From the first note of “Baker Street”, I’m reaching for the volume and telling everyone in the car to shut up.
But as much as I love the song, it can’t compete with a lot of the others here in terms of popularity or longevity. Rafferty was great, but no Beethoven.
John Cage’s 4’33". Even if they don’t know it’s name, I think almost everyone would be familiar with the opening bars of its first movement.
Yeah, I know the 5th is more global. I went with Hard Day’s Night because it only takes one chord.
Another obvious, brief one is the opening two notes of Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man: Ba - Baaaaaaaa!!! then the rest of that wonderful horn+tympany intro…
Agree with all suggestions so far, and I’ll add the famous Bonzo drum opening to Led Zeppelin’s “Rock & Roll”
-And from a more modern perspective, I think almost anyone alive today knows the guitar intro to “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
CLAP
CLAP
Clap-cuh-Clap-Clap-Clap.
“Car Wash”
Here’s a blindfold test for you.
Click the link and shut your eyes and find how long it takes to identify this one:
Obvious from the very first note: “A Whiter Shade of Pale.”
In terms of “I’ll name this tune in one note/chord,” I think that’s gotta be it, too. I can probably identify hundreds or thousands of tunes with the first few of notes or beats, but there’s very few I could think of where the absolute first note or notes struck together I could name immediately without any other context. I’m sure there are a couple of others, but that’s the obvious one.
“Welcome to the Jungle” is pretty unmistakeable.
Hearing Bonzo’s take on that drum riff is uniquely Zep, so yes, but to be clear, he lifted it from Little Richard’s song, I Hear You Knockin’: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PcJrExewkYA
I am not complaining - I love Bonham’s take on a great riff. Just want to point out that the same intro is used on another great song.
I see your Welcome to the Jungle and raise you Sweet Child O’ Mine.
I had three picked out but they’ve all been named already. So I’m gonna go with Beatles “I Feel Fine”.
And “Summer in the City” by Loving Spoonful. DaDump Boom.
I don’t know the song in the ad, but it’s definitly Shaq trying to sell me something.
“Any Way You Want It” by Journey doesn’t leave much room for ambiguity.
No love for “Hotel California”?
Here’s the one I mentioned above in YouTube:
Hold On, I"m Comin’ - Sam and Dave
My daughter thought of this one:
I’ll see both of you and raise you Paradise City…
But back to the original, my first thought was Layla as well, but there are a number of great ones mentioned here.
One that I love is Zep’s Good Times, Bad Times… what a way to start the first song of your first album than with that stereophonic guitar dig that is crunchy and sharp at the same time backed up with just enough drum play to build the anticipation.
And then there is the open to When the Levee Breaks… the power thump of Bonzo’s drums, and the wail of the harmonica, just peeling off anguish.
Man, I could do this all day, so many great ones.
I don’t care what anybody else says, **Lobot **got it back in post #3.
I always loved the female vocalist in that song, then one day I Googled her and found some very interesting stuff…
Isolated vocals of Merry Clayton from Gimme Shelter
The story is worth a read. The isolated vocal track is amazing, with the way her voice cracked in at certain points, and the sound of the Stones hooting and hollering in the background.
Well, it’s not exactly the same, the accent pattern is a little different (plus Bonham’s pattern is pure snare & tom, while Charles Connors’ also throws in kicks), but it’s no doubt borrowed/an homage to that intro. And the song is “Keep A Knocking.” 