A three-minute pop song is a

cliché A cliché ( or ) is an element of an artistic work, saying, or idea that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, even to the point of being weird or irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was consi ...

that describes the

archetype The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ot ...

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

, based on the average running-length of a typical

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

. The root of the "three-minute" length is likely derived from the original format of 78 rpm-speed

phonograph record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

s; at about 3 to 5 minutes per side, it's just long enough for the recording of a complete song. The

rules of the Eurovision Song Contest A detailed set of rules and obligations which all participating broadcasters and participants in the annual Eurovision Song Contest () must uphold is produced annually ahead of each edition of the international song contest. These rules are drafted ...

do not permit entries to be longer than three minutes.

References

Pop music Popular music Single_types Song forms {{music-stub

See also

References