First few seconds

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Some songs you hear around, and you can recognise them from a tiny sample and it fills you with joy (Crazy in Love)

Some songs you hear after an absence, and you feel a rush of warmth as you try to remember what it is that you're listening to (After The Watershed). I've become resigned to the fact that when I attend a 2020 90's disco, I'll rush to my feet when they play "Baby, One More Time", then freeze immobile when I realise what it is.

And some songs, heard after a gap of years, hit you in the first few seconds like a fractal bullet, as you remember all of the song, and when you loved it, and what it meant, and when you stopped hearing it, and hopefully you're not driving a car or crossing the road when it happens.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 11:26 (twenty-two years ago)

The example I was thinking of was the lightning-bolt guitar and screech at the start of Transvision Vamp's Baby I Don't Care.

Pulp's Babies will almost certainly do this to me at some point when I haven't heard it in years.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 11:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Baby One More Time is the ultimate 'first few seconds' song, surely? I hardly know anyone who couldn't recognise it from practically the very first note?

I was about to list a load more similar songs, but practically everything on IntroIntrospection falls into that category.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 12:05 (twenty-two years ago)

The first two or so seconds of Baby One More Time are the same as the first two or so seconds of Monkeys Out by Lexxus.

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 12:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Baby One More Time is the ultimate 'first few seconds' song, surely? I hardly know anyone who couldn't recognise it from practically the very first note?

I've done that several times. Get up, go "I remember this", then go "I remember this, and I don't like it". It's funny, because it's one of the things I mock rockists for: "No, the song is a lot better/worse than it sounds". But though I don't think it's a good song, I think it's a great hook to hang memories on, and I associate good times with it.

Good point on IntroInspection.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 12:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I heard the frantic opening strums of "Kennedy" by the Wedding Present recently, and was immediately transported back to the tail end of the 80's with a seizmic jolt. What a damn great track.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

'be my baby' to thread

― adam b (adam b), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 13:57 (twenty-two years ago)

i thought this was a Coil thread...

― kephm, Tuesday, 29 July 2003 13:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I hardly know anyone who couldn't recognise it from practically the very first
note?

Hi there!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 14:26 (twenty-two years ago)

"My name is...", yeah?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 15:34 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

the ones where i'm all like "YES", fist up, can't wait for the next few minutes of overfamiliar audio bliss, after hearing the first two seconds transpire:
o superman / laurie anderson
teenage riot / SY
pansy twist / huggy bear
clair de lune / debussy
me n giuliani / !!!
hornets / herbie hancock
why / plastic ono

teh "OH GODDAMMIT", whatever whatever, i love music, something worthwhile to absorb this listening perhaps, even just some stray overfamiliar background vocals, after hearing the first two seconds transpire:
break on through / doors
so what / miles
anarchy / pistols
every breath you take / police
heart of glass / blondie

― Dr. Annabel Lies (Michael Kelly), Sunday, 21 November 2004 14:15 (twenty-one years ago)

"This Love" by Maroon5 has a real cool intro. Sadly the rest doesn't quite hold up though.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 21 November 2004 16:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Melanie Davis by Supergrass always strikes feelings of nostalgia into me within the first few bars and then I remember, I really only like the first few seconds of the song and could care less for the rest.

― papa november (papa november), Monday, 22 November 2004 00:01 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

angolan protest music of the 70s is real good at this. i'm thinking particularly of urbano de castro's "n'vula" and jovens do prendo's "africa merengue".

― jermaine (jnoble), Saturday, 3 December 2005 23:14 (twenty years ago)

Sure Shot by the Beastie Boys...

― Doozer, Saturday, 3 December 2005 23:29 (twenty years ago)

eight years pass...

the first four notes of "Penny Lane"

― i also enjoy in line skateing (spazzmatazz), Thursday, 5 December 2013 14:09 (twelve years ago)

nine months pass...

the first 15 seconds of 'sim gishel' are maybe the best 15 seconds at the start of any song ever

― 93. Oasis - pollrunner needed for this one (imago), Monday, 22 September 2014 20:51 (eleven years ago)

well, this, of course:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smioSKTbp6w

― global tetrahedron, Monday, 22 September 2014 22:53 (eleven years ago)

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