The Top 15 Songs that are Less than 2 Minutes, Ranked

As the saying goes, too much much of a good thing can often times be a bad thing. The songs that are discussed in this article though are the complete antithesis of that saying. These are songs that are excruciatingly short in length.

In this list, I analyze and rank the 15 best songs that I have heard that are less than 2 minutes.

15. “Summers Over Interlude” – Drake / Majid

Song Length: 1:46

Album: Views (2016)

“Summers Over Interlude” kicks off this list. It was a huge standout on Drake’s Views album and it is the perfect song to play in August as the summer season comes to a close. The song is performed entirely by Majid from the Canadian R&B duo, Majid Jordan. It is a great interlude that ironically comes near the end of Views.

14. “Waken Baken” – Wiz Khalifa

Song Length: 1:29

Album: Kush & Orange Juice (2010)

The opening song of Wiz Khalifa’s legendary and career catapulting Kush & OJ mixtape fittingly sets the tone for the entire project. It is produced by Sledgren. The song and beat of “Waken Baken” is so great that Wiz also uses it to conclude the mixtape by adding a short verse and singing the same hook and calling this version “Outro”.

13. “Rise” – Solange

Song Length: 1:41

Album: A Seat at the Table (2016)

“Rise” is another album opener that has been included on this list. It is a great song in which Solange sings about the importance of being your true self “…so you can wake up and rise”. It is one of my favorite songs on A Seat at the Table which ended up being one of my favorite albums of the entire 2010’s decade (see my Top Albums of the 2010’s Decade here).

12. “22 Offs” – Chance the Rapper

Song Length: 1:49

Album: 10 Day (2012)

“22 Offs” is one of those songs that I’m sure many have not heard before. It is an excellent song that features Chance playing with the word “off” in nearly every bar on the song. It is an impressive feat considering that he fits 25 bars into such a short song. Check this track out below if you haven’t heard it before.

11. “Newer Balance – Freestyle” – Jhené Aiko

Song Length: 1:05

Album: Trip (2017)

“Newer Balance – Freestyle” serves as sort of a transitional song that follows the track “New Balance” on Jhené Aiko’s criminally underrated Trip album. John Mayer produces as well as plays the electric guitar on the song which adds a very nice touch. It is really hard to explain just why “Newer Balance – Freestyle” is such a great song. The subtle guitar riffs from Mayer pair perfectly with Jhené’s soft singing style. This song is one of my favorites on an album that is full musical gems.

10. “Beach is Better” – Jay-Z

Song Length: 0:55

Album: Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013)

Immediately following “Part II: (On The Run)” featuring Beyoncé on the Magna Carta Holy Grail album comes “Beach is Better” which is produced by Mike Will Made It. Clocking in at just under a minute, “Beach Is Better” is one of those songs that everyone wishes was a full song. Within this song, Jay-Z stunts on everyone while playing around with the “bringing sand to a beach” idiom. This song is a standout on an otherwise forgettable album.

9. “Caretaker” – DRAM and The Social Experiment

Song Length: 1:35

Album: Surf (2015)

“Caretaker” is another one of those short, yet great songs that you really want to be longer. DRAM actually heard all of the requests and released a longer version of “Caretaker” featuring SZA in late 2015. To me though, the shorter, original version is better.

8. “White” – Frank Ocean / John Mayer

Song Length: 1:16

Album: channel ORANGE (2012)

This smooth instrumental track is produced by Tyler, The Creator and features John Mayer playing the guitar. It concludes one of my all-time favorite 3 track runs on an album with “Pyramids”, “Lost”, and then “White”. This song feels like a necessary interlude on such a complex album.

7. “Lady In A Glass Dress (Interlude)” – Chris Brown

Song Length: 1:17

Album: X (2014)

“Lady In A Glass Dress (Interlude)” is another short song on this list that was so well received that it forced the artist to release an extended version. In 2016, Chris Brown went on to release the full version via SoundCloud. On the album, this song serves as an interlude and leads into “Autumn Leaves” featuring Kendrick Lamar.

6. “Girl With The Tattoo Enter.Lewd” – Miguel

Song Length: 1:42

Album: All I Want Is You (2010)

“Girl With The Tattoo Enter.Lewd” is the 3rd song on Miguel’s debut studio album and it features Miguel singing over his own background vocals. It is one of my favorite songs on an album that featured some of the biggest hits of Miguel’s career including “All I Want Is You”, “Sure Thing”, “Quickie” and “Girls Like You”. PARTYNEXTDOOR would later go on to sample this track on his song “Break from Toronto”.

5. “Urn” – Childish Gambino

Song Length: 1:13

Album: Because The Internet (2013)

“Urn” is a standout on an album that is filled with amazing songs. Childish Gambino’s in-album character, “The boy”, is grasping an urn filled with his father’s ashes before spreading the ashes “to the sea”. It is a special moment on this album that, in my opinion, showed just how talented of a singer Donald Glover really is.

4. “All Of The Lights (Interlude)” – Kanye West

Song Length: 1:02

Album: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

On the album, this interlude serves as the perfect precursor to massive hit, “All Of The Lights”. This song is purely instrumental and only features two instruments: a piano and cello. It sets sort of an emotional yet calm tone before the full version begins. This is a legendary short song that is nearly impossible not to love.

3. “Close To You” – Frank Ocean

Song Length: 1:25

Album: Blonde (2016)

Coming in at #3 on this list comes Frank Ocean’s cover of Stevie Wonder’s cover of “(They Long to Be) Close To You” by The Carpenters which was written by Burt Batarach and Hal David. Yes, you read that correctly. Frank Ocean actually covered a cover song.

Check out Stevie Wonder’s cover here:

Frank Ocean’s “Close To You” contains some of the most chilling lyrics on the Blonde album as he discusses an abrupt ending to a relationship. It is a beautifully executed song that is produced by Buddy Ross, Frank Ocean himself, and Francis Farewell Starlite from Francis and the Lights.

2. “My Way Home” – Kanye West / Common

Song Length: 1:43

Album: Late Registration (2005)

This song is performed entirely by Common. Kanye handles the production and samples “Home is Where The Hatred Is” by Gil Scott-Heron. Check out the original song in which Kanye sampled from here:

Kanye chose to slow down the Gil Scott-Heron version within his version and it works really well. Common’s one verse in this song expands on the original song’s content by explaining how home is often where someone receives the most opposition and hate. In recent times, we have seen Nipsey Hussle, XXXTENTACION, and many other artists killed in their own hometowns.

“My Way Home” is truly a great song that shows Kanye’s masterful ability to flip and incorporate samples so seamlessly. It is definitely one of the greatest short hip-hop songs of all-time.

1. “Free Chilly” – Lupe Fiasco / Gemstones / Sarah Green

Song Length: 1:02

Album: The Cool (2007)

Coming in the number 1 spot is “Free Chilly” from Lupe Fiasco’s sophomore album: The Cool. Sarah Green and Gemini handle the vocals for this entire track. It is one of those songs that you really really REALLY wish was longer. The subject matter of the song deals with the incarceration of 1st & 15th label co-founder Charles “Chilly” Patton who was sentenced to 44 years behind bars for having 6kg of heroin. The vocal performances compliment each other so well and the production, by Soundtrakk, is top notch. I highly suggest listening to this song right now if you haven’t heard it already.

Thank you for reading and as always, let me know what you think in the comment section below or via social media!