The first line in a song is the invitation. It sets the tone, turns the page, hits the nerve. From folk prophets to punk poets, glam rebels to soul survivors, these 25 opening lyrics became more than just a beginning—they became history.
“I am stretched on your grave and will lie there forever.”
Sinéad O’Connor begins “I Am Stretched on Your Grave” with a declaration that merges love, mourning, and obsession. A traditional Irish poem reborn through raw vocals and hip-hop beats, it is grief made mythic, grief made modern.
“I was born by the river in a little tent, oh, and just like the river, I have been running ever since.”
Sam Cooke sings the beginning of “A Change Is Gonna Come” like a spiritual rooted in survival, hope, and history.
“I read the news today, oh boy.”
The Beatles opened “A Day in the Life” with a newspaper headline and built a masterpiece of melancholy and surrealism from there.
“Please allow me to introduce myself, I am a man of wealth and taste.”
The Rolling Stones bring danger to the dance floor on “Sympathy for the Devil,” where evil wears a smile and sings backup.
“I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known.”
Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” begins with solitude and stomps toward stadium-sized catharsis.
“I am the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar.”
Morrissey opened The Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now?” with drama, sadness, and a poetry that still stings.
“Don’t call it a comeback, I been here for years.”
LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” punched its way in with one of hip-hop’s most iconic opening shots.
“I am a man of constant sorrow, I have seen trouble all my days.”
The Stanley Brothers brought Appalachian truth to “Man of Constant Sorrow,” a line that carries more weight than melody.
“It’s a God-awful small affair to the girl with the mousy hair.”
David Bowie began “Life on Mars?” like a fairytale for the bored, the beautiful, and the broken.
“The screen door slams, Mary’s dress sways
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays”
Bruce Springsteen begins “Thunder Road” like a movie you are already halfway into. One line and you are in the car.
“Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine.”
Patti Smith starts “Gloria” with a challenge, a manifesto, and a prayer all at once—no apologies, no compromises.
“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked.”
Laurie Anderson samples Ginsberg’s Howl in “O Superman,” turning the avant-garde into pop prophecy.
“We do not need no education, we do not need no thought control.”
Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” opens like a revolution in homeroom, where every student becomes a soldier of resistance.
“You are my friend, I never knew it ’til then.”
Patti LaBelle turns a revelation into a rescue in “You Are My Friend,” celebrating bonds deeper than romance.
“I am not a woman, I am not a man, I am something that you will never understand.”
Prince redefines self from the very first second of “I Would Die 4 U,” inviting us into a space beyond gender and genre.
“Woke up this morning with my mind set on loving me.”
India.Arie begins “Video” with self-love loud enough to silence a century of beauty standards.
“It is nine o’clock on a Saturday, the regular crowd shuffles in.”
Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” paints an entire bar in one line—familiar faces, sad smiles, and stories waiting to be sung.
“They told him do not you ever come around here, do not wanna see your face, you better disappear.”
Michael Jackson turns confrontation into choreography in “Beat It,” starting with a warning and ending with an anthem.
“You can hear it in the silence, silence, you can feel it on the way home.”
Taylor Swift’s “You Are In Love” does not shout—she whispers the truth and lets your heart fill in the rest.
“I come from the mountain.”
PJ Harvey kicks off “Rid of Me” with rawness and ritual, leading us down a dark trail with nothing but urgency.
“You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I met you.”
The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” turns ordinary life into high drama and synth-pop perfection.
“I am gonna fight ‘em off, a seven nation army could not hold me back.”
Jack White opens “Seven Nation Army” like a soldier in a one-man war—iconic, relentless, unforgettable.
“People say I am the life of the party ‘cause I tell a joke or two.”
Smokey Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Tears” opens with a mask so perfect it barely hides the heartbreak behind it.
“I heard church bells ringing, I heard a choir singing.”
Etta James begins “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” like a cinematic daydream gone wrong—romance turned bittersweet.
“I am America, I am the part you will not recognize.”
Muhammad Ali’s spoken-word intro to Gil Scott-Heron’s “Winter in America” is defiant, poetic, and still too real.
