As seems to be my custom, I just discovered some interesting old news: this BBC Poll of the Greatest Opening Lines of Rock Songs, which ran last April. I can't really quibble with their choice of Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" at the top of the pack — that is a great line, and the Lee Ho Fuk reference gives it a distinctive touch.
What follows are a few of my own favorites. As is true with books or movies, there are no rules as to what makes for a knockout lead — it can have a telling scrap of conversation that sounds like it came out of a Raymond Chandler novel (Joni Mitchell), poetic imagery (Bruce Springsteen), or just be bravely and brazenly retarded. The main thing is to hook and hold the attention, and all these songs make me drop what I'm doing and listen:
"Just before our love got lost you said I am as constant as the Northern Star and I said `Constantly in the darkness, where's that at? If you want me I'll be in the bar.'" — Joni Mitchell, "A Case of You."
*Some people say little girls should be seen and not heard, but I say `Oh bondage, up yours!'" — X Ray Specs, "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!"
*"In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream/At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines." — Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run"
*"Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet?" — Bob Dylan, "Visions of Johanna"
*"Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste." — Rolling Stones, "Sympathy for the Devil"
*"Everybody's heard about the bird, buh-buh-bird-bird-bird buh-bird is the word, uh well-ah bird-bird-bird buh-bird is the word ... " — The Trashmen, "Surfing Bird"
*"I am Governor Jerry Brown, my aura smiles and never frowns — soon I will be pres-i-DENT!" — The Dead Kennedys, "California Uber Alles."
*"Heeeeeeeere, kitty, kitty!" — The Cramps, "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?
*"All aboooooard — for night train!" — James Brown, "Night Train"
*"A cheap holiday in other people's misery!" — "Holidays in the Sun," Sex Pistols
*"Well he shot four men in a cocaine deal ... he left them lying in an open field, full of old cars, with bulletholes in the mirror...he tried to do his best, but he could not..." --"Tired Eyes," Neil Young
...and, of course, my absolute Number One favorite opening line:
"Come on, everybody, let's do the hawg!" — Eddie Kirk, "The Hawg (Part One)."
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Mark Saleski
"She was just seventeen...you know what i mean".
2 - Distorted Angel
I went and looked at the BBC article you linked to. I can't believe that out of Elvis Costello's entire catalog, he chose the opening lines from "Alison". My pick would have been this:
"It's at times such as this she'd be tempted to spit, if she wasn't so ladylike..." -- Elvis Costello, "All This Useless Beauty"
3 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
"masturbation saved my life..." from Femtex by Therapy?
4 - Big Time Patriot
Don't forget the screaming of "Londons Burning" from the Clash song of the same name.
5 - Al Barger
So many choices, even just from Elvis. You could very well start with what might be considered the opening line for his whole career, the first lines from the first song on his first album.
"Now that your picture's in the paper being rhythmically admired,
you can have anyone that you have ever desired."
6 - Rodney Welch
Rhythmically admired -- so that's what he's saying, thanks. I'm one of those Elvis fans who spent over a decade thinking "I'm up late pacing the floor" from "Two Little Hitlers" was "I might play bass on the floor."
7 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
"I've been so sad... since you said my accent was bad"
Throw The R Away - The Proclaimers
8 - felix
Save a few points for John Hiatt:
"I'm sitting on the toilet with my sunglasses on."
9 - Al Barger
On the first album, Costello's doing a meta-punk rock gesture by consciously casting himself against classic rock iconography, thus all the stuff about looking like Buddy Holly's evil twin.
Most of all, of course, this means casting himself against the Elvis Presley iconography. Thus the obvious Elvis style song on the album, "Mystery Dance," plays precisely against the Elvis Presley king-stud image, fumbling around in the dark.
Likewise, then, for making the first line on his first album a masturbation reference. He was playing the anti-Elvis.
10 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
"taking off his turban, they say, "is this man a jew?"
Clampdown - The Clash
Man,this is a whole heap of the "fun" and so on. Thanks, Rodney
11 - godoggo
and right now and right now and right now and right now and right now it's time to kick out the jams motherfuckers
12 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
"i love you from the bottom of my penci-case"
Beautiful South - song for whoever
13 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
oh, and "i was 21 years when i wrote this song / i'm 22 now, but i won't be for long."
Billy Bragg - a new england
14 - Rodney Welch
Duke -- Paul Simon liked those lyrics so much he used them first.
15 - Eric Olsen
"I'm a gonna raise a fuss, I'm a gonna raise a holler"
"Summertime Blues" Eddie Cochran
"You think we look pretty good together, you think my shoes are made of leather"
"Substitute" The Who
"Got an urge, got a surge, and it's out of control"
"Uncontrollable Urge" Devo
"Hey, I've been wondering, Where you go so late at night"
"The Not Knowing" Tindersticks
16 - Chris
"Are you Reeeeaaaddyyy?" Blind by Korn
Combine that with the opening measures of the song= perfect way to start a show.
17 - bill_mink
Hey kids want to piss off your parents in the grand tradition of rock 'n roll? Try the opening line from Patti Smith's Horses
"Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine"
18 - Rodney Welch
I listen to that record all the time, although I don't sing along until after that line.
19 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
rodney - heh, i forgot uncle bill inched that one from Simon. Still, his follow up is priceless also;
"people ask me, when will i grow up to be a man? / but all the girls i loved in school are already pushing prams"
20 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
another classic Bill moment (one which is, i belive, unconnected to either paul or art)
"i woke up this morning / to find that we have outlived the myth of trust"
Great great lyric. Cause he shagged around on his wife, y'see.
Also, Bill has the best masturbation lyric ever-
"With my own hand, when i make love to your memory / it's not the same / i miss the thunder, i miss the rain"
- St Swithins Day
21 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
"life's a bitch, then you die, black hell / hell's ditch, naked howling freedom"
Hell's ditch - the pogues
22 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
and who can forget - "one summers evenin', drunk to hell, i sat there nearly lifeless"
A pair of brown eyes - the pogues
And of course,
"It was christmas eve, babe, in the drunk tank / and old man said to me, won't see another one"
Fairytale of new york - the pogues
23 - Eric Olsen
"I met my love by the gas works wall,
Dreamed a dream by the old canal"
"Dirty Old Town" Ewan McColl, as performed by the Pogues
24 - Distorted Angel
And then there's this cheerful little ditty from Joe Jackson (another one of my favorite lyricists):
"Everything
Everything gives you cancer
Everything
Everything gives you cancer
There’s no cure, there’s no answer
Everything gives you cancer"
-- "Cancer", by JJ
25 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
all in all though, i think the best opening line might well be;
"arseholes, bastards fucking cunts and pricks"
from Plaistow Patricia by Ian Dury.