3 Rock Songs With Intros You’d Recognize in One Second

The chorus is usually the part of a song that listeners latch onto. In return, it’s the section that songwriters tend to focus on the most. But an underratedly memorable part of a song is the intro. If a songwriter can nail the intro to a song, they are in for a significant hit. The three rock songs below all have earworm intros. Revisit these three easily recognizable hits below.

“Sweet Child O’ Mine” (Guns N’ Roses)

The guitar riff at the top of Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” is instantly recognizable. Classic rock fans could guess which song was coming on after hearing one-tenth of this intro.

Slash modeled this riff after a finger exercise. More or less a happy accident, this riff helped “Sweet Child of Mine” become one of the most iconic rock songs of all time. “We’re sort of blessed that we have something that’s become as memorable as that,” Slash once said. “You have a song that is really that effective.”

“I didn’t know it was a big deal at the time,” he added elsewhere. “I just thought it was an interesting riff. I had no idea it was gonna be as iconic as it became.”

“Hotel California” (The Eagles)

The opening riff of the Eagles’ “Hotel California” is equally as memorable as “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” although less punchy than the Guns N’ Roses track.

Don Felder created this timeless intro, perfectly encapsulating the song’s mystique. Many things made this song popular, but this unforgettable intro was a significant factor. “I had no idea that it would become a hit,” Felder once said. “I was just sitting on a couch strumming my guitar like I did every day, and out came this little progression.”

“Under Pressure” (Queen & David Bowie)

While most rock songs center around a titular electric guitar riff, Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” uses a bassline as the basic building block. John Deacon’s riff is almost as iconic as the artists themselves, remaining influential for decades after its release.

Deacon is credited with this riff. But, after he briefly forgot the riff, Bowie reportedly helped him remember it, albeit with a few changes. “Deacy began playing [the riff],” guitarist Brian May once said. “Then, Bowie changed Deacon’s memory of the riff to what we know today.”

(Photo by Michael Helms)