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25 Best Opening Lyrics of All Time

spinner.com — #7: "In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey" --Beck's 'Loser'

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  • tynansanger, on 10/10/2007, -15/+9I would have liked to see more critically praised stuf and less top 40. Superfreak may be the most recognizable, but it's a pretty crappy song all the same
    • Scheissenegger, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1dunno if this was top 40, though it belongs in that list:

      "I don't want to take my clothes off" (Prince, Black Sweat)
    • brotherfigure, on 10/10/2007, -5/+3Or better yet, you could have supplied one of your own. It's a pretty lame critic who can't even think of any better examples.

      Since you fail as a commenter, I'll give you an example of a really good opening line, "Benny was an idiot, he lived in the Village" -Trouble In the Land by Black 47
      • tynansanger, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Ask and you shall receive. How about "Our own correspondant is sorry to tell, of an uneasy time, that all is not well" by Wire's "Reuters, or "I'm a streetwalking cheetah with a heart full of napalm" by the Stooges' "Search and Destroy"
    • Chewie67, on 10/10/2007, -3/+14Hello? Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anyone at home?
      • sabach, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4And "So, so you think can tell, Heaven from Hell"
        • spootmonkey, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1One of my all time favorites!
        • Chewie67, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I am just a new boy. Stranger in this town.
        • sabach, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2How many of you are having your posts disappear? I saw down below someone else saying theirs disappeared too. In fact it looks like all top-level comments newer than 4 hrs are gone. I see that someone responded to my post re: David Allen Coe and I'd read their response if I could see it.
    • mydigga, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1I'm Rick James, BITCH!
    • yohnstoppable, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11"Stop, collaberate and listen"
    • TheUngod, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Wynona got herself a big brown beaver and she showed him off to all her friends....
      Primus Sucks!!!
    • CLShortFuse, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2There are some good songs that were in Top 40 that weren't listed, but seriously:

      Nirvana - Lithium: "I'm so happy, 'cause today I found my friends, they're in my head."
      Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall (Part II): "We don't need no education."

      I was expecting at least one of these two to hit the top 25. Burried as inaccurate.
      • UglieJosh, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I prefer Lithium as a song but, as far as Nirvana goes, "She eyes me like a Pieces, when I am weak" is, easily, their most memorable opening line.
  • taylooooor, on 11/08/2007, -3/+132I'm getting really irritated with page-view inflating "click here to continues." It's bad enough when they make you click half way through the article, but these people want us to click 24 times? No, thanks.
    • CiXeL, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7yeah its ridiculous. buried as spam
    • pepote, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Agree.
      Besides, the content is l.a.m.e. Looks like songs were randomly choosen.
    • kevsedg, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4NEXT... NEXT... NEXT... NEXT...

      I gave up.

      I think it increases their page impressions, and brings more £$€¥ to the AOL owners of said site. Crappy.
      • paulisnotdead, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I dugg you up for two reasons 1. AOL sucks 2. seeing tall the money signs in one place was fun
    • itspuddingtime, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1i didn't get past the 2nd page
  • openthink, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1definitely a good list to start the debate...enough good ones plus some that imho really don't rate.
  • HA5TY, on 10/10/2007, -12/+2I was dreaming when I wrote this......... 8===0 - - -- - - - - -
  • homerj14, on 10/10/2007, -3/+23any other sources for this?

    I refuse to click 25 times for a slow loading site
    • rcomegys, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'm waiting for a torrent batch.
    • xenlab, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Completely... The site is slow enough as it is, with its over crowded interface.
  • ChrisRX, on 10/10/2007, -3/+7So not necessarily 25 best opening lyrics, just 25 well known opening lyrics.
    I would've like to see actual reason why they think they're the best.
  • Sifter, on 10/22/2007, -1/+13425. "You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar" --Human League's 'Don't You Want Me'
    24. "I've been a bad, bad girl" --Fiona Apple's 'Criminal'
    23. "You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips" --The Righteous Brothers' 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin''
    22. "Go, shorty. It's your birthday" --50 Cent's 'In Da Club'
    21. "Hello, Darkness, my old friend" --Simon and Garfunkel's 'The Sound of Silence'
    20. "I am an Antichrist" --Sex Pistols' 'Anarchy in the UK'
    19. "Well, I guess it would be nice if I could touch your body" --George Michael's 'Faith'
    18. "We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee" --Merle Haggard's 'Okie From Muskokee'
    17. "I was dreaming when I wrote this" --Prince's '1999'
    16. "Pigs, they tend to wiggle when they walk" --Pavement's 'Stereo'
    15. "She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene" --Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean'
    14. "There must be some kind of way out of here, said the joker to the thief" --Jimi Hendrix's 'All Along the Watchtower'
    13. "What's with these homies dissin' my girl?" --Weezer's 'Buddy Holly'
    12. "A candy-colored clown they call the sandman tiptoes to my room every night" --Roy Orbison's 'In Dreams'
    11. "Oh, I just don't where to begin" --Elvis Costello's 'Accidents Will Happen'
    • arjie, on 10/10/2007, -8/+10All along the watchtower was _written_ by Bob Dylan. Surely when you're talking lyrics you'd talk about the first person to write/perform. Everyone under the sun has covered that song.

      Also, thank you, sir. Your sacrifice in having to click through 25 pages will be remembered for eternity, or, barring that, rewarded with a digg up.
    • diggsIt, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2#14 - Aren't those Bob Dylan's lyrics?
      • Sifter, on 10/10/2007, -4/+11Hey man, don't shoot the messenger, it's not my list!
      • StrikerObi, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7The article states that Dylan acknowledges that "Hendrix owns those lyrics" as a performer.
        • diggsIt, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Well then, the article must be right. But, the question still stands, 'Who wrote the lyrics?'. And, who reads through a 20 click web page for such an article?
    • JesusDeluxe, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Thank You
  • Sifter, on 10/10/2007, -3/+9510. "Tommy used to work on the docks" --Bon Jovi's 'Livin' on a Prayer'
    9. "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine" --Patti Smith's 'Gloria'
    8. "Well, it's one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, now go, cat, go!" --Carl Perkins' 'Blue Suede Shoes'
    7. "In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey" --Beck's 'Loser'
    6. "Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?" --The Carpenters' 'Close to You'
    5. "Don't call it a comeback" --LL Cool J's 'Mama Said Knock You Out!'
    4. "Well, she was just seventeen -- you know what I mean" --The Beatles' 'I Saw Her Standing There'
    3. "Hey, ho, let's go!" --The Ramones' 'Blitzkrieg Bop'
    2. "I was born in a cross-fire hurricane" --The Rolling Stones' 'Jumpin' Jack Flash'
    1. "She's a very kinky girl" --Rick James' 'Superfreak'

    Of those, that Ramones line should be number 1. It's rock music, and for an opening line they got it exactly right.
    • consoneo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8Made it much easier than clickin on the article :P
    • MarkOfTheDead, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Ramones FTW
    • mahler, on 10/10/2007, -13/+4"I like your pants around your feet" - Nickelback's "Figured you Out"

      Would be a nice addition to that list
      • JCSaint, on 10/10/2007, -1/+14Except that NIckelback is ***** horrendous.
    • mplumb, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2I always thought the lyric to Jumpin' Jack Flash was "Class 5 hurricane"
      -mike
      • arjie, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1That's nothing. One of my friends, he thought the lyrics to Dani California's chorus went, "California West Indies!"
        • mav73, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Or people that think that Jimi sings " 'scuse me while I kiss this guy " in Purple Haze
    • Superflks, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8"***** tha Police coming straight from the underground" - NWA. It is a crime that isn't in the top 5.
  • joeyjojo402, on 10/10/2007, -1/+55"I woke up this morning with a bad hangover and my penis was missing again" --King Missile, 'Detachable Penis'
    • CiXeL, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6duh duh duh duh
      duh duh duh duh duh duh
      duh duh duh duh
    • 1773nium, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3This happens all the time
      It's detachable
      This comes in handy a lot of the time
      I can leave it home when I think it's going to get me in trouble
      Or I can rent it out when I don't need it
    • jooaakim, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Best song ever.

      Detachable peeeeeenis
      • boredsam, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1better video, i'd link it from youtube but work wouldn't like that......
    • bennison, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I remember hearing this song on the radio when I was around 8 years old. Weirded the ***** out of me. Actually, it was more like horror/confusion/amusement.
    • cspivack, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I just got a ton of their stuff, must've listened to that song 5 times today. Martin Scorsese, Jesus Was Way Cool and Cheesecake Truck are all fantastic too.
  • MasteRR, on 10/10/2007, -6/+32I hate these ***** lists.
  • Biskino, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6What is it about Digg and 'All along the Watchtower'? Music and lyrics by Robert Zimmerman! (though Hendrix did tear it up).
    • trehlo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I don't believe in Zimmerman, I just believe in me
      • SanTe, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Good point there.
      • CGorman68, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Trehlo, I think I'm the only person that fully understood that. I think I'm also the only person that loves you madly.

        (But that might be because I thought he was saying "cinnamon" the first two times I heard the song...)
    • Genady, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Hendrix may tear it up, but I'm waiting expectantly for McReary's version to be released in October.
  • esbern1, on 10/10/2007, -2/+46good lord this list is terrible.

    10. "Tommy used to work on the docks" --Bon Jovi's 'Livin' on a Prayer'

    are you kidding me?
    • CiXeL, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3its called ad revenue.
      make some list of crap and milk it for clicks.
      bury this as spam
      • UglieJosh, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1None of Bon Jovi's lyrics make sense. This isn't even half as bad as that small town boy, born and raise in south Detroit crap.

        South Detroit = Small Town??? The Hell you say!
    • mt066, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Try playing that in New Jersey (where Bon Jovi = Jesus) and everyone will shout that first line. It happens every time. Weird.
      • MarkOfTheDead, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5jersey is a vortex and i'm pretty sure it even amazes hawking.
      • CLShortFuse, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I've lived in Jersey mostly all my life. Bon Jovi's music is weak. Yeah, I said it.
    • Superflks, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Whatever man. Don't hate on one of the greatest/worst songs of all time.
      "WHHOOOOOOOOOOAAAA! We're half way there!"
  • UGM2099, on 10/10/2007, -8/+12Awwwwwww . . . I'm black y'all, and I'm black y'all, and I'm blacker than black, and I'm black y'all. I'm blickedy black blacker than black, black I'm blacker than black, yo! Because I'm black and I'm BACK!
    -From CB4
    • boredsam, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2"Straight outta Lowcash!!!!!"
    • shango5, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Never thought I would see a CB4 reference on DIgg. I gotta digg you up for that.
    • Rahn, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Dugg for CB4 reference.
  • xXShadowstormXx, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2There's some stuff from Elliott Smith that would completely own all of these lyrics.
    • cresswga, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I'll fake it through the day with some help from Johnny Walker Red

      ...and yes, many more
    • boredsam, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2buried as emo
    • VictoryGin, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I'm very often disappointed by the taste in music of most other geeks. But to see Elliott Smith dugg down is quite saddening... also, don't lump him in with "emo"
  • esbern1, on 10/10/2007, -9/+5good lord this list is terrible.

    10. "Tommy used to work on the docks" --Bon Jovi's 'Livin' on a Prayer'

    are you kidding
  • diggsIt, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2It's a hard world to get a break in, all the good things have been taken - The Animals, 'It's My Life'
  • roomforpanic, on 10/10/2007, -4/+8"Gold teeth and a curse for this town, were all in my mouth" --The Shins, New Slang
  • 3-6-0, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3#1 should have been "the screen door slams..."
    • WillDearborn, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Bruce! One of the best songs of all time.
  • mt066, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1A lot of these are cool even though I have no idea what they mean.
  • mishsquish, on 10/10/2007, -6/+7"I backed my car into a cop car the other day, well he just drove off - sometimes life's OK" - Modest Mouse "Float On"
    • InstantRamen, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1right on my friend.
    • CGorman68, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Or you could, ya know, quote a Modest Mouse song that doesn't suck.

      "In this life like weeds"
      "Everything that keeps me together is falling apart"
      "Well, Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene"
  • leadstairway, on 10/10/2007, -3/+11Anyone notice that Zeppelin's famous line is noticeably absent? I mean, come on. What adult/ aspiring musical virtuoso doesn't get a twinge of excitement when the first lines are played on the radio? "There's a lady who's sure that all that glitters is gold..." There's no way you could miss Stairway to Heaven.


    Conversely, where's James Brown scream at the beginning of "I Feel Good"?
    • boredsam, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2dugg for mentioning "I Feel Good". If LL Cool J is on there for "Don't call it a comeback", then the Godfather deserves to be on there, no question.
    • maz2331, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Yeah.... but anyone over about 25 is about Zeppelined out.
  • Bahimiron, on 10/10/2007, -2/+22#1 Best ***** Way to Up Your Page Hits Count!

    Have a top 25 list and only have one per page!
  • internetcoward, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7This list is crud. What about Brian Wilson's God Only Knows?
    Who starts a love song off with the line "I may not always love you"? That has to be one of the best opening lines of all time.
    • DrRossi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Well, yes, /and/ Nick Cave, who has the sheer audacity to begin a song of deep love and longing with: "I don't believe in an interventionist God".

      ("Into my arms"). This is my long time #1. I still think it unbelievable.
  • topherbook, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3This list is garbage. How about Weezer's "El Scorcho" instead of "Buddy Holly" -- easily a better first line. I mean, there are millions of better first lines than these. Not that I expect someone to have the same tastes as me, but it would be good if the writers had *some* taste.
    • VictoryGin, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Agreed... There are many better choices for Pavement songs as well
    • Amentina202, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I was thinking the same thing. El Scorcho > Buddy Holly.

      "Goddamn you half Japenese girls, do it to me every time."

      Man. Gets me every time.
  • ElbridgeGerry, on 10/10/2007, -0/+427. "Someday Mother will die and I'll get the money / Mom leans over and say "My sentiments exactly / you son of a bitch, I Palindrome I" - They Might Be Giants, "I Palindrome I" (1992)

    Good list, though.
    • billymonster, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1you could throw just about any tmbg song on here.
  • kbull, on 10/10/2007, -2/+16***** list, with a capital S.

    "Kick out the jams, *****!" - MC5 'Kick Out the Jams'
  • pxldev, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3How about ' Stop, Its a mother f*cking remix'
  • STKD, on 10/10/2007, -0/+26Inaccurate, should be "25 Best Utterly Randomly Picked Lyrics of All Time".
  • Abscess, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Buried as lame since spinner.com could not fit this on one page
  • afroncio, on 10/10/2007, -5/+0Show me how you do that trick,
    The one that makes me scream" she said.
    -- Just Like Heaven, The Cure
  • StrikerObi, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2This was a pretty crappy list all-together. I mean, this isn't even a good topic for a top X list.
  • marcc16, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4This is how we do it!
  • Coffeedemon, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3"I think that someone is trying to kill me" - Blood and Thunder
    "Ricky was a young boy, he had a heart of stone" -18 and Life (sentimental for the 80s)
  • bogatash, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5"Well I'm Eazy-E, I got bitches galore, You may have a lot of bitches but I got much more" Eazy E, "Eazy-Duz-It"
  • ivebeenhigh, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2"I am the son
    I am the heir
    Of a shyness that is
    Criminally vulgar"
  • dwldzm9, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2"7 A.M., the garbage truck beeps as it backs up and I start my day thinking about what I've thrown away" - Incubus, "11am"

    "Load up on guns, bring your friends - it's fun to lose, and to pretend" - Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit
    • CLShortFuse, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Smells like Teen Spirit's opening lines are nothing compared to Lithium. I had to bury this article. It's the first song that came to my head and it wasn't listen.
  • mfshockey, on 10/10/2007, -4/+12The best opening lyrics of all time come from 2Pac:

    "So I ***** Your Bitch You Fat *****."
    • pxldev, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1I agree thats funny as hell, especially when barney the purple dinosaur does it..
  • dwldzm9, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2"7 A.M., the garbage truck beeps as it backs up and I start my day thinking about what I've thrown away" - Incubus, "11am"

    "Load up on guns, bring your friends - it's fun to lose, and to pretend" - Nirvana, "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
  • vexxefx, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5What about AC/DC's "Oi" 's in TNT?
  • pwnatron, on 10/10/2007, -4/+0"This is a bullet from a gun called 'what the *****'..."
  • jackpot, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8Have to agree with one the comments FTA:

    "Crazy, but that's how it goes" - Ozzy - Crazy Train
  • billizm, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6I don't really understand how anyone could make criteria for judging this "25 Best Opening Lyrics of All Time" list. This seems more of an individual's opinion than any other list I have ever seen.
  • stavro, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4"one, two, three, and to tha fo'..."
    • shmittay84, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"snoop doggy dog and docta dre is at the do'"
  • Pottypotsworth, on 10/10/2007, -5/+0U cannot be serious about this random, rubbish list? Who knew it could be so easy...

    1) Make random lyrics list
    2) Submit to digg
    3) By some crazy turn of events usually sound diggers digg the most useless list ever submitted
    4) ?????
    5) Profit!

    God help us all!
  • kopasa, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2"Aoooooooo. That was for Brooklyn" -Mos Def
  • AugustZephyr, on 10/10/2007, -8/+7They left out:
    "The world is a vampire" - Smashing Pumpkins (Bullet With Butterfly Wings)
  • Galaeron, on 10/10/2007, -3/+16This list practically sucks.

    "Go shorty it's your birthday" - how the hell is that a great lyric? It's a rip off of "Go #insert name# It's your birthday"
    • boredsam, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3"Straight outta Compton" deserved 50s place on this list.
    • drlha, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Indeed. How white does a person need to be to think that 50 cent originated that? If you're going to put rap lyrics into the "best opening lines" how about:

      "Elvis was a hero to most but he never meant ***** to me" Public Enemy - Fight the Power
  • AugustZephyr, on 10/10/2007, -13/+7They left out:

    "The world is a vampire" - Smashing Pumpkin's Bullet with Butterfly Wings
  • boredsam, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"Early one morning while making the rounds, I took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman down." - Johnny Cash - Cocaine Blues

    As for the Stones lyrics on there, the only reason it's there is a Whoopi Goldberg movie, which was probably the first time anyone actually understood what the hell he was saying. There are much better Stones songs.
  • darny, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Hey ho lets go? Uhhh....no. Aye, oh, lets go is more like it.
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