Someone on Twitter recently asked the question: “What’s the greatest opening lyrics in the history of music?”
And as with any question such as this, there’s no shortage of answers. Over 12,000 answers, actually.
Me, I’m a fan of the Bloodhound Gang, and you can’t beat the classic line from “Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny”:
You came twice last year like a Sears catalog,
Cause your last boyfriend makes love like Boss Hogg!
I’m not saying it’s my favorite or the greatest of all time, but it does stick out in my mind.
Some of the more subdued responses include:
…Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life…. from “Let’s Go Crazy”
Shit…you could make an entire subcategory of this list with nothing but Prince’s opening lyrics.
Another one that sticks out in my mind is …..hello darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again…..from Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence”. Talk about haunting!
Another all-time classic is from the Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker”……some people call me the space cowboy, yeah. Some call me the gangster of love. Some people call me Maurice. ‘Cause I speak with the pompatus of love….
And I was a bit surprised I didn’t see the opening lyrics from “Community Property” by Steel Panther while scanning the responses. Shame.
….I would give you the stars in the sky, but they’re too far away. If you were a hooker, you know I’d be happy to pay….
What do you think? What’s the greatest opening lyric in the history of music?????
