3 Famous Rock Songs Where the First Line Is the Most Important

Rock songs are often known for their chorus sections or final lines. Rarely does the opening line of a song ever become the most memorable. For the following three rock songs, the first lines of these tunes are actually the most important. Let’s take a look!

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“Born To Run” by Bruce Springsteen (1975)

“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.”

Straight out of the gate, this Springsteen classic packs a major punch. This thoughtful song about escaping where you grew up, especially those who were trapped in stifling economic structures, lets you know what the song is about from the very beginning. 

Those “mansions of glory” are the mansions of the wealthy that sit outside Freehold, New Jersey. The “suicide machines” are a reference to the street racing scene of his younger years. That particular scene, in particular, put underprivileged youths in dangerous scenarios and killed some while they were young. He paints the picture of growing up on the rough streets of NJ beautifully, and I can see why this song is one of his most loved pieces of work.

“Hotel California” by Eagles (1976)

“On a dark desert highway / Cool wind in my hair / Warm smell of colitas / Rising up through the air / Up ahead in the distance / I saw a shimmering light / My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim / I had to stop for the night.”

Few songs have been picked apart and interpreted by listeners quite like “Hotel California” by Eagles. However, I think the opening lines of this song make it clear what the true meaning behind this song is. Though, I’m sure there are other interpretations that are much more accurate, take what I say with a grain of salt.

The entirety of “Hotel California”, with its spooky metaphors, is all about Los Angeles and how the city traps people. “Up ahead in the distance / I saw a shimmering light” could easily refer to the “glow” that LA has when approaching at night from the desert. “Warm smell of colitas / Rising up through the air” has also been speculated to be the smell of m*rijuana. Though, the band never really confirmed this. They have confirmed that this song is about American excess, sure. But I think it’s about the excess and, at times, destructive nature of 1970s Los Angeles, specifically.

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana (1991)

“Load up on guns, bring your friends / It’s fun to lose and to pretend.”

By far Nirvana’s most mainstream and famous song, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is all about the apathy of 1990s youths. And from the very beginning of this entry on our list of rock songs with an important first line, Kurt Cobain makes that clear. That opening line notably confused some listeners, making them think the song was a sort of revolutionary call. In reality, “Load up on guns” was a reference to h*roin. “It’s fun to lose and to pretend” is about pretending things are fine when they’re not, further referencing the song’s theme of young disillusionment.

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