50 Best Songs With Great Intros
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
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