Greatest Rock Intros
Here are my personal “TOP TEN” Rock song intros of all time. While dozens of other songs were in contention, I had to narrow it down to ten. I used a mix of iconic songs and the way a song makes me feel within the first 30-45 seconds to truly captivate and engage me as a listener. I tried to include a song from every decade of music and here are my top ten!
#10
Metallica – Master of Puppets
Released in 1986 “Master of Puppets” has stood the test of time as one of the greatest guitar opens of all time. While these rankings were created by a 90’s baby who didn’t grow up listening to Metallica live in-concert, plenty of friends and family growing up were mega fans and introduced me to the sheer talent which is Metallica. “Master of Puppets” saw a bit of a revival a few years back when the latest season of “Stranger Things” decided to incorporate the song in their season finale, which led to millions of kids who never heard of Metallica (I know bad parenting) becoming super fans. This song is my number 10 because I could not leave them off the list, but this is not a list of best bands, purely song intros.
#9
Motley Crue – Kickstart My Heart
My all-time favorite band, Motley Crue absolutely knows how to draw in the listeners with their song intros. Take “Kickstart My Heart” for example, the song starts off with a wicked guitar riff that resembles a high-powered car accelerating down the highway. Which then immediately transitions into more high-octane electric guitar that stomps the gas pedal firmly down and sets the tone for the entire track. While Motley Crue is my #1, I have to rank “Kickstart My Heart” at #9 on the list of intros because I will admit there are too many amazing tracks to place this song any higher.
#8
Van Halen – Panama
Having to explain how an Eddie Van Halen track is one of the best song intros ever seems crazy, in short “Panama” is an iconic track full of high-speed guitar and a beat that just makes you want to punch something (in a good way). This track cracked the top ten list with ease due to the likelihood that you’re already bobbing along to the beat.
#7
Scorpions – Rock You Like A Hurricane
German rock band “Scorpions” came out with this track in 1984 and this was one the earliest hard rock tracks I was introduced to. This is a song that hooks you in right away, with a sound and beat that feels like an awesome movie is starting and you better buckle in for the ride. 16 Seconds in, it all comes together and that’s the point where I first knew I loved this song forever. This song made it to #7, because it took less than 20 seconds for it to make me a forever fan at the age of 9.
#6
AC/DC = Thunderstruck
“Thunderstruck” has such a great open, it’s still used on High School Football, College and NFL fields to this day, to get the fans and players amped up as they charge onto the field. Incorporating “Thunder” in the way AC/DC does on this track to get the fans involved early gives me the same vibe that Queen gave me with “We Will Rock You”. Not the same track, but the same effect of having all those live fans jump in to shout along. This song made it in my top ten because it grabs your attention right away, due to its unique opening sound and the crowd encouraging chants of “Thunder”.
#5
Rage Against The Machine – Guerrilla Radio
Rage Against the Machine’s “Guerrilla Radio” may be a surprise edition to this list for some however, when you grew up playing the amount of video games with killer soundtracks on them as I did, this is not a surprise. I first heard this song playing a skateboarding game and instantly felt cool. This is the type of song I grew up with the volume turned up real loud, so people knew I was listening to a killer song like this. This track made it on the top ten because my childhood would have been altered without it. The open also sounds like a fight is approaching, which sounds pretty cool…
#4
Van Halen – Eruption
Okay, so this song is sort of cheating I know, considering this entire track is technically an intro. That being said I couldn’t leave off what is quite possibly the greatest guitar solo in recorded history. This annihilation of the guitar here, made it to my top ten due to the effect this had and still has on aspiring guitar players, Eddie Van Halen is 1 0f 1.
#3
The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
“Seven Nation Army” is truly one of those beats that can be recognized by anyone, anywhere. Search far and wide, and if you ask someone you know the song that goes “insert bum bums here”. Odds are they are going to know what you mean. Being a huge University of Michigan football fan, hearing this song before every kickoff behind 110,000 fans waving towels to the beat, is like nothing else. This song cracked the top ten because it’s an iconic hook that cannot be replicated and will likely be a hype up song for sports teams for another 50 years at least.
#2
Rob Zombie – Dragula
I am actually stomping my foot to the beat as I write this, Rob Zombie really killed it with “Dragula” doing what he does best, entertain. The eerie open into a drumbeat gets the feet going, then he adds in that guitar. After his first verse, the guitar really takes off and you’re fully invested for the next three minutes. It’s songs like this one that I believe should be templates for how to hook an audience in 30 seconds or less. Sadly, this song couldn’t beat my #1, but it was a close second. Keep scrolling to find my #1 song intro!
#1
Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train
The number one ranked rock intro is… Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train”. The first 32 seconds of this song are what I call “audio gold”. When Ozzie opens with “All aboard” which perfectly invites everyone for the ride that is “Crazy Train”, I get the chills down my body. The mix of sounds, pacing, feel, and power you hear all in the span of 32 seconds makes for the absolute greatest open on this entire list. Growing up, I wanted to be a professional Baseball player and I wanted this song as my walkup song, because it made me feel like any pitcher that heard this song before a hitter came up, would feel the same chills down their entire body and strike fear into their minds. While the song is not a fearful, dread type track, it is so dynamic and spirited, it firmly holds my #1 spot on the list of top ten song intros.
