In just a few words, the opening lines of a song can be the difference between a listener sinking into an artist’s soundscape and a tap of the finger or twist of the dial to the next song or station. These introductory lyrics capture the audience’s attention—or, as the latter instances would show, sometimes they don’t, and the listener loses interest and keeps moving.
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And while we might more closely associate classic rock songs with their signature riffs or drum fills, these tracks’ opening lines can be just as effective and memorable. Here are four examples of incredible opening lines in classic rock music that still give me goosebumps anytime I hear them.
“Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin
I’ll start with a song that feels introductory in its own way, “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin. From the very first downbeat, the band is pushing you toward a place that feels vast, intimidating, and foreign. Jimmy Page’s guitar riff feels as foreboding as it does thrilling, and the string and brass instruments further intensify the song’s emotional impact.
By the time Robert Plant comes in with his opening lines, you feel like you’re standing in the same unending desert where he is. “Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face with stars to fill my dreams / I am a traveler of both time and space to be where I have been.”
“State Trooper” by Bruce Springsteen
If Led Zeppelin’s opening lines to “Kashmir” transport the listener to somewhere bright, loud, and expansive, then this folkier classic rock offering by Bruce Springsteen does the exact opposite. This moody Nebraska cut makes you feel like you’re the one driving on a dark turnpike, the only sound the wind rushing on the outside of the car windows, your eyes stealing quick glances in the rearview mirror in a search for lurking cops in the median.
“New Jersey turnpike, riding on a wet night / ‘Neath the refinery’s glow out where the great black rivers flow / License, registration, I ain’t got none / But I got a clear conscience ‘bout the things that I done.”
“Children of the Grave” by Black Sabbath
Despite what their heavy metal exterior might suggest, most of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne’s lyrics talked about his faith in God and encouraged others not to follow Jesus’ example with Christ-like love, empathy, and compassion. The opening lines to “Children of the Grave” from Master of Reality are particularly rousing, empowering, and inspiring.
“Revolution in their minds, the children start to march / Against the world in which they have to live and all the hate that’s in their hearts / They’re tired of being pushed around and told just what to do / They’ll fight the world until they’ve won and love comes flowing through.”
“Baba O’Riley” by The Who
Closing out this (admittedly short) list of incredible classic rock opening lines are the first lyrics from The Who’s 1971 track, “Baba O’Riley”. With Roger Daltrey’s full-throated vocal delivery putting even more oomph into the song’s first verse, it’s hard not to feel a righteous sense of pride, even if you don’t actually do manual agricultural labor. But on the off chance you do know what it’s like to work highly demanding physical jobs, the lyrics hit even harder.
“Out here in the fields / I fight for my meals / I get back my back into my living / I don’t need to fight to prove I’m right / I don’t need to be forgiven.”
Photo by Jorgen Angel/Redferns
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