Like a dream, no end and no beginning. It’s in, it’s out, it’s on, it’s gone. Like an egg, it’s complete, the three minute pop song.
 

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