I’m brainstorming for an intro song to play for a performance group I’m in. It’s comedy (theoretically) and I’d like to spin something high energy, but not necessarily top 40. What sections of what songs get you excited?
Links to previous threads would be welcome.
Kid Rock does it for me.
*Forever off of the album Cocky
*Bawittaba (sp?) from Devil Without A Cause
Not sure what your performance is, or what age group you’re aiming for, but I find a good Boogie Woogie beat or Irish jig gets my feet tapping. Of course, Tool gets me going as well, but is far more likely to offend. 
Good point. Mostly twentysomethings, but I’ll field any suggestions. To put it in context, Tool would be unlikely to offend.
Yeah, I was going to say One Little Victory by Rush, but that might come at the expense of my life
My Way by Butch Walker is a great arena-rock type song.
Get Over It by OK Go
Cherry Lips by Garbage
I’ll look through my collection and come back to this later, maybe.
Sound System by Operation Ivy always worked for me.
The first things that come to my mind:
Ride of the Valkyries, natch
Song 2 by Blur, has the added advantage of being short
Slipknot has a few on their first albums that will pump up the kids, but I can’t remember their names
Stone Temple Pilots’s Sex Type Thing
Well if you’d like a few oldies, I can recommend …
Rosalita by Springsteen
Panama, Van Halen
Rock the Casbah by the Clash
Need You Tonight by INXS
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, U2 (live version)
How Will I Know? Whitney Houston (I swear)
Dancing Queen, Abba
Jump Jive and Wail, Brian Setzer
Something from “Thriller”
I’m embarrassed to admit, WHAM! gets me pumped up.
Darude, “Sandstorm”
Examples across several genres depending on your tastes. (Selections that I highly recommend regardless of taste are in bold.)
Goody Two Shoes - Adam Ant
Member of the Tribe - Adrian Belew
Rag Doll - Aerosmith
Sabre Dance - Aram Khachaturian
Strobelight - B-52’s
Walk Like an Egyptian - the Bangles
Super Disco Breakin’ - Beastie Boys
Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey - the Beatles
Beercan - Beck
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - Bette Midler
Rush - Big Audio Dynamite
You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby) - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Big Time Sensuality - Bjork
Thick ‘n’ Thin - Black Crowes
Road Runner - Bo Diddley
This Cat’s on a Hot Tin Roof - Brian Setzer Orchestra
Tubthuming - Chumbawomba
Career Opportunities - Clash
Psychotic Reaction - Count Five
Mini-Skirt Minnie - Wilson Pickett
Infernal Galop (Can-Can) - Jacques Offenbach
Lust for Life - Iggy Pop
Beer - Reverend Horton Heat
Judy is a Punk - the Ramones
Bad Reputation - Joan Jett
100 Flower Power Maximum - Cracker
36-24-36 - Violent Femmes
Pump it Up - Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Groove Is in the Heart - Dee-Lite
Unbelievable - EMF
Mirror in the Bathroom - the English Beat
I’m Tore Down - Eric Clapton
Would I Lie to You - Eurythmics
The Sound of Milwaukee - Fatboy Slim
I-76 - G. Love & Special Sauce
Sloozy - G.E. Smith
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer - George Thorogood & the Destroyers
Prelude from Carmen - Georges Bizet
Radar Love - Golden Earring
Jump in the Line - Harry Belafonte
I’m a Tree - Imani Coppola
Been Caught Stealing - Jane’s Addiction
My Sharona - the Knack
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
Always on the Run - Lenny Kravitz
Bluesmobile - Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials
Jealousy - Liz Phair
I Got a Girl - Lou Bega
Ray of Light - Madonna
My Little Sister, (Don’t You Mess Around with) - Michelle Shocked
Open the Gate - No Doubt
I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow
Come out and Play - Offspring
Vamos - the Pixies
Lump - Presidents of the United States of America
Message of Love - the Pretenders
Peach - Prince
It’s the End of the World as We Know it - R.E.M.
Mess Around - Ray Charles
Neighbors - the Rolling Stones
What I Like About You - the Romantics
Drum Trip - Rusted Root
Ojos Asi - Shakira
Love Missile F1-11 - Sigue Sigue Sputnick
Soul City - Southern Culture on the Skids
Suits Are Picking Up the Bill - Squirrel Nut Zipppers
Blood Makes Noise - Suzanne Vega
They Might Be Giants - No One Knows My Plan
Bang the Drum All Day - Todd Rundgren
Go! - Tones on Tail
Surfin’ Bird - the Trashmen
Hot for Teacher - Van Halen
Turning Japanese - the Vapors
Little Room - the White Stripes
If it’s for 20 somethings… try and pick a song that was ALL THE RAGE during their junior high years or something. say… MC hammer, Vanilla Ice, MJ’s…Beat It, Eye of the Tiger, you get the idea
A song they haven’t heard for a while
A song that reminds them of first crushes… or celebrating their first basketball game win celebration
or…
Celebrate Good Times - Kool and the Gang
Let’s Groove - Earth Wind and Fire
Home For a Rest - Spirit of the West
Two ideas. I love that these songs are album-starters, because they do so in an energetic fashion.
The Pogues, If I Should Fall from Grace with God, from the album If I Should Fall from Grace with God.*
INXS, Guns in the Sky, from Kick.
[sub]*(Of course, you can’t go wrong with Bottle of Smoke, either!)[/sub]
U.S. Bombs “yer country” takes my vote for the “omfg I just HAVE to mosh right now!” song. Well if you like new-school punk that is.
Just a short list:
Iron Maiden
real Metallica
Bolt Thrower
Maybe if there was a parody of “yall ready for this” or “sweet dreams” type mid-90s dance…oops i guess this is a hijack 
Anyway, what pumps me up is mid 90-s dance, but I’m too ashamed to admit it. Maybe the acoustic version of “come and get your love” taken from costner’s The Postman…that was hilarious.
Sorry, continue on.
“I Want to Conquer the World” and “Can’t Stop it” by Bad Religion.
Rage Against the Machine’s songs tend to get the bodies movin’, even if the audience members disagree with the overt leftist lyrics (as I tend to).
“Blind” by Korn ("…are you ready!!!) is a good song to get hyped to as I recall…
…and if you want to get people excited at the expense of possibly freaking them out, try “I Will be Heard” by Hatebreed.
If you go with techno/dance, be careful that it’s not too passe: [valley girl] “Sandstorm” is soooooooo 2001! [/valley girl]
Let’s Groove by Earth, Wind, and Fire.
Everyone’s a Winner by Hot Chocolate.