What's the greatest intro in the world?

[PNWbrit]

Whats the greatest intro in the world?

"was watching University Challenge the other night when, incongruously, the deathless opening riff of the Kinks' You Really Got Me popped up. To paraphrase Churchill, never can a pop song have been so identifiable to so many from so little as this classic proto-punk single from 1964. The intro does exactly what the song promises in the title: pins you where you stand, then drags you in. Even the team of scientists seemed to have a fairly good idea of what it was. Paxo, clearly a secret member of the Village Green Preservation Society, simply smiled indulgently.

Most producers, publishers and A&R men - yes, they still exist - tell aspiring songwriters that they have, at the outside, roughly 30 seconds for a song to grab their interest before the mind starts to wander, usually never to return. But what, the poor composer will cry, about the carefully constructed bridge that kicks in after two-and-a-half minutes? Sad to say, you might as well have recorded the sound of your dog scratching at the door for all the attention they're paying by that point.

Nowadays, in an age of sensory overload and increasing demands on our time, the need for a song to grab the listener's attention as quickly as possible is more vital than ever. Which means the intro remains king. But what to do? There are loads of tried-and-tested options. George Martin was a great advocate of leading from the front, sticking the chorus right where you can't ignore it - advice that heightened the initial impact of the Beatles' She Loves You, and has since been followed by everyone from Abba (Take a Chance on Me) to Amy Winehouse (Rehab).

If it's a powerhouse riff you're after, then AC/DC's Back in Black takes some beating, though Smells Like Teen Spirit runs it close. The naked bass line and tambourine combo - featured on the Supremes' You Can't Hurry Love, purloined to equally gripping effect by the Jam on A Town Called Malice - is similarly hard to resist. Sometimes, however, the story rather than the sound proves most effective: the opening seconds of conversation on Leader of the Pack contain the seeds of an entire soap opera; so, in its own way, does "it's Britney, bitch" on Gimme More.

There are other ways and means: the trippy fade-in (Stone Roses' I Wanna Be Adored); the dramatic sound-effect (The Doors' Riders on the Storm; Junior Walker's Shotgun); stark and sultry (Prince's Sign O' The Times); the power-chord-then-pause (Bowie's Moonage Daydream).

A capella. Choral. A bloody big bass drum. Let me know which ones take your fancy. We're after the greatest intro in the world - ever."

[BLOOD SWEAT STEEL]

I've always kind of favored the Heart of the Sunrise intro.

Although Crazy Train and Won't Get Fooled Again unquestionably have also earned their place in this discussion.

[Tippster]

Hell's Bells - AC/DC
Runnin' w/the Devil - VH
Where the Streets Have No Name - U2

[The AD]

"Baba O'Riley"
"Pictures of Matchstick Men"

The story mentions "I Wanna Be Adored" by the Stone Roses. I'd pick "Elephant Stone."

edit: one of the comments has "Up On the Catwalk" by Simple Minds and I was thinking of that one, too.

[wi3dzmin]

Stairway to Heaven (Led Zep)
Schism (Tool)
Edit: Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple)

[dn4989]

#1 Jack the Stripper intro into Fairies Wear Boots

[Steven S. Dallas]

The "Baba O'Reilly" intro is awesome but is disqualified due to its unfortunate association with Paul O'Neill.

[PNWbrit]

Stunned no one has mentioned Pink Floyd.

AD - Sorry but Status Quo are DQ''d due to their later musical crimes against humanity - otherwise that's a great choice

[scoober]

Song Remains The Same Zeppelin

It's like, what, 2min long? A song in an of itself.

[FrankZappa]

I always liked Lou Reeds "intro" part to Sweet Jane.

And the quiet spyder on guitar strings sound in Hendrix's Pali Gap intro always sorta made the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention.

[Will]

I know we're talking about musical intros, but what if the intro is a movie sample... ?

(FYI: First one is rather bloody. Make that very bloody - probably NSFW)

Song starts at about 1:20


Song starts at about 0:30

[bagtagley]

Certainly not the greatest intro, but the dog bark at the beginning of Been Caught Stealing always startled the shit out of me.

[jon turner]

House of the Rising Sun by The Animals

[Iceonmyknee]

Most of these are pretty obvious...

RUSH: "2112"

QUEEN: "We Will Rock You"

RAMONES: "Blitzkrieg Bop"

MOTT THE HOOPLE: "All the Young Dudes"

STONES: "Start Me Up"

ALLAN PARSONS PROJECT: "Eye in the Sky"


EDIT: I listed Rush's "2112"...my bad...that's the album title...song is "2112 overture/Temples of Syrinx"...my apologies...

[half-fast]

there are a bunch of Billy Joel songs that have cool intros, unfortunately, the rest of the songs are Billy Joel songs.....

[The Reverend Floater]

Hendrix: Voodoo Chile or Little Wing. Game over.

[grapedrink]

guns n roses - welcome to the jungle

[Viva]

Iggy Pop, Lust For Life

[MarsB]

Greatest song intro using another song intro: Public Enemy sampling the beginning of Queen's Flash Gordon on Terminator X to the Edge of Panic

[grskier]

I'm thinking Ironman had a great intro.. but it's been about a year since I've heard it.

[Bob O]

stones-sympathy for the devil

[gg8983]

Cheesy but Crazy On You by heart.

[hev]

Never liked that stone roses intro actually. Also, can't stand some of the rap skits like Kanye and Outkast have on their albums but since their unique tracks they're east to skip through.

Really like:

The Herbaliser - "Who's the realest" - It's a Reservoir Dogs sample.
Van Halen - Runnin' with the Devil - can't go wrong here
Kleptones - too many good ones to count

[Fear Of A Flat Planet]

sweet child o mine GNR
riders on the storm Doors
three days Jane's Addiction

[nick > jesus]

The big takeover (bad brains)

this intro is such a bad ass crescendo, when it hits it's peak, shit goes off, just listening to it you can feel the energy rising throughout the intro