25 Greatest opening lines in music
22nd Dec 2017 Music
3 min read
Some songwriters can tell a whole story within a single line. From The Beatles to Lady Gaga, these are our favourite opening lyrics.
"Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell
"They paved paradise And put up a parking lot With a pink hotel, a boutique And a swinging hot spot "
"Sign o' the Times' by Prince
"In France, a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name"
"Heart of Glass" by Blondie
"Once I had a love and it was a gas Soon turned out had a heart of glass"
"Love and Some Verses" by Iron & Wine
"Love is a dress that you made long to hide your knees"
"Across the Universe" by The Beatles
"Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup"
"Bigmouth Strikes Again" by The Smiths
"Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking When I said I'd like to Smash every tooth in your head"
"Into My Arms" by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
"I don’t believe in an interventionist God But I know, darling, that you do"
"Disco 2000" by Pulp
"Oh, we were born within one hour of each other. Our mothers said we could be sister and brother. Your name is Deborah. Deborah.
It never suited ya"
"Stronger Than Me" by Amy Winehouse
"You should be stronger than me You been here 7 years longer than me"
"Refugee" by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
"We did somethin' we both know it We don't talk too much about it"
"Shadows in the Rain" by The Police
"I woke up in my clothes again this morning I don't know exactly where I am"
"Jolene" by Dolly Parton
"Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene I'm begging of you please don't take my man Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene Please don't take him just because you can"
"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys
"I may not always love you But long as there are stars above you You never need to doubt it I'll make you so sure about it"
"Baltimore" by Nina Simone
"Beat-up little seagull On a marble stair Tryin' to find the ocean Lookin' everywhere"
"Serve the Servants" by Nirvana
"Teenage angst has paid off well Now I'm bored and old"
"Born This Way" by Lady Gaga
"It doesn't matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M"
"Manafon" by David Sylvian
"There's a man down in the valley Who doesn't speak in his own tongue He bears a grudge againt the English The tune to which his songs are sung"
"Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush
"Out on the wiley, windy moors We'd roll and fall in green You had a temper like my jealousy Too hot, too greedy"
"Stayin' Alive" by Bee Gees
"Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk I'm a woman's man: no time to talk"
"Sexuality" by Billy Bragg
"I've had relations with girls from many nations I've made passes at women of all classes"
"Independent Women" by Destiny's Child
"Question; tell me what you think about me I buy my own diamonds and I buy my own rings"
"Angelene" by PJ Harvey
"My first name Angelene Prettiest mess you've ever seen"
"Fell in Love with a Girl" by The White Stripes
"Fell in love with a girl Fell in love once and almost completely"
"I'm Your Man" by Leonard Cohen
"If you want a lover I'll do anything you ask me to And if you want another kind of love I'll wear a mask for you"
"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" by Bob Dylan
"Well it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe Ifin' you don't know by now An' it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe It'll never do some how"