# best opening track on an album **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 19, 2003, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889 "2003-06-19T09:37:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/41 "2003-06-19T15:59:56Z")
Overture on Tommy by The Who ---
**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/42 "2003-06-19T16:03:39Z")
**Jotun** off of _Whoracle_ by In Flames. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/43 "2003-06-19T16:11:41Z")
**paulberserker** , the first track on my copy (vinyl) of ‘Back in Black’ is ‘Hell’s Bells’ – but that’s an equally good track! ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/44 "2003-06-19T16:22:33Z")
_Kielbasa_ from **Tenacious D** - sounds like it’s going to be some sort of Barenaked Ladies wannabe band, but then it gets really perverse. Hooks you for the rest of the album. _Hollow_ from Mer De Nom by **A Perfect Circle** - Fast, exciting, got great guitar hooks. Passion Play by **Jethro Tull** - well, the first track is the whole album actually…but it sounds like the entrance music to a performance being attended by the insane. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/45 "2003-06-19T16:39:32Z")
**Labdad** , thanks for breaking “Purple Haze” out of the bag. It’s hard to narrow this down, so here goes: - “Back in the U.S.S.R” - Beatles, from _The White Album_ - “Come Together” - Beatles, from _Abbey Road_ - “Just Like Starting Over” - John Lennon from _Double Fantasy_ - “Carry On Wayward Son” - Kansas from _Leftoverture_ - “I Can’t Get Next to You” - the Temptations from _Puzzle People_ - “Fire on High” - ELO, from _Face the Music_ - “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” - Michael Jackson from _Off the Wall_ - “Silent Running” - Mike + the Mechanics from _Mike + the Mechanics_ _[sub]Some may feel mention of the Beatles to be cliche, but if we can invoke the Rolling Stones, then we can the Beatles.[/sub]_ ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/46 "2003-06-19T16:54:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gallows fodder \* > \*\*Girls Against Boys – “Super-fire” off of _House of GVSB_. It starts off with a surging bass-line and a growled “Check your lifespan,” and then it explodes. Awesome. \*\* Actually, that is “Park Avenue” off of the album _Freak_on_Ica_. Unless, of course, they started off an album like that twice, but I don’t think so. And that song does rock. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/47 "2003-06-19T18:31:44Z")
**Aqualung** on Jethro Tull’s album of the same name. Jumps out at you. Rest of the album ain’t too shabby!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/48 "2003-06-19T18:45:27Z")
**Bob Dylan’s** _Subterranean Homesick Blues_ from **Bringing it All Back Home** _Waiting Room_ from **Fugazi’s** self titled first album (or from 13 Songs, which also includes their first two records). ---
**Author:** ![flood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@flood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flood)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/49 "2003-06-19T18:50:17Z")
**The Grudge** off of **Tool’s** _Lateralus_ I also agree with the vote for **The Hollow** off of **APC’s** _Mer de Noms_ ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/50 "2003-06-19T19:26:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Enginerd \* > \*\ ***Bob Dylan’s** _Subterranean Homesick Blues_ from **Bringing it All Back Home** \*\* Amen! Another opening track announcing a totally different direction. Good call! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/51 "2003-06-19T19:43:08Z")
Forgot about **London Calling**. Good call, **Lisa-go-Blind**. ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/52 "2003-06-19T19:43:52Z")
**Seven Nation Army** , _Elephant_, The White Stripes. The first few seconds of that song and I was reaching around and patting my own back for picking up the album. Good call on **Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry**. Nick Cave almost always has a fantastic song as the first track. **Do You Love Me?** was perfect on _Let Love In_ (I’m glad he didn’t go with the obvious choice, the title song **Let Love In** which wouldn’t have fit well), **Song of Joy** was a wonderful dark & scary start to _Murder Ballads_, and even the more recent albums started off with great songs: **As I Sat Sadly By Her Side** for _No More Shall We Part_, and **Wonderful Life** from _Nocturama_. Ahem. Sorry, I get distracted when I think of Nick. Mmmmmm…Niiiiiick… ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/53 "2003-06-19T19:45:48Z")
**Burning Down the House** - Speaking in Tongues - Talking Heads ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/54 "2003-06-19T19:47:29Z")
**In a Big Country** - The Crossing - Big Country ---
**Author:** ![williamweigand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b3f665/32.png) [@williamweigand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williamweigand)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/55 "2003-06-20T14:20:02Z")
The title track from “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” by Genesis. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/56 "2003-06-20T14:39:18Z")
How am I the first to say this: “More Than a Feeling” “More Than a Feeling” “More Than a Feeling!” The opener from Boston’s self-titled first album is an acme of dynamics. Music teachers: if you want to teach your students the power of dynamics be sure to play this song. “Sleep to Dream” by Fiona Apple (I’ve managed to forget the name of the album). The first and only time I’ve stopped a song and went back to see if I had heard it right upon the first listening was after hearing these first four lines: > [@](#): > > I tell you how I feel, but you don’t care./ > I say tell me the truth, but you don’t dare./ > You say love is a hell you cannot bear/ > And I say gimme mine back and then go there for all I care. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/57 "2003-06-20T14:47:59Z")
Welcome to the Jungle - Appetite for destruction ---
**Author:** ![blanx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f04885/32.png) [@blanx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blanx)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/58 "2003-06-20T14:57:05Z")
I second Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes- How about Cochise- off of Audioslave? I always seem to turn that up to ear-bleeding level when I put the CD in. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/59 "2003-06-20T15:02:09Z")
I like _Seven Nation Army_, but _Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground_ is light years ahead. So I’ll mention that. ---
**Author:** ![Ender\_Will](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ender\_Will](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ender_Will)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889/60 "2003-06-20T17:04:12Z")
Not really the “Best”, but here are some of my “favorites”: “Moon Baby”- _Godsmack_- Godsmack “Welcome to the Jungle”- _Appetite for Destruction_- Guns n Roses “Cake and Sodomy”- _Portrait of an American Family_- Marylin Manson “Smells Like Teen Spirit”- _Nevermind_- Nirvana A massive system crash occurred when I tried to rank “Fight Fire with Fire,” “Battery,” “Blackened,” and “Enter Sandman” against one another, so let’s all just agree that Metallica wins. **Gex gex** , I’m gonna back you on “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.” I bought the album because of that song, and the only part of “Seven Nation Army” that I like is the line “I’m going to Wichita,” and that only because of its utter nonsense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-opening-track-on-an-album/182889.md?page=4)