# Greatest Opening Riffs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 14, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661 "2003-04-14T16:16:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ChalkPit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@ChalkPit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChalkPit)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/1 "2003-04-14T16:16:24Z")
What songs really blow you away in the first 10 seconds ? I nominate **Communication Breakdown** _Led Zeppelin_ **Sunshine of your love** _Cream_ **Hey Willie** _The hollies_ ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/2 "2003-04-14T16:22:03Z")
I’ve always been kinda partial to the riff on Men at Work’s “Land Down Under”, myself. ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/3 "2003-04-14T16:42:09Z")
Chuck Berry–Roll Over Bethoven Derrick and the Dominos–Layla ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/4 "2003-04-14T16:44:19Z")
The Doors – Light My Fire ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/5 "2003-04-14T16:48:10Z")
So many. . . **Folsom Prison Blues** , Johnny Cash **Brown Sugar** , Rolling Stones Just about anything by Chuck Berry Just about anything by the Ramones **I Fought The Law** , Bobby Fuller Four **Lola** , Kinks **Rock This Town** , Stray Cats ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/6 "2003-04-14T17:02:55Z")
Beatles: I Feel Fine In My Life Get Back Sgt. Pepper Help ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/7 "2003-04-14T17:05:24Z")
No Van Halen? How soon they forget… Van Halen-Panama and Jump Also… AC/DC-Thunderstruck Zep-Stairway Skynrd-Sweet Home Alabama! “Turn it Up!” ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/8 "2003-04-14T17:10:43Z")
The Stones **Honky Tonk Woman** and Cream’s **Badge** have got to rank as well. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/9 "2003-04-14T17:15:16Z")
Ahhh…So very many to choose from. Let’s see: Horn-Phish Pride and Joy-Stevie Ray Vaughn Take no Prisioners-Megadeth American Woman- Guess Who Whipping Post- Allman Brothers Raining Blood- Slayer Caught in a Mosh- Anthrax Sweet Child O’ Mine- Guns and Roses Mr. Brownstone- Guns and Roses Monkey Man- Rolling Stones Rocky Mountain Way- Joe Walsh Crazy Train- Ozzy Osbourne Put you Down- Alice in Chains Thunderstruck- AC/DC For Those About to Rock- AC/DC I Know A Little- Lynyrd Skynyrd Black Betty- Ram Jam Dead or Alive- Bon Jovi Just to name a few… ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/10 "2003-04-14T17:17:35Z")
Durn hamsters. I’ll add “She Is My Sin” and “Wishmaster” by Nightwish. ---
**Author:** ![peterW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bb73d2/32.png) [@peterW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peterW)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/11 "2003-04-14T17:19:53Z")
What, no **Smoke on the Water**? dahm dahm dahmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Homer\_J](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c37758/32.png) [@Homer\_J](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer_J)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/12 "2003-04-14T17:22:17Z")
Kashmir and Whole Lotta Love American Woman - Guess Who (thats a second) And your Bird Can Sing - The Beatles Plenty of the other choices aswell. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/13 "2003-04-14T17:23:27Z")
Blue Oyster Cult - **Don’t Fear the Reaper** ---
**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:** [April 14, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/14 "2003-04-14T17:48:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > \*\*No Van Halen? How soon they forget… > > Van Halen-Panama and Jump\*\* Also “Eruption”, “Ain’t Talkin’ 'Bout Love”, and their cover of “You Really Got Me” (the last is one of the Kinks’ all-time riffs). Strongly second **Honey** on “Don’t Fear the Reaper”. Others: “School’s Out” - Alice Cooper “Mississippi Queen” - Mountain “Love is Like Oxygen” - Sweet “Dr. Feelgood” - Motley Crue “Walk Away” - James Gang “The Breakup Song” - Greg Kihn “Rockin’ into the Night” - .38 Special ---
**Author:** ![Wyld\_Stallyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Wyld\_Stallyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wyld_Stallyn)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/15 "2003-04-14T17:59:24Z")
“Master of Puppets” and “Sad But True” by Metallica “I’m Broken”, “Walk”, and scores of others by Pantera “Dirty Deeds”, “Highway to Hell”, “Back in Black”, eh, f\*\*\* it, anything by AC/DC ditto on “Miss. Queen” I’d pick “Crossfire” by SRV (i’m a bass player so I’m a bit biased towards rhythm section solos at the opening) ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/16 "2003-04-14T17:59:37Z")
Sweet Child O’ Mine-Guns N Roses I’m gonna spend my time at work thinking about this. As an aside, I heard on the radio that Iggy/Duff/Slash may be getting back together and touring with Sebastin Bach on vocals. The hell? ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/17 "2003-04-14T18:06:29Z")
“All Along The Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix Possibly the greatest riff ever. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/18 "2003-04-14T18:08:09Z")
Anyone remember Living Colour’s _Cult of Personality_? That’s a great riff. What the hell ever happened to them, anyway? That song kicked about forty kinds of ass, but I don’t remember hearing anything else by them. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/19 "2003-04-14T18:22:01Z")
Sheesh…what are you all thinking? **Satisfaction** by **The Rolling Stones** The absolute #1 catchy, driving rock intro riff. ---
**Author:** ![thermalribbon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@thermalribbon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thermalribbon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661/20 "2003-04-14T18:25:34Z")
First thing I thought of was… **Peace Frog by the Doors** That is all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-riffs/168661.md?page=2)