Some songs need a chorus before you recognise them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others need about two seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A guitar chord, a drum pattern, a piano note or a strange electronic sound can be enough to tell your brain exactly what is about to happen. The best intros do not simply begin a song; they become part of the song\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are 30 tracks that millions of listeners can probably recognise before the vocal has even started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That bassline is almost impossible to mistake for anything else. It is simple, spacious and instantly tells you which record is coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four distorted guitar chords were enough to define an era. Even people who rarely listen to grunge often recognise it immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most famous riffs of the 21st century. It has escaped rock music entirely and become a chant in sports stadiums around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opening drum groove is followed by one of pop music\u2019s most recognisable basslines. You barely need the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dave Keuning\u2019s rapidly picked guitar riff gives the song away almost instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The soft drum groove and warm atmosphere are subtle, but once you know Dreams, the opening is unmistakable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slash\u2019s opening guitar pattern is so distinctive that it has become almost inseparable from the idea of a famous guitar riff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The descending piano flourish arrives before the song has properly begun and immediately creates the feeling of a disco classic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few tense guitar notes and you already know what is coming. The intro perfectly sets up the song\u2019s nervous energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The acoustic guitar rhythm is so familiar that it has become a joke among guitar players, but that familiarity proves how recognisable it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Few guitar riffs sound as confident. The opening leaves huge amounts of space, making every chord hit harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Possibly one of the most recognisable synthesiser melodies ever recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The synth line is fast, bright and unmistakably 1980s. It also happens to be incredibly difficult to hear without mentally continuing the melody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That fuzzy guitar riff announces itself immediately and remains one of rock music\u2019s foundational hooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Generations of beginner guitarists have learned this riff for a reason. Almost everyone knows it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rhythm arrives with instant swagger. Before the vocal begins, the disco groove already has complete control of the track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The stop-start guitar pattern has become shorthand for training montages, sporting ambition and getting yourself ready for something difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The brass sample at the beginning is so explosive that the track feels like it has already reached the party before the vocals appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those opening piano notes are among the most efficient introductions in pop history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The count-in and guitar immediately create the feeling of a live performance about to burst into life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The compressed, filtered opening texture is unmistakable once you have heard the song a few times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bright synth progression has become one of EDM\u2019s defining melodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The repeating piano figure is so famous that it can fill a room with recognition before either rapper says a word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The clean guitar introduction is gentler than many songs on this list, but instantly recognisable to rock fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few guitar notes immediately place you inside one of classic rock\u2019s most familiar records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sweeping string motif is the entire atmosphere of the song distilled into its opening seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heavy, slow and enormous. The riff is so simple that every note feels unavoidable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opening electronic texture sounds aggressive before the track has even fully arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The laugh and bassline create one of the strangest and most recognisable openings of the 2000s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The piano intro has become a universal signal that a huge singalong is about to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Usually, it comes down to identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The strongest intros contain something that belongs almost entirely to that song: an unusual riff, a distinctive tone, a unique rhythm or a melodic phrase that listeners can remember without hearing the chorus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is also an element of repetition. Songs played at weddings, clubs, sporting events, on radio and in films become embedded in memory through sheer exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But exposure alone is not enough. Plenty of huge hits begin in relatively anonymous ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The songs above give you their identity immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For some listeners it will be Billie Jean. For others it might be Seven Nation Army, Mr. Brightside or Dancing Queen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is what makes this question fun: recognition is partly universal and partly personal. A song that defined your childhood may trigger your memory faster than the biggest hit in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And sometimes the first five seconds are all you need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Some songs need a chorus before you recognise them. Others need about two seconds. A guitar chord, a drum pattern, a piano note or a strange electronic sound can be enough to tell your brain exactly what is about to happen. The best intros do not simply begin a song; they become part of the song\u2019s identity. Here are 30 tracks that millions of listeners can probably recognise before the vocal has even started. 1. Queen \u2013 Another One Bites the Dust That bassline is almost impossible to mistake for anything else. It is simple, spacious and instantly tells you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3340,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2017,43,2015,2016,316],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-3339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-classics","tag-music","tag-queen","tag-recognise","tag-rock"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n