Photo by Adam Cheek on Unsplash
Some tunes are catchy in the chorus, very great songs catch you in the first second. I’ve always been a fan of an opening line such as a movie title card, which immediately plunges into a whole new world. The best get to be cultural shorthand from London to Lahore to Los Angeles. I think I have been contemplating on some iconic openers from Hollywood and Bollywood lately, and I have to say it’s a pretty stacked list. Now let’s take a look at some of the most famous opening bars in music history – from around the globe!
Mere Sapno Ki Rani from Aradhana
Kishore Kumar opens this Rajesh Khanna classic asking when his dream girl will finally arrive in his life. The line has been quoted in films, ads, and weddings across India for over fifty years now.
Tum Hi Ho From AASHIQUI 2
With a declaration that the listener is “my life, my everything” Arijit Singh has laid the groundwork for this modern ballad. The line had singlehandedly created a new trend for romantic Bollywood songs in early 2010s.
Kabhi Kabhie Mere Dil Mein from Kabhi Kabhie
In the opening lines, Mukesh casually wonders if a thought goes across his heart and the entire song takes on that shape. Amitabh Bachchan reading these lines in the guise of poetry took this ditty to a greater stature than the tune itself.
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
via Youtube
This is the start with Freddie Mercury’s haunting question if it’s fantasy or real life, and the world goes still. Well, it’s one of the most well-known opening lines in the history of the world, and it’s a great way to start off the rock opera that’s coming up next.
The Eagles’ 1981 song Hotel California
The first line takes you to a dark desert road, with a cool wind in your hair and a weird smell in the air. Don Henley has basically written a short film in the opening and listeners have been looking for this sound for decades.
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
Cohen begins with a reference to a secret chord that David played to please the Lord — what a beautiful piece of poetry this is! Since Jeff Buckley to Pentatonix have attempted to make their own mark on that opening line, it’s no surprise that everyone has done so.
Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin
The beginning of Robert Plant’s ‘stairway to heaven’ is a picture of a lady purchasing a stairway to heaven. By far the most referenced, parodied and analyzed introduction to classic rock.
Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey
Steve Perry sets up a small town girl and a city boy in just a few opening lines, and the rest is karaoke history. It is honestly impossible to hear those words and not picture an entire bar singing along together.
Chaiyya Chaiyya from Dil Se
This is a banger based on Sufi style with a line on walking in the shade of a loved one, as sung by Sukhwinder Singh. The track went on to become an international hit and even is featured in the opening opening sequence of the Hollywood movie Inside Man.
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