Best Song Intros (26-50)

1975

This song is considered one of Aerosmith's signature songs, even though it did not chart when it was released. The intro is also very famous. Maybe I'll rank it higher at a later time, who knows?

1979
#3 UK

I loved this intro when I first heard it, and knew I had to include it on the list. It's got a fun keyboard part.

1967
#1 US, #2 UK

The first of two songs on the list that are actually not intros, but solos instead (in fact, Penny Lane doesn't even have an intro). This entry is for the piccolo trumpet solo, played by David Mason, which occurs at 1:11 in the video below.

The song is ranked #4 on my Top 10 Beatles songs list.

1961
#1 US, #1 UK

The second of two solos on the list. I always remember liking this solo as a kid, and it's still a favorite today. The solo occurs at 1:04 in the video below, and was performed by keyboardist Max Crook on a keyboard he invented, called a Musitron.

1970
#72 US

This song only reached #72 on the Hot 100 chart, but this intro would go on to being much more famous after it was sampled for the Beyonce song "Crazy in Love," in 2003, which is where I'm sure most people know it from.

1986
#2 US, #2 UK

This song was originally written by Prince, and became The Bangles' first hit.

1967
#1 US, #1 UK

The music (including the intro) was co-written by Stevie Wonder, who played it for Smokey Robinson in hopes of setting lyrics to it. It wasn't released as a single until 1970, but became a huge hit.

2002
#5 US, #6 UK

Vanessa Carlton composed the intro riff of "A Thousand Miles" in 1998, but didn't complete the lyrics until a few months later at the urging of a record producer. This song is her biggest hit to date.

This is one of the few riffs I've actually learned how to play on the piano.

1981
#1 US

Co-written by Cristopher Cross, Burt Bacharach, Carol Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen, this was the theme song for the movie Arthur. I love this intro personally (and the whole song, too), and would love to learn how to play it.

The song ranked #2 for 1981 on my Top 100 80s songs list.

Vocals by Joe Pizzulo and Leza Miller

1983
#4 US, #45 UK

Prior to this recording (which is the most well-known), Dionne Warwick also recorded this song. You can listen to her version Here. One of my favorite songs, I love the smooth sound of the synth in the intro. The solo at 2:54 is also great.

1986
#1 US, #4 UK

I'll be honest, I like the song okay, but I don't like this intro (namely, the part at 0:23). I included it on the list because of it's popularity only. That's why it's only #39 and not higher.

1979/80
#99 UK

I only found this song recently, but it obviously had an impact. The song was recorded and released several times before achieving any chart success, but is one of the groups most well-known songs.

1989
#1 US, #2 UK

I always love synth stuff, and this intro is one of the best.

1995
#1 UK

I'm sad to say that it was only because of Michael Jackson's death that I first discovered this song, which has now become one of my favorites of his. The piano intro sets up the tone of the song so perfectly. Give it a listen; you won't be disappointed.

This song is ranked #6 on my Top 10 Michael Jackson songs list.

1982
#17 US, #54 UK

I don't know how well known this song is, but it really needs to be heard. One of my personal favorite song intros.

The song ranked #7 for 1982 on my Top 100 80s songs list.

1972
#6 US

This song is how I imagine the 70's to have been. I can only imagine, however, since I wasn't born until the 80's. If you were around in the 70's, do you agree with me?

The song ranked #1 for 1972 on my Top 100 70s songs list.

1985
#9 US, #8 UK

This song is a lot of fun to listen to, and it looks like everyone had a fun time making this video as well.

Official video Here

The song ranked #10 for 1985 on my Top 100 80s songs list.

1981
#29 US, #1 UK

Some might be more familiar with this intro because of the song "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice, who apparently sampled it without permission. Regardless, this intro is one of the most well-known song intros.

1978
#2 US, #1 UK

A classic song at sporting events and summer camps, even for people who don't like disco (I like disco, by the way).

A little trivia: The "YMCA dance" was not invented by the Village People, and isn't even in their official video. It was created by the audience during a performance on American Bandstand.

Official video Here

The song ranked #6 on my Top 100 70s songs list.

1972
#13 US

I've always liked this intro, and would really like to learn to play it on the piano.

The song ranked #5 for 1972 on my Top 100 70s songs list.

1983
#8 US

One of the most epic songs, and one of the cheesiest videos. This song was written while the band was on tour.

When I saw Tron: Legacy in theaters, I was pleasantly surprised to hear this song featured in one scene, because it's an awesome song, and because Journey wrote the theme song from the original Tron in 1982.

The song ranked #8 for 1983 on my Top 100 80s songs list.

1980
#106 US, #49 UK

The lowest charting (at least in the US) song on the list. This is considered Ozzy's signature song despite that.

1981

This song has an interesting history. It was originally written as an instrumental piece in 1960, where it became a hit in the UK by both Bert Weedon, and The Shadows. The version by Jorgen Ingmann became a hit in the US a year later. In 1973, The Incredible Bongo Band released a hip-hop version of the song, which was later reworked by the Sugarhill Gang (the version on this list). I first heard the song in the Youtube video Evolution of Dance, where the guy uses a dance from an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, from an episode also featuring this song.

1981
#16 US

This intro was famously sampled by MC Hammer in 1990 for his song "U Can't Touch This," making the riff even more popular than it already was.

There have been a few times while making this list where I've overlooked an intro that is extremely well known (and good), even though I was familiar with them. This and "Smoke on the Water" are two of those instances.

1976
#1 US, #1 UK

ABBA's biggest hit, one of the best songs of the 70's, and apparently also the favorite song of Senator John McCain (or so I've read). This has such a classic feel to it.

The song ranked #1 for 1976 on my Top 100 70s songs list.