Short and/or unfinished songs

[lammie200]

Any come to mind? A couple off the top of my head:

Little Wing by Hendrix. It's only a little over two and half minutes long. Seems like he stretched it out another minute or so live. I remember the first time I heard it I felt like it was unfortunate that it ended. It ends on a solo outro to fade. I just wanted to hear more. Many others have covered it and stretched it out a lot further. Evidently Hendrix thought that Angel was a follow up to Little Wing so maybe if the two were stitched together somehow the picture would have been more complete in my mind.

Wichita Lineman by Jimmy Webb for Glen Campbell. Webb even says that there was supposed to another verse and he couldn't come up with anything so Campbell recorded what he had. The arrangement is so well done, however, that it seems to work itself out.

What about you? I know a lot of songs were edited for radio play but that is not really what I am talking about and could be a topic for a different thread. I am talking about just songs that made it big that are still missing something. BTW, I guess you could say that a vast majority of songs by REM or U2 are missing guitar solos but that may also be the topic of a different thread.

 

[Oxidao]

Musically raised in the 70's, I appreciated long songs in Rock and Blues, right now... not that much.
I like a lot of songs without a single guitar solo

Different thing to me is when listening to Jazz or Afrobeat.

 

[elihu]

Daniel by Elton John had a 3rd verse that was cut to make it more “radio friendly.” And apparently the missing verse tied the lyric together to where it wasn’t so vague as to what the song really was about.

Idiots…

 

[smartsoul72]

Most of the songs on Bowie’s “Low” were short. Like fragments. Fantastic record, though.

 

[slauson slim]

 

[srblue5]

 

[richiek65]

It did get released in this short form on a studio album, then the writer succumbed to a melanoma before he could finish it

 

[BrazHog]

Take your pick...

 

[Marc Morfei]

Eh. “Short” songs and “unfinished” ones are two different things. My little cover band just added CCR’s Fortunate Son and Travelin Band, and each is under 2:30. A lot of short songs are just right.

 

[Frisco 57]

Before retirement I worked in a hospital repairing (& maintaining) medical equipment. An unfinished country song I would often sing to my nurse friends was, "Broken things always remind me of you, after all those crazy things that you do. Broken things always remind me of you." it was short song but a L&D Department hit!

 

[telestratosonic]

Before retirement I worked in a hospital repairing (& maintaining) medical equipment. An unfinished country song I would often sing to my nurse friends was, "Broken things always remind me of you, after all those crazy things that you do. Broken things always remind me of you." it was short song but a L&D Department hit!

Wow! I like it!

 

[Geoff738]

Murder Most Fowl is about 14 verses short of being perfect.

Cheers,
Geoff

 

[Sixmilecross]

After all these years "White Rabbit" by the Jefferson Airplane is still too short!

 

[drmordo]

 

[Blackmore Fan]

I have a unique suggestion--I told it to my (then) girlfriend more than 20 years ago. There's a Van Halen song "In a Simple Rhyme". If you'll skip to the 4 minute 20 second mark, the band engages in an amazing outro! THAT outro should have been a Van Halen song! There's so much that could have been done with it!

 

[lammie200]

A

Eh. “Short” songs and “unfinished” ones are two different things. My little cover band just added CCR’s Fortunate Son and Travelin Band, and each is under 2:30. A lot of short songs are just right.

“Short” as in missing something, not short as in, say, 2:30 minutes long.

 

[Engine Swap]

The entire Guided by Voices catalog

 

[lammie200]

After all these years "White Rabbit" by the Jefferson Airplane is still too short!

I think "White Rabbit" is a good example of verse. There is no chorus or bridge in that song. I don't even think that there are any key changes.

"Badge" by Cream is an example of missing ending verse and/or chorus IMHO. I know that the story is that there is no bridge, hence the name became "Badge" through a misunderstanding. Clapton does stretch it out live with extended soloing and the chant of 'Where is my badge?" In its original form "Badge" does have a modulation in it.

 

[smoothrecluse]

Skulls by Misfits - The entire genre tended to be short, fast songs though.



Broken and Bent by Peter Sallet - It was written for the Role Models soundtrack, so it’s probably short on purpose. Wish it was longer though.

 

[EllroyJames]

Too long and missing something.