Song length

[edteja]

Jimmy Webb calls it either a tag or epilogue in his book.

[hookstownbrown]

Yeah, in Nashville, a new section at the end of a song is called a tag. I would think the same applies elsewhere for pop, r&b, etc. "Outro" sounds more like an instrumental finish to me. "Coda" is Latin or whatever. Who knows? Regardless, most of the MBA's running A&R departments will not get "Coda". They think numbers, not foreign terms. Keep it simple unless you are pitching to Andre Previn.

[nomiyah]

Good to know, thanks hookstown.I have a song with ABAB arrangement. But there's a section at the end that's different I've been calling bridge. I don't like calling it a bridge because it ends the song. A bridge is supposed to go somewhere and that's why it's called a bridge. Maybe I should call it a tag instead? Give me your opinion if you have a chance.http://nomiyah.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=43You can listen if you want athttp://www.nomiyah.com/dashboard/avgallery/med ... .MP3Thanks. Nomi

[nomiyah]

Since the subject is Song Length, what is a good song length these days? I've heard a song is ideally slightly over 3 minutes, slightly under 5. There are hits of various lengths. Any thoughts?

[hummingbird]

I aim for 3 / 3.5 but have gone as long as 4.30 on certain ballads that are meant for my albums. Commercially shorter is better, 3 to 4 minutes, particularly because they usually don't want to hear long intros/outros and solos in demos.Many song contests have a 5 min max.H

[53mph]

My first single was 5.24 and it got A-listed to radio.My second single was over 7 mins and still got lots of airplay.It really depends on the quality of the song and performance.In fact the DJ from one station who championed my music said that he really respected the label for putting out radio unfriendly length singles.I've submitted the same singles to Taxi and, yes, of course I'm told they're too long.It really depends on the trends at the time, the context (on radio, on an album, in a Taxi listing) and personal taste. Of course the industry standard is 3-4 minutes, but as Michael always says in his emails, sometimes breaking the mold can be refreshing for the listener.My favourite single of the 90's was by a band called Swervedriver called Never Lose That Feeling. It has an outro of about 10 minutes, with the rest of the song it came to about 15mins. It was absolute genius

[nomiyah]

3 to 5 minutes sounds right to me but I do appreciate hearing your opinions.

[johnnydean1]

The answer to this one is blindingly obvious!The song should stop before it gets boring whether that be ten seconds or ten minutes.

[nomiyah]

Quote:I have a song with ABAB arrangement. But there's a section at the end that's different I've been calling bridge. I don't like calling it a bridge because it ends the song. A bridge is supposed to go somewhere and that's why it's called a bridge. Maybe I should call it a tag instead? I just got a review from Taxi about the song "Couldn't Walk Away". It was a complimentary review but, lo and behold, one of the only criticisms was that there should be a chorus after the bridge. I've learned from this and I'm calling it a tag from now on. Really appreciate the comments Hooks and all.Nomi