Tiny tracks, big Impact – Music’s briefest number ones
Length is seldom the first thing that comes to mind regarding chart-topping tunes. Still, one song in the pop music scene has the strange honor of being the shortest ever to top the Billboard Hot 100. Clocking in at just one minute and 36 seconds, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs’ doo-wop masterpiece from 1960, Stay, holds that record. Although it’s short, Stay enthralled listeners with its contagious falsetto hooks, straightforward romantic lyrics, and upbeat charm.
Inspired by a genuine moment of teenage vulnerability, Maurice Williams wrote the song at only 15 years of age. Following a date, he begged a female to remain a little longer before she had to depart. The emotional center of the song became the resulting lyric, “Oh won’t you stay just a little bit longer. ” Recorded with his band The Zodiacs, the track’s brief structure was partly a practical choice, fitting perfectly into radio formats of the time. Its rise to the top in November 1960, though, was anything from usual; it is still a classic case of less may be more in popular music.
Born in South Carolina in 1938, Maurice Williams had been involved in music with a band named The Gladiolas before starting the Zodiacs. Although Stay was their sole big hit, the song gained fresh relevance in many years to come. It was shown in movies including Dirty Dancing and covered by performers like Jackson Browne, whose own song charted in the 1970s. Williams himself kept performing for years, and Stay has earned a permanent position in rock and roll history.
Other very short number-one songs include I’m Henry VIII, I Am by Herman’s Hermits (1 minute 50 seconds), PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen) by Pikotaro in Japan (1 minute 9 seconds), and Little Boxes by The Womenfolk (1 minute 3 seconds), which was a short hit on the US charts in 1964. Though these songs vary greatly in style, from novelty to folk to British pop, their brevity didn’t prevent them from becoming famous moments in music history.
Often in their catchiness, humor, or topicality is why these tunes were so successful despite their brief length. For Stay, it was a voice that cried to be heard and raw sincerity. Though Maurice Williams may have said the least, he said it best.
