Two Minutes, 42 seconds

As I write this, I am listening to a mix of songs which only have one thing in common- they're all 2 minutes, 42 seconds long. There's this internet "meme" going around which says that 2:42 is a "magic number" for great songs, so I'm putting it to the test. I sorted my entire iTunes library by length (13,000 songs). Then I selected ALL the songs which clock in at 2:42. Then I weeded it down to about 30 songs, down to a small group of songs or bands I especially like. I haven't sequenced this group at all. Here's the result:

• "Under The Boardwalk" The Drifters
• "Streets of Fire" New Pornographers
• "Lighten Up" Beastie Boys
• "Oceans" Pearl Jam
• "September Gurls" The Bangles
• "The Way You Do The Things You Do" The Temptations
• "In My Room" Grant Lee Buffalo
• "Divine Hammer" The Breeders
• "Sheila Take a Bow" The Smiths
• "Revolving Dora" Fountains of Wayne
• "Leggy Blonde" Flight of the Conchords
• "Lovely Rita" The Beatles
• "Poison Ivy" The Coasters
• "May Queen" Liz Phair
• "Come See About Me" Supremes
• "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day" Nick Lowe
• "Don't Worry Baby" Beach Boys
• "From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)" Bruce Springsteen
• "Pictures of Lily" The Who
• "I Second That Emotion" Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
• "You Never Can Tell" Chuck Berry
• "Go Home" Barenaked Ladies
• "California Dreamin'" The Mamas & Papas
• "Teen Beat" Fleetwood Mac

Not surprisingly, the mix leans heavily on the early 1960s, and the 1970s and 1980s are barely present!