Great opening song riffs

[Ewekon]

Maybe the most obvious of all inspired this mid summer post. Just heard it on WPLR. (Wish they would freshen the playlist but that is for a different rant.)

What are your songs where the first 8 or ten seconds grab you? Signature opening riffs?
I will just mention a couple and see who else plays along and adds.

1) The one that inspired this: Smoke on the Water
2) Can't You Hear Me Knocking. - Stones.
3) You Really Got Me - Kinks

 

[Matrim55]

 

[Matrim55]

 

[Matrim55]

 

[The Shot]

Bulls On Parade - Rage Against The Machine

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

Man In The Box - Alice In Chains

 

[UC313]

pantera - cowboys from hell
Coheed - welcome home
Metallica - sanitarium

 

[superjohn]

Enter Sandman...

 

[Ewekon]

One of the criminally underrated bands for songs just like this one.

 

[Rocktheworld]

At first I thought you wanted to exclude main riffs that open a song but others aren't following that rule so:

War Pigs (if we're including bass as the "guitar section")
Holiday in Cambodia (as above)
Caught in a Mosh (same)
I'm Broken (because Cowboys was mentioned)
Laid to Rest
Holy Wars
What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse
Number of the Beast
Blackened (Master would be cheap)

 

[Madmannsucks]

No One said Stairway to Heaven?\
Purple Haze?
Sweet Child of Mine?

 

[Madmannsucks]

School's Out-Alice Cooper.

 

[8893]

Stones have so many great ones; among my less-obvious favorites from them are "Slave" and "Monkey Man."

Beatles "Hard Day's Night" single opening chord.

Hollies "Long Cool Woman" has a great opening riff.

AC/DC, "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Hell's Bells."

Tony Joe White, "Polk Salad Annie."

Blood, Sweat & Tears, "Hi-De-Ho" (I know it's a cover, but theirs has great, distinctive opening horn blasts)

Dusty Springfield, "Son of a Preacher Man" (the opening riff of which was sampled brilliantly by Cypress Hill in their "Hits from the Bong").

 

[nomar]

 

[nomar]

 

[nomar]

Drummer steals the show but, still, cool opening guitar:

 

[nomar]

This one's kind of obvious but I guess that's the point?

 

[JMick]

 

[InKembaITrust]

First thing that popped in my head....

 

[Dove]

Three Little Birds - Marley

What Is Life - Black Uhuru

Start Me Up - Stones

Hurts So Good - John Cougar Melonhead

 

[JMick]

 

[CL82]

Have to go with


Spanish Caravan by the Doors is my runner up.

 

[JMick]

 

[Stainmaster]

Simple, but still damn good.

Rush has a bunch of great opening licks, Limelight has to be one of my other favorites.

 

[JMick]

 

[JMick]

Last one I post. Ted Nugent's only good song