Ten Iconic Opening Lines That Will Always Strike a Chord

“There something happening here, but what it is ain’t exactly clear.” Nothing conjures up the counterculture movement of the mid-to-late 60s better than “For What It’s Worth.” Often believed to be a Vietnam protest song, the song’s lyrics by Stephen Stills were actually prompted by the Sunset Strip curfew riots in November 1966 when Buffalo Springfield was the house band at the Whisky a Go Go. Let’s remember some other evocative opening lines that still resonate with us years later. Although there is no rule that something “iconic” must be at least 50 years old, my mind went first to songs from the 1960s and ’70s.

10. “Hey Ho, Let’s Go” (“Blitzkrieg Pop” by the Ramones 1976) – Welcome to the Ramones. These four words kicked off their first single in the U.S. and the first song on their debut album. Forty-seven years later the opening of the song is still played whenever and wherever the home team needs a boost.

9. “There must be some kind of way outta here” (“All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix 1968, written by Bob Dylan) – From the first words, Hendrix’s version of the song heralds a stormy dread.

8. “Imagine there’s no heaven” (“Imagine” by John Lennon 1965) – Lennon’s ode to peace is revered around the world.

7. “Hello darkness, my old friend” (“The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel 1964) – A generation’s shorthand for alienation was immortalized in the tale of Benjamin Braddock and Mrs. Robinson.

6. “There is a house way down in New Orleans” (“House of the Rising Sun” by the Animals 1964) – The Animals grabbed us immediately with their haunting story of a life gone wrong in the Big Easy. They also took a traditional folk song and made it electric.

5. “All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray” (“California Dreamin’” by the Mamas & Papas 1965) – This opening line encapsulates the longing for sunny California while stuck inside on a winter’s day in New York City. As a SoCal native I could always relate. It’s another instant 60s song.

4. “Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine” (“Gloria” by Patti Smith 1975, originally written by Van Morrison for his band Them, merged with a poem of Smith’s, including the opening lines.) Yet another memorable statement on the first song of a debut album, this one about the dark side of desire.

3. “This is the end, beautiful friend” (“The End” by the Doors 1967) – Could there be a more foreboding song to open the film where Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) descends a river to kill Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando)? Heart of darkness indeed.

2. “Please allow me to introduce myself” (“Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones 1968) – Mick Jagger as Satan and the evil demon’s role in world violence and society’s enabling of it. Influenced by French poet, Baudelaire. And we thought the 60s were all about sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll.

1. “There’s something happening here”/”Tin soldiers and Nixon coming” (“For What It’s Worth”/”Ohio” by Buffalo Springfield and CSN&Y, written by Stephen Stills and Neil Young, 1966 and 1970 respectively) – These songs are powerful, lasting bookends of the 60s protest movement. In 1966, it wasn’t exactly clear what that sound was, but in 1970 it was soldiers on the campus of Kent State and four dead in Ohio.

Most of these songs are from the 1960s, five from the mid-60s. I was playing Little League in 1964, not hitting the record stores or fixated on the radio quite yet. And yet, these songs are unforgettable, nostalgic, and so representative of their era. Popular culture, prominently film and television, but also sports and literature, has recognized these songs as touchstones for decades. From placement in classic films (The Graduate, “The Sound of Silence” and Apocalypse Now, “The End,” to name a couple), to being regularly blasted at sports stadiums and arenas (“Hey Ho, Let’s Go”), and annually welcoming the New Year in Times Square (“Imagine”). We’ve heard them so often for so long that they are part of our social lexicon. These iconic songs spotlight the analogous, timeless world of popular culture which just so happens to be the mission of this website.

Honorable Mention:

1. “The world is a vampire.” (“Bullet with Butterfly Wings” by Smashing Pumpkins)
2. “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” (“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen)
3. “I am a lineman for the county.” (“Wichita Lineman” by Glen Campbell, written by Jimmy Webb)
4. “Woof, woof, woof…I’ve been caught stealing once when I was five.” (“Been Caught Stealing” by Jane’s Addiction)
5. “I seem to recognize your face, haunting, familiar yet.” (“Elderly Woman…” by Pearl Jam)

Trivia: Can you quote some other notable opening lines?

1. “Blue Suede Shoes” by Elvis Presley, written by Carl Perkins
2. “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon
3. “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd
4. “Moonage Daydream” by David Bowie
5. “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M.

Answers:

1. “Well, it’s one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, now go cat, go.”
2. “I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand.”
3. “Hello, is there anybody in there?”
4. “I’m an alligator, I’m a mama-papa comin’ for you.”
5. “That’s great it starts with an earthquake, birds, snakes, and airplanes. Lenny Bruce is not afraid.”