Opening With A Flourish

Ever so often, the opening notes of a song become its identity. For instance, the opening of Smoke On The Water (Deep Purple). You hear the Da-Da-Da Da-Da-Da-Da Da-Da-Da Da-Da...and you immediately know what the song is. In fact, it couldn't be any other song.

Here are some more songs with definitive openers:

::Black Magic Woman (Santana)

Santana's scintillating guitar intro backed by the pulsating percussion and bass guitar sets the tone for this brilliant track.

::Locomotive Breath (Jethro Tull)

A distinctive yet deceptive beginning... the laid-back piano intro followed by a bluesy guitar piece gives no indication that the track is about to explode into a rocking song with driving drum beats.

::Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond)

The organ melody is what makes a difference here, more so because Neil Diamond's songs are predominantly guitar-based.

::Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen)

A lively keyboard-based intro with a simple melody... and yet, that's what we remember this song by.

::Every Breath You Take (The Police)

The brilliant muted guitar intro... this is as distinctive as it gets!

::Wrapped Around Your Finger (The Police)

A soft gentle melody played on dulcet chimes creates a perfect opener.

::Don't Fear The Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult)

This is a guitar intro that I really like... incredibly simple, but high on impact.

::Michelle (The Beatles)

A descending series of melodious guitar chords creates a highly memorable opening for this fascinating song.

::While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles)

Piano and drums (especially the high-hat cymbal) come together along with a series of single bass notes for this brilliant intro.

::The Model (Kraftwerk)

Back in those days, electronic sounds hadn't become commonplace... hence, this keyboard-based opening was the sound by which people identified this song.

::These Boots Are Made For Walking (Nancy Sinatra)

Very distinctive! A series of descending notes created by slackening the pitch of a guitar string.

::Careless Whisper (WHAM!)

The magical saxophone intro is popular even today... I've heard many people using it as their ringtone.

Well, you know the old saying: "Well begun is well done." I guess it applies to music compositions too.