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50 Best Songs With Great Intros

Updated on August 14, 2025
Carson McQueen profile image

Carson suffers from a serious case of melophilia. Geeking out on her favorite music artists is her guilty pleasure.

Opening Song Hooks That Pull You In Before You Know It

Some tracks don’t wait for your attention. They crash through your headphones before you’ve even registered the first line. A few notes in, and you're already locked into something—tension, swagger, confusion, whatever the artist decided to throw at the wall in those opening seconds. There's a kind of thrill when a song knows how to kick the door in early. Not build, not warm up. Just launch. And in a sea of slow burns and gradual climbs, that kind of bold start hits different. The right intro can shift your whole headspace before the chorus even lands.

It’s not always loud. Some of the best intros creep in sideways. A warped loop. A single snare that sounds like it came from an empty hallway. Vocals that feel like the mic was too close on purpose. There's something oddly addictive about intros that feel like you’re catching a moment mid-scene. The kind of openers that sound like they’ve already been playing for hours, and you’re late. It’s awkward and perfect and somehow intentional. This is where pop, rock, country, and R&B songs all find ways to skip the small talk and start with a gut punch or a smirk.

And maybe it's a flex. Maybe it's muscle memory. Maybe it’s chaos. Whatever it is, when a track nails the opening, everything after it feels like momentum. It pulls you in faster than your brain can form opinions. It’s all instinct. These are the songs that know exactly how to begin and don’t waste a second showing you. Here’s a list of the best songs with great intros.

Top 10 Opening Songs

1. 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'—Nirvana

2. 'Billie Jean'—Michael Jackson

3. 'Sweet Child O' Mine'—Guns N' Roses

4. 'Stairway to Heaven'—Led Zeppelin

5. 'Hotel California'—Eagles

6. 'When Doves Cry'—Prince

7. 'Baba O'Riley'—The Who

8. 'Come Together'—The Beatles

9. 'Bohemian Rhapsody'—Queen

10. 'Take On Me'—A-Ha

Essential Song Intros #11—20

11. 'Seven Nation Army'—The White Stripes

12. 'Money for Nothing'—Dire Straits

13. 'Welcome to the Black Parade'—My Chemical Romance

14. 'Paint It, Black'—The Rolling Stones

15. 'Thunderstruck'—AC/DC

16. 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts IV'—Pink Floyd

17. 'Crazy on You'—Heart

18. 'Immigrant Song'—Led Zeppelin

19. 'Pinball Wizard'—The Who

20. 'Do I Wanna Know?'—Arctic Monkeys

Amazing Song Beginnings #21—30

21. 'Back In Black'—AC/DC

22. 'Smoke on the Water'—Deep Purple

23. 'Hells Bells'—AC/DC

24. 'We Will Rock You'—Queen

25. 'All Along the Watchtower'—Jimi Hendrix Experience

26. 'Layla'—Derek and the Dominos

27. 'You Really Got Me'—The Kinks

28. 'Money'—Pink Floyd

29. 'Enter Sandman'—Metallica

30. 'The Final Countdown'—Europe

Top Song Openings #31—40

31. 'Crazy Train'—Ozzy Osbourne

32. 'Gimme Shelter'—The Rolling Stones

33. 'Johnny B. Goode'—Chuck Berry

34. 'The Less I Know the Better'—Tame Impala

35. 'Ultralight Beam'—Kanye West

36. 'The Next Episode'—Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Nate Dogg

37. 'Good Ass Intro'—Chance the Rapper

38. 'Runnin' with the Devil'—Van Halen

39. 'Black Dog'—Led Zeppelin

40. 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone'—The Temptations

Standout Song Introductions #41—50

41. 'Sultans of Swing'—Dire Straits

42. 'Blue Monday'—New Order

43. 'Born to Run'—Bruce Springsteen

44. 'Purple Haze'—The Jimi Hendrix Experience

45. 'I Feel Love'—Donna Summer

46. 'Rebel Rebel'—David Bowie

47. 'Where Is My Mind?'—Pixies

48. 'The Chain'—Fleetwood Mac

49. 'Foreplay/Long Time'—Boston

50. 'Go Your Own Way'—Fleetwood Mac

© 2025 Carson McQueen

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