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When we dig down to the very beloved bedrock of rock and roll music‘s musing soul, we often stop at the base of the lyrics. All the words that tie together a few guitar strings, some piano keys, the rhythmic wobble of percussion, and the electronics of elements like synthesizers turn the whole instrumental menagerie into something greater. They give the sound of the soul the poetic words of the soul, built on top like layers of emotional backdrop. But in doing all of that analysis, how often do we stop at a song’s first line?
How often do we realize how essential that introductory opening is, not only in building up the pieces of a great song but in introducing it to the audience in a way that’ll hook them in for the journey? How do they make them realize this is the tone of the singer, these are the stakes, and this is the entrance ramp of what’s to come? Sometimes those few words can make all the difference between a literal hit or just another mundane rock song we casually nod to in passing.
The following 15 are the best examples in rock and roll of opening lines that manage to accomplish all these things. They are introductions to important stories or tracks that have gone on to become historical in their own right. These opening lines are memorable for many different reasons, which is what makes them rock’s absolute best.
15
The Smashing Pumpkins, Bullet With Butterfly Wings (1995)
Despite The Rat’s Raging Cage
The world is a vampire
Sent to drain
Secret destroyers
Hold you up to the flames
It seems so simple, right? The image of undead bloodsuckers partaking in what they do best doesn’t exactly feel out of place for the goth-dwelling ruminations of The Smashing Pumpkins on their 1995 Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness lead single “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.” What makes the difference is the way Pumpkins lead man Billy Corgan presents the existence we know as an eater brought down upon us to suck us dry of our life and vitality. The kick-in of the head-nodding throb-rock instrumentation right off doesn’t hurt the impactful nature of “Bullet” either.
14
Prince And The Revolution, Let’s Go Crazy (1984)
Powerful Funk-Synth Gospel
Dearly beloved
We are gathered here today
To get through this thing called life
Prince wasn’t just calling his band The Revolution when it came to the 1984 release of his album Purple Rain and its first song, “Let’s Go Crazy.” He was also revolutionizing his sound to the next level, and that began with the futuristic, synthed-out sermon opening “Let’s Go Crazy.” It’s an element of gospel where you might least expect to find it and empathetic in the overall approach. After all, who can’t get onboard with the idea of gathering together just to get through this wild ride we know simply by its first name, life? It’s such a hook.
13
Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody (1975)
The Surrealist, Serpentine Ballad
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
There are few songs as good at explaining their (slightly obtuse) mission statement as the band Queen did with the opening words of “Bohemian Rhapsody” from their 1975 LP A Night at the Opera. With the changes in style, tempo, and lyrics on the track, is this real life and reality, or is this all just a fantasy of the narrator? It seems impossible to know in the midst of the deep surrealism of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and the opening lines only further fictionalize the possible truth in the best possible way.
12
David Bowie, Space Oddity (1969)
Floating Out In The Ether
Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
And so begins the ill-fated adventure of David Bowie’s fictionalized astronaut Major Tom, whose demise is never confirmed by 1969’s “Space Oddity” but seems to be all but a certainty once the final chords of the song ring out into silence. It isn’t so much the poetry of the first line that makes this track one of the best or most timeless openers, but the scene-setting and the story. To take place in space during a major time of space exploration and be presented in a style only Bowie could accent so well – that is the perfect “Oddity” of it all.
11
Sinead O’Connor, Nothing Compares 2 U (1990)
Flower Planted Fragile Beauty
It’s been seven hours and fifteen days
Since you took your love away
I go out every night and sleep all day
Since you took your love away
Originally written and demoed by the great musician Prince in 1984 for a release created in 1985 by one of his associated bands called The Family, the late great Irish singer Sinead O’Connor also took a crack at the song “Nothing Compares 2 U” in 1990. Released as part of her album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, O’Connor not only made it the biggest hit of her career but also made it sound entirely her own. The way she could tackle this opening line couldn’t be replicated. The sadness of need and longing here is poignant magic.
10
Black Sabbath, Planet Caravan (1970)
Rock On A Space Flight
We sail through endless skies
Stars shine like eyes
The black night sighs
The Moon in silver dreams
Falls down in beams
Light of the night
Recorded for the band’s 1970 album Paranoid, Black Sabbath showed off a poignantly poetic side with the song “Planet Caravan.” Trading in their trademark hard rock guitars and sentimentality for something downright psychedelic and jazzy, lead man Ozzy Osbourne sounds like he’s singing this opening line from a thousand miles out in space. But this isn’t purely acid-headed material either; there is a clear and present beauty of poetry here that may pleasantly surprise casual Sabbath listeners or those unfamiliar with their catalog. “Planet Caravan” has a striking ecosystem to it.
9
The Rolling Stones, Sympathy For The Devil (1968)
A Dark Ballad Of Badness Personified
Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
I’ve been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man’s soul and faith
Leave it to The Rolling Stones to make the Devil look cool. Written for the Stones’ 1968 album Beggars Banquet, singer Mick Jagger takes on the personification of the Devil in “Sympathy For The Devil,” listing some of his crimes in history over the catch of a dancing beat. In a sense, the song has a perfect contrast between the figure’s evil personification and his attracting temptation. This line shows this as well, taking on the shape of a man of wealth and taste, who has stolen many a man’s soul and faith. As they say, the devil’s in the details.
8
The Eagles, Hotel California (1977)
A Bizarre Hollywood Concept Piece
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
The Eagles really pulled out a masterful stroke of mystical conceptualism with the creation of the 1977 track “Hotel California.” This introductory lyrical line sets the stage for the almost paranormal fright the narrator experiences to stop at the scenes of this “hotel.” In actuality, the band was providing a metaphor for Hollywood itself and the “weird” scenes and loss of innocence that come with being embedded into that scenery. It’s both welcoming and inviting but also gives the slight hint that something foreboding is on the way behind the desert’s warmth.
7
The Beatles, Let It Be (1970)
An Uplifting Song Of Consolation
When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be
Utilized as the title track from The Beatles’ final studio album, “Let It Be” is one of those classic Paul McCartney-centric suites from the Fab Four’s catalog that’s on a level of “Hey Jude”-type iconic status for the singer-songwriter. Just hearing the piano notes and this lyrical introduction is the handshake to something that immediately has power and attention and significance with “Let It Be.” It’s a song of support and consolation at the root of it all, and at the end, the mood feels easier to let it be after listening.
6
Nirvana, Come As You Are (1991)
The Mud-Grunge Of Acceptance
Come as you are, as you were
As I want you to be
As a friend, as a friend
As an old enemy
Take your time, hurry up
Choice is yours, don’t be late
Take a rest as a friend
As an old memoria
Released as the second single from Nirvana’s 1991 album Nevermind, “Come As You Are” was another one of frontman Kurt Cobain’s lyrical endeavors that seemed to have multiple meanings. Some interpreted it to be about taking heroin, while others saw the track as telling the listener to be more comfortable in their own skin as their natural selves in the world. Whatever the meaning filtered through Cobain’s perspective on the world, this intro line feels like an invitation to get comfortable, to some unknown end.
5
Journey, Don’t Stop Believin’
An Arena Rock Standard
Just a small-town girl
Livin’ in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin’ anywhere
There are arguably fewer intro lines more iconic than this one courtesy of rock band Journey from their signature song, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” off of their 1981 record Escape. Buoyed by the sky-high vocals of the unmistakable Steve Perry, the history of music (not to mention karaoke) might never have been the same without “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Taking on a Bon Jovi or Billy Joel-esque story song angle of two regular people trying to make their dreams come true, Journey makes the trip exhilarating.
4
The Who, Won’t Get Fooled Again (1971)
A Rising Rock Track Of Revolution
We’ll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgment of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song
Rock band The Who brought their 1971 album Who’s Next to a roaring close with the ripping riffage of “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” which feels like a rise up against the status quo on the plain face of things. However, it also seems to acknowledge that even fighting in the streets or the changing of the guard doesn’t always lead to a positive change, just the same thing in a different shade of color. Hence, the song’s title and the introduction line’s questioning of who’s sending us to the fight in the first place.
3
The Steve Miller Band, The Joker
The Rhythm Of Good Vibes Only
Some people call me the space cowboy, yeah
Some call me the gangster of love
Some people call me Maurice
Cause I speak of the pompitous of love
Written for a 1973 album of the same name, “The Joker” was one of those oddly iconic sort of love songs that perhaps didn’t make a lot of sense at initial face value but just had a charm only The Steve Miller Band could conjure up. Built on the back of a funky, peaceful-easy-feeling, bass-y groove, the track has an off-the-wall, jive-y feeling that fits in very well with the early 70s. “The Joker” picks and grins its way all the way into your heart, right from this introductory lyrical pickup line.
2
Bruce Springsteen, Thunder Road (1975)
The Magic In The Night’s Track
The screen door slams, Mary’s dress sways
Like a vision, she dances across the porch as the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey, that’s me, and I want you only
Don’t turn me home again
I just can’t face myself alone again
Written as the introductory track for 1975’s Born To Run LP, the combination of musician Bruce Springsteen and the song “Thunder Road” is like peanut butter and jelly. Whether you know the taste of it or not, there’s magic about to happen, and you’re simply along for the ride. Even the introductory words here speak with a chasm-deep tone of intention and setup, the opening of the book and the formation of the chapter. “Thunder Road” slams the listener into this person’s narrative, and they feel as real as you or me from the very first notes.
1
Bee Gees, Stayin’ Alive (1977)
Saturday Night’s Assertive Strut
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I’m a woman’s man: no time to talk
The music loud and the women warm
I’ve been kicked around since I was born
Buoyed on by the humming funk of a pop-rock beat, the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” may arguably be one of the songs most commonly associated with the disco era. It certainly didn’t hurt that the track appeared on the famous John Travolta-starring disco-themed Saturday Night Fever movie soundtrack released in 1977, with “Stayin’ Alive” acting as some of the flick’s main narrative lifeblood. The Bee Gees embodied this spirit well, as the song has all the swagger and circumstance of its lead character. That opening line is a straight-up, boiled-down, determined attitude.
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