When we dig down to the very beloved bedrock of rock and rollmusic’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 poeticwordsof 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 waythat’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.
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 1995Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadnesslead single “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.” What makes the difference is the way Pumpkins lead man Billy Corgan presents the existence we knowas an eater brought down upon usto 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.
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 albumPurple Rainand 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 gospelwhere you might least expect to find itand 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.
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 LPA 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 linesonly further fictionalize the possible truthin the best possible way.
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 beall but a certaintyonce 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.
It’s been seven hours and fifteen days
Since you took your love away
I go out every night and sleep all day
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 albumI 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. Thesadness of need and longinghere is poignant magic.
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 albumParanoid, 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 herethat may pleasantly surprise casual Sabbath listenersor those unfamiliar with their catalog. “Planet Caravan” has a striking ecosystem to it.
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 albumBeggars 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’sevil 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.
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 providinga metaphor for Hollywood itselfand 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.
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 haspower and attention and significancewith “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.
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 fromNirvana’s 1991 albumNevermind, “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 linefeels like an invitationto get comfortable, to some unknown end.
