Napalm Death Holds World Record for Shortest Song

According to the Guinness Book of Records, Napalm Death holds the record for the shortest recorded song. The song is titled You Suffer, and its exact duration is only 1.316 seconds. The track You Suffer is included on the first half of Scum, which is Napalm Death's debut album released in 1987. A large portion of the first half of the Scum album was written in Justin Broadrick's childhood bedroom, located in Shard End, Birmingham.

When the Scum album was released in the summer of 1987, the lineup of the band Napalm Death consisted of Lee Dorrian, Bill Steer, Shane Embury, and Mick Harris. Later that year, on September 22, 1987, the band performed a slightly longer version of the track during a BBC studio recording. This version played by the group was titled You Suffer (Part II).

In 1989, the song You Suffer was distributed as a free seven-inch single. This distribution took place as part of the compilation album Grindcrusher released by Earache. As recognized by the Guinness Book of Records, You Suffer earned the official record for the shortest released single.