I pretty well cover the '70’s and '80’s, so, here goes-
“Paranoid” by Black Sabbath
“Get it On (Bang a Gong”- T. Rex. Power Station version need not apply.
“School’s Out”- Alice Cooper. I first started feeling old when I discoverd that radio stations had stopped saturating the irwaves with this song during late May/early June.
“Rock and Roll All Night”
“Calling Dr. Love”- KISS
“Crazy Train” - Ozzy Osbourne
“White Wedding”
“Dancing With Myself”- Billy Idol
The synthesizer melody from “Safety Dance” will probably be with me forever, as will a few Howard Jones songs.
Not a riff, but “We Will Rock You.” Need I really mention which part?
“Walk This Way”
The keyboard part at the opening of “Jump” by Van Halen.
And I forgot to mention (but definitely haven’t forgotten ::shudder:
the hooks from “Fascination” by The Human League, and “Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vega.
If you can find any early-30’s people who don’t recognize those, then they probably never owned a radio.
<Doghouse Reilly sings in a campy baritone>
And the conversation turned / Til the sun went down / And many fantasies were learned / On that day . . .
How about “You’re My Obsession” by Animotion?
God, to think that I know all that from memory . . .
Two from the 80’s:
The opening to “Blister in the Sun”, by the Violent Femmes.
Hell, even just the snare from the beginning.
“DUN DUN… DUN DUN”
The bells from the beginning of “Girls” by the Beastie Boys.
Da da da da-da da.
Aqualung.
Tull.
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Song 2 - Blur
Dammit - Blink 182
Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice
“Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits
Mmmmm… another:
The muted string strum from the beginning of “Should I Stay or Should I Go”, by the Clash. (I guess that little bendy note part, too.)
What about a single chord? I nominate the beginning of “Hard Day’s Night” by the Beatles.
As far as keyboard intros go, few are as recognizable as the Eurthymics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).”
Also, Dolby’s “Blinded Me with Science” is right up there.
I’m astonished that it took 33 posts until someone, namely me, mentioned Back In Black. And how about Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap? Or TNT?
Voodoo Chile(Slight Return)
L7 - Pretend We´re Dead
Dinosaur Jr. - Start Choppin
Lemonheads - It´s A Shame About Ray
Sonic Youth - Sugar Kane
Quicksand - Dine Alone
Primus - Jerry Was A Race Car Driver
Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod
Smells Like Teen Spirit and Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana
Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics
School’s Out by Alice Cooper
Possibly Enter Sandman by Metallica and Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson
I will see your Smells Like Teen Spirit and raise you Heart Shaped Box, RHCP’s Under The Bridge and Bush’s Everything Zen.
Lessee - Mid twenties here:
Green Day - When I Come Around
Stone Temple Pilots - Big Empty
The intros to both of those songs remind me of HS parties.
For earlier stuff, I’ll go with the intro to Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
Out in the country- three dog night. Pure comfort music.
b.
Okay, I’m old, So?