The Band Who...Kept Expanding

Long Long(er) Long(est)

The ever increasing Beatles running time

Love Me Do (1962) - 2:23
The average pop song in the early 60's was well under 3 minutes. Some bands would even print fake shorter running times on their labels to ensure airplay.

I Saw Her Standing There (1963) - 2:56
Two bridges and guitar solo pushed this bluesy rocker to epic lengths.

You Really Got A Hold On Me (1963) - 3:03
A Smokey Robinson cover pushes the boys over 3 minutes.

She's A Woman (1964) - 3:03
McCartney pens his first B side over 3 minutes

Ticket To Ride (1965) - 3:10
And the first A side. A rave-up outro added 20 seconds

You Won't See Me (1965) - 3:23
It's a slow tempo that extends this album track.

Strawberry Fields Forever (1967) - 4:07
A experimental coda/jam session and post fade out drum solo adds over 1 minute.

Within You Without You (1967) - 5:05
mid tempo song with 30 second intro and over 1 minute instrumental section

A Day In The Life (1967) - 5:35
this time it's fade out piano chords, a dog whistle, then a loop originally recorded in the playout groove of the vinyl disc which add over 1 minute

Hey Jude (1968) - 7:08
3:03 of song plus 4:00 of coda

Revolution 9 (1968) - 8:22
nearly 81/2 minutes of atonal ego stroking by John and Yoko doesn't really count as a song. 

So the longest Beatles song is -

I Want You She's So Heavy (1969) - 7:48
4:37 song plus 3:10 non fading fade out


 It's interesting that in many of the Beatles fattest songs there's thin song trying to get out. Rather than a truly epic song like Bohemian Rhapsody, from Ticket To Ride onwards we have short songs with something tacked on the end.