What song - any genre - has the best opening in the rock era?

Great idea for a thread!

Make sure to post the song.

Rock #1 opening - Gimme Shelter

Diana Ross - I'm Coming Out

Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run

Completely agree on Prince’s Let's Go Crazy

Maybe not the best but I LOVE the opening of The Bangles cover of Hazy Shade of Winter.

Seven Nation Army

Rock 2nd best opening - She Sells Sanctuary

Hole-Celebrity Skin is a good one.

But the opening I can never resist is from "Superfly."

R7 that was my second choice. Did Billy or Courtney write the riff?

A classic

R9 Pretty sure it was Corgan. I know for sure he wrote Malibu.

Agree with Let's Go Crazy.

I wasn't a huge fan of this til lately but even before I was this opening was iconic:

Bang a Gong.

First minute of the Stones' "Monkey Man." The BEST. If I weren't so old and stupid, I'd post it.

Another Prince-written one:

Funny, as soon as I read this thread title I also thought of Prince.

35+ years on and still nothing has ever sounded like this song.

i am not R4, but i love “hazy shade of winter”

Mama by Genesis

Opening drums from "In the Air Tonight."

The instrumental beginning to Madonna's Papa Don't Preach.

“Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel and “Boys of Summer” by Don Henley

Some of my favorites have been previously mentioned but I do enjoy this intro immensely - Blue Monday by New Order.

Heart Barracuda

Black Sabbath Iron Man

U2, Where the Streets Have no Name.

Metallica For Whom the Bell Tolls

Thread closed

I could nominate any one of several Beatles songs, but the one that leaps immediately to mind is "Ticket to Ride."

Joan Jett I Love Rock and Roll

whoops

Sorry....

The Beatles had some great openings. That chord on A Hard Day’s Night, Eleanor Rigby’s “ah look at all the lonely people”, that flute sound to start Strawberry Fields Forever.

But the guitar opening on “Here Comes the Sun” always, always makes me feel great. And nothing else sounds like it to me.

“Us and Them” - Pink Floyd

“Here Comes the Rain Again” - Eurythmics

“FM” - Steely Dan

The Supremes’ singles had openings that were like songs unto themselves. I’d pick “Stop! In the Name of Love” as one of the greatest opening to any song ever.

Led Zeppelin‘s Stairway to Heaven (1971)

Incredibly misleading - which is why it fucking rocks!

The Stones

"Space Age Love Song"

Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing (1985)

Theme from Shaft.

The Mamas and the Papas’ California Dreamin’ (1970)

The Bee Gees Jive Talkin’ (1975)

GnR Welcome to the Jungle

Paul McCartney and Wings’ Band on the Run (1973)

Dead or Alive’s You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) (1985)

OOGA CHAKA

OOGA CHAKA

Listen to how great this intro is, but also watch how beautifully crisp Mary Wilson's gestures to it are.

That's Poise with a P, as in Professional.

The best is from the OG British Invasion:

"When You Walk in the Room," by the Searchers.

Go-Go’s “Head Over Heels” - I love piano and drums!

Back That Thang Up!

Another Girl, Another Planet - a very long intro and a great one.

New Rose. Any number of Damned songs could qualify, it’s hard to pick just one.

another Led zeppelin

the Immigrant Song

Talking to an Angel - Eurythmics

Heard it Thru the Grapevine - Marvin Gay

Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet.

"Baba O'Riley" by The Who.

Donna Summer - I Feel Love

[Quote]“I produced a song with David Bowie for the film Cat People, and he told me that he was in Berlin at a point when the song came out,” Moroder says. “He was working with his partner in crime (Brian Eno), and they were looking for a new sound. [When they heard 'I Feel Love,'] David said, 'Don't look anymore, because I think Giorgio found the sound of the future.'”

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Enola Gay

Blondie - Heart Of Glass

White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane

Be My Baby - The Ronettes

Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac

Madonna - Vogue

For those who came of age in the 90s... it began and ended with these few bars.

My personal favorite rock opening.

Ah yes, R65, the glorious “stuck wah” guitar sound.

There are probably hundreds of rock songs I could pick that have fantastic intros. So many of them, in fact, that I’m drawing a blank.

INXS - Need You Tonight

Funkadelic- Can You Get to That?

Donna Summer - Hot Stuff

It's the first song I thought of when I saw the title of this thread.

This’ll get ur attention

I’ve always been partial to London Calling

R9 Billy wrote that riff.

ANY genre?

R66, when I was first learning how to play guitar, nailing the Ziggy riff felt like SUCH an accomplishment! Twenty years later it's still one of my favorites to play.

Smoke on the Water, Deep Purple

Driver’s Seat

American Girl

One Way Out, The Allman Brothers Band, with the incomparable Dickey Betts

The Romantics - "What I Like About You"

A Whiter Shade of Pale

Tears For Fears - "Head Over Heels"

Pink Floyd, "Money"

Joy Division - "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

The Rolling Stones - "She's A Rainbow"

Iggy Pop - "Lust For Life"

Good one R83.

Gerry Rafferty-“Baker Street”.

My dad loved the sound of a sax, but he preferred the jazz sax a la Charlie Parker. He said this was one of the best sax solos.

Sweet Child O'Mine -GNR

Another Led Zeppelin: "Whole Lotta Love"

Zeppelin had a lot of good intros:

Last one:

The Temptations - “My Girl”

ABBA Lay all your love

A favorite:

I used to work in retail and the Muzak channel that played this cut off the entire intro.

What's the point???

Logical Song by Supertramp

So many good openings...Baba O'Riley...any of the Led Zeppelin tracks (especially Kashmir)...My Girl...Be My Baby...a couple of Supremes songs.

Here's mine, Brian Wilson's paean to Phil Spector's production techniques, Don't Worry Baby, by the Beach Boys

spector reminded of the great opening on "you've lost that loving feeling". it seems pretty rare to open immediately with singing, but bill medley is really great.

It goes on forever but is instantly recognizable: John Mellencamp - "I Need a Lover".

Color My World, Chicago

Layla

Janes Addiction been caught stealing.

The mention of " Feel Love above made me think of two other great dance intros.

One is Technotronic's "Get Up"

The other is C&C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat"

And this old timey but GREAT JAZZ Chuck Mangione tune.

Several Stones songs were mentioned (including my mentioning Start Me Up), and I can't believe none of us thought of the great buzz saw like guitar riff that begins this song:

I mean, The Doors : Peace Frog.

Magic Carpet Ride

“Paperback Writer” - love that it starts with an urgent statement of the title followed by power.

Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones

Sorry r91 - it's not the last one!

We need some Elvis Costello

Okay, r110, LAST one.

I like the (dissonance? not a music person) of the opening chords:

r112 Okay, last one from me ... and I could keep going. lol They are white-hot in this show, what an opening, just wow. But you probably know that.

r113 :-)

"Sara" -- Fleetwood Mac

Good one r115

Jimi Hendrix had some pretty iconic song openings; exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Dream Weaver -- always liked the intro better than the rest of the song

"Badge", Cream:

"Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine."

Now that I have your attention:

The very first chord, Bennie and the Jetsssss

I gave a ww to a lot of songs mentioned. R59, one of the greatest dance intros (and songs) ever!

Thunderstruck - Back in Black

Johnny B Goode

The Nuge’s Stranglehold (1975)

Enter Sandman - Metallica

"I'm gonna be your Number One."

And it was. 40 years ago this week.

....

R34 is right -- so many songs by The Supremes had unbelievably dynamic opening bars. This is one of my favorites. It gets diluted a bit by the applause, but it's interesting to see this performative presentation years before music videos became the norm.

Surprised this hasn't come up yet. Aqualung by Jethro Tull.

Another great intro not mentioned:

If we can include Madonna we can include this one. Midnights at G.A.Y. were never the same again.

If The Temps are going to get mentioned, I'd have to include "I Can't Get Next to You" . . .

I mentioned a couple of dance songs above, and I should've also included this one from the '70s, produced Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch before they became KC & the Sunshine Band

"The Tears of a Clown" - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. Love that bassoon!

ABBA - "Waterloo"

One pill makes you larger...

Love this song. Long intro version.

KC and the Sunshine Band’s I’m Your Boogie Man (1977)

The Who - Eminence Front

Wish You Were Here has a classic intro

“Hypnotized” - Fleetwood Mac

[quote]Maybe not the best but I LOVE the opening of The Bangles cover of Hazy Shade of Winter

[quote]Go-Go’s “Head Over Heels”

Also, "Crazy On You" by Heart

Papa Don't Preach

The Beatles have a bunch. Surprised this one hasn't been posted yet.

"Revolution"

r143 meet r20

"Borderline" - Madonna

"MacArthur Park" - Donna Summer

❤️ - Crazy On You

Electrifying intro. Insane vocals by Ann Wilson. Legendary rock.

Hear, hear r145, who noticed that two people agree that "Papa, Don't Preach" has the best opening. It's posters like him who make Datalounge worth paying $19.99 a year for.

Huzzah, r145, you rancid control queen.

I never realized how cheesy that "organ" sounds in Let's Go Crazy.

Ugh. '80s synthesizers were the worst.

The Kinks - "Lola"

Sympathy for the Devil

Eurythmics - Missionary Man

Elvis Costello's "Alison"

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the iconic opening of Roundabout by YES. From the reverse of the acoustic chord at the beginning to the guitar riff that follows - classic rock.

Great thread OP!

"Gimme Some Lovin'" by The Spencer Davis Group is one of my favorites.

One of my favorites: Steely Dan

Eagles- Dirty Laundry

Sorry, but I just love this intro...

"Fire" - The Pointer Sisters

"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Diana Ross

I love a Laura Nyro moment, R159. Despite my parents having had their heyday in the 1960s & 1970s (and raising us on that music), I had to wait until middle school to meet Laura Nyro (musically), where my jazz band played an arrangement of this song.

*too soon

i'm surprised we didn't get "smells like teen spirit" by nirvana yet. or, if we did, it's not showing up in a ctrl-f search.

they may have played this intro on january 1, 1990 for the impact it had on defining the decade.

My favorite '80s dance song.

For me, the first 1½ minutes are heaven . . .

Another great 1½ minute intro from New Order . . .

The Karen Carpenter thread made me think of this

Jump - Van Halen

Eurythmics WOULD I LIE TO YOU.

The opening for "How Soon Is Now" by The Smiths is instantly recognizable and forever a classic.

Much imitated but never bettered.

For R170, who might be a tad lazy?

Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie

Bowie - Heroes

"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" - The 5th Dimension

Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy

The Killers - "Mr Brightside"

You would never hear it on the radio but I really love Minsitry's Psalm 69 opening

The drum intro to the Foo Fighters "My Hero" and the 2+ minutes intro of The Cure's "Underneath the Stars".

"venus" by shocking blue

Duran Duran's "Girls On Film" has an iconic opening.

🎶money money money🎶

OMG I love this thread.

"Be My Baby" - the Ronettes

This changed my musical life in the summer of 1964 every bit as much as "I Want to Hold Your Hand" had that winter.

The clapping. It was everything. And there was more, so much more, to come.

I’m not a fan of the lyrics because it’s het nonsense but I love the opening to Conquest by the White Stripes

Doctor’s Order by Carol Douglas.

The old fashioned phone ringing. The guy’s deep “hello”. The whole song damnit.

Michael Jackson gave this song about male body worship such a dramatic, bombastic intro he couldn't possibly have been gay...or a bottom...

"Our Lips Are Sealed" - the Go-Gos

Three pounds of cheese, but when this came on, you knew people were going to dance

"Bette Davis Eyes" has a great opening.

The best opening:

As loud and grand as this intro is, you are completely unprepared for how loud and emotive Labelle will sing this Cole Porter song. Especially, if you only know it from Ella Fitzgerald or Rosemary Clooney. Turning this lighthearted ditty into a scalding feminist rebuke.

Ian Dury - Plaistow Patricia.

Arse 'oles, Bastards, Fucking Cunts and Pricks.

If it's about being recognizable: We Will Rock You - no competition. but R2 has a point too. Gimme Shelter or Jumpin Jack Flash.

Layla- Eric Clapton.

Tusk. Fleetwood Mac

Maybe not the best, bit the most legendary

Hey Baby 1975

The immigrant song - Led Zepplin. Especially the way they used it to open " The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo ". On its own though, its still great.

Man in the Box, Alice in Chains.

All the Prince choices are spot on correct and somebody already posted my favorite song, Voodoo Child (Slight Return), so I had to choose, what I think, is the most distinctive opening to ANY rock song. It says, GET THE F**K OUT THE WAY, COMIN' THROUGH!!

Here's another one that is irresistible that I love.

One of my favorite daydreams is learning to play the opening guitar riffs to this, entering a talent show, and WINNING!

R202 indeed. I love Jimi. The song is great, the musicianship is out of this world. The one quibble is Jimi is short on real tunes.

R198 one of the best. Not even spoiled by the 2 dozen times I have heard it blasting at Gen X weddings 10 years later.

nice slow burn

The opening to "No Wow Now" has been used on a few TV soundtracks to start action scenes.

I won't say it's the "best opening" but the first thing that came to mind when I read the headline was

"Domo arigato mr roboto" from Styx.

Respect by Aretha. Great opening.

The opening notes of Genius of Love by the Tom Tom Club used to be instantly recognizable, until everybody and their mother built songs around samples of it.

The opening bars get me every time.

R205, what the hell do you mean "real tunes." Jimi Hendrix created some of the greatest songs in Rock history.

Big Noise from Winnetka

'Taint What You Do

Caldonia

Yeah, I'm posting proto rock, everyone can just deal

Got to go with Beauty and the beast by David Bowie for the album Heroes.

Never mind, wrong link.

R214 Great opening! That percussion is astounding!

Peter Gabriel, Sledgehammer

Bro, what’s with all the old songs no ones ever heard of?

B-flat C C

The Beatles - "Mr. Moonlight"

It's considered by Beatles fans to be one of their worst songs (I disagree), but I think John Lennon's a cappella opening is amazing.

The first 45 seconds of Aretha's "Daydreaming" are pretty damn sublime, IMO.

R221 Broaden your musical knowledge.

r221 is emblematic of the end of the rock era.

Deep Purple - "Smoke on the Water"

One of the best openings ever:

Goldfinger - Shirley Bassey