Saturday, April 17, 2010

101 Two Minute Pop Songs, pt. 1

Two-minute pop songs are a little like pistachio nuts—hard to stop at one. So here's 34 with more to come.

Beach Boys, "Little Saint Nick (45 RPM)" (1963) Just plain fine no matter what the season. (1:59)
Beach Boys, "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" (1964) (2:01)
Beatles, "Do You Want to Know a Secret" (1963) (1:59)
Beatles, "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You" (1964) Probably the best song here. (1:59)
Beatles, "It's Only Love" (1965) From Help! but belongs on Rubber Soul, I swear. (1:59)
Beatles, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967) (2:02)
Big Four, "Outta Tune" (1960) If they are, I can't hear it, but then I've never had the ear anyway. Wait a minute, I think I did hear some bad notes? Nah... (2:02)
Billy Fury (w/ the Gamblers), "Stand By Me" (1960) Not the Ben E. King song. (2:01)
Billy Riley & His Little Green Men, "Flyin' Saucers Rock 'n' Roll" (1957) (2:02)
Blur, "Song 2" (1998) It's almost old-fashioned, in a way. (2:01)
Bob Dylan, "Suze (The Cough Song)" (1963) As featured on the main menu page for the No Direction Home DVD, albeit sans actual cough and attendant conversation and laughter. (1:59)
Bombay the Hard Way (feat. Dan The Automator and DJ Shadow), "Ganges a GoGo" (1999) (1:59)
Boss Hog, "Ski Bunny" (1995) Probably the best song here. (2:01)
Box Tops, "The Letter (Single Version)" (1967) (1:59)
Canned Heat, "Big Fat" (1969) (1:59)
Charlie Walker, "Soft Lips and Hard Liquor" (1974) (1:58)
Chipmunks, "Can't Buy Me Love" (1964) Hit that guitar, Simon boy. (1:59)
Chocolate Watchband, "Psychedelic Trip" (1967) (1:58)
Clash, "White Riot" (1977) A good one to sing along with. (2:01)
Clyde McPhatter, "Lover Please" (1962) (2:01)
Collins Kids, "Mercy" (1956) These Collins siblings, Lorrie 14 and Larry 12 at the time of this recording (as best I can tell), obviously must have had it in their genes, though I wonder what happened to them as adults. The real story, I mean. Note that it's Larry playing the guitar. (2:02)
Dave Clark Five, "Bits and Pieces" (1964) (1:59)
Dave Clark Five, "Over and Over" (1965) (2:00)
Dave Edmunds, "Here Comes the Weekend" (1976) Probably the best song here. (1:59)
Dean Martin, "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow" (1959) (2:00)
Dick Dale, "The Wedge" (1962) Can this guy play a guitar or what? (2:01)
Dusty Springfield, "Bad Case of the Blues" (1969) Even something as cheesy as this. Even something as cheesy as this. (2:00)
Eddie Cochran, "Summertime Blues" (1958) Major rock 'n' roll epicenter. Almost certainly the best song here. (2:00)
Elvis Costello & the Attractions, "No Action" (1978) Say hello to the Attractions and then get out of the way of this one or it will run you over like a truck. (1:59)
Elvis Presley, "All Shook Up" (1957) I'm itchin' like a man on a fuzzy tree. My friends say I'm actin' wild as a bug. (1:59)
Elvis Presley, "Bossa Nova Baby" (1963) (2:01)
Elvis Presley, "Don't Be Cruel" (1956) (2:03)
Elvis Presley, "Introduction-Early Morning Rain" (1977) From his final performance in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977. Mostly the show is the train wreck you would expect, or maybe that's the quality of the recording from a handheld microphone in the crowd, but this is a lovely moment.  (2:02)
Elvis Presley, "Make Me Know It" (1960) (1:58)

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