Odds Are You Could Guess These 3 Classic Rock Songs After Hearing Just the First Note

If you fancy yourself a nerd when it comes to classic rock, then chances are that you can guess a song after just a few words or strums. Now, if you consider yourself an absolute scholar, you can and or should be able to identify the songs after just the first note. Well, even if you aren’t either of those things, odds are you could guess these three classic rock songs after hearing just the first note, because they are just that distinct.

Videos by American Songwriter

“Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits

The intro to Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing” is not sung by Mark Knopfler. Rather, it’s Sting who sings falsetto vocals, and consequently, it has become one of the most identifiable intros in classic rock history. The minute Sting sings “I Want My MTV“, one knows what song is on. However, many already know what song is playing before he even finishes the sentence.

What is the dead giveaway of this song? Well, to us, it is the whaling vocal note that penetrates your ear in less than a second. Not many songs start in this way; hence, this is probably one of the easier songs to identify just after one note.

“Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses

When it comes to classic rock intros of the 1980s, this one just might be the most iconic, and that is all thanks to the guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, Slash. If you can’t identify this song after hearing the guitar solo intro, then you have some serious reevaluating to do as a classic rock fan. However, if you can, then you’re in a good spot.

What makes the first note(or a couple of notes) so distinct is the piercing sound in which it is played. Consequently, listeners can quickly surmise the few players that start a song in that way, and the most famous one who does is, of course, Slash.

“Money” by Pink Floyd

It isn’t a guitar, a bass, a voice, or a drum that makes this song so easily identifiable. Rather, it is a cash register, and to our knowledge, this is the only song in the history of rock and roll that uses a cash register as the introductory instrument.

Earlier, we said “Money For Nothing” is one of the most identifiable intros in rock and roll history, but we are going to clear things up a bit: the intro to Pink Floyd‘s “Money” is the most identifiable intro in rock and roll history, or at least in the top five. Hot take, maybe, but we can’t think of another one off the top of our heads.

Photo by Sobli/RDB/ullstein bild via Getty Images