Music Hath Charms to Soothe a Savage Breast, to Soften Rocks, or Bend a Knotted Oak
But how does it affect Screamers?
Yesterday I promised this week’s positivity post was unlike any other in Screaming into the Void history, and today you find out why.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved music. (I credit my mom for her awesome taste in music that I heard growing up.) Getting my first cassette player was one of my best childhood memories — even though it was attached to the alarm clock that woke me up for school every morning. For a long time I dreamed about being a DJ (complete with fake name) and playing songs that made the whole city happy. (Ultimately I realized I couldn’t spend so long in a tiny box by myself every day.)
Music has a power over humans that’s almost indescribable. One instant you’re minding your own business and going along with your day, and just a few notes later you’re transported deep into your memories — and flooded with emotions stemming from those memories.
I could literally spend all day linking my ‘favorite’ songs, so today I narrowed the criteria down to “Songs with amazingly recognizable intros.” These are songs that “hit” you within the first couple seconds, make you stop what you’re doing, and sing or dance along.
Up first, Tommy James and his only “real” American hit — which gets its name from the iconic opening beat — “Draggin’ the Line”.
Some song intros are SO well-known they’re used in multiple films and TV shows, as is the case with Baba O’Riley (theme of CSI New York).
Whereas other songs need no introduction at all…..other than the introduction, that is.
For instant time travel back to high school pep rallies, this is my go-to:
Some songs don’t even need instruments to trigger that music high:
Perhaps the most famous whistle in all of music……
If you’re really good, you can “sample” hits from the ‘80s and still make the tune your own:
Did “Let’s Get It On” set the stage for all future porn music?
Anybody else reflexively start undressing upon hearing the first note, or is it just me?
As with “Draggin’ the Line” before it, “Dancing in the Dark” seems to get its name from the opening beat. (Bonus Courtney Cox sighting in the video!)
This intro is so iconic and strange (as is the rest of the song), it’s come to symbolize part of the “late” Beatles era.
I absolutely love this intro, as well as the song’s first verse:
Well I tried to make it Sunday, but I got so damn depressed
That I set my sights on Monday, and I got myself undressed
This song is a sort of two-for-one deal, with nearly 25 seconds of soft, soothing melodies before the iconic saxophone kicks in and establishes the vibe for the rest of the song:
Of course, not all great intros are from “my” generation of music:
Sometimes, the simplest intros are the best, as the song slowly builds its beat.
This intro is a staple at sporting events the last decade — and there’s no mistaking who it is.
This unforgettable intro was created when Queen guitarist Brian May wanted to get the crowd involved in the band’s performance:
"I went to bed thinking, 'What could you ask them to do?' They're all squeezed in there, but they can clap their hands, they can stamp their feet, and they can sing," he noted. "In the morning I woke up and had the idea in my head for 'We Will Rock You."
And there you have it. A collection of 16 songs with intros that immediately transport me into the heart of the music. As I said earlier, this is only a tiny tiny fraction of my favorite intros, so don’t berate me if I missed one of YOUR favorites — just list it in the comments!
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Don McClean - American Pie...instantly takes me back to...
"Music is the universal language of mankind." – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow