Favorite Opening Line From A Song

Although I am partial to "I'd rather shoot a woman than a man" from Big Star's "O Dana".

from "If It Kills You" by Drive Like Jehu.

from 'Public Image' by Public Image Ltd.

from "Burning Down The House" by the Talking Heads. It also happens to be the only part of the song that's any good.

and

'You have to have a party when you're in a state like this' psych furs' "president gas"

Tragedy! For 30 years I've heard 'I'll get Killed but...' as 'Out at Kilburn', and thought it was a nice London reference to hanging around stoned meeting women on the sunny boardwalk that is Kilburn High Road.

I feel a new thread coming on...

the *guitar fragment* 1, 2, a-1,2,3,4
at the start of 'white man in the hammersmith palais'

'I am the sun and the heir' in How soon is now'... it's downhill after that, though.

do the first two count?

"I'm Straight" - Jonathan Richman

"And the first commandment reads that human flesh & blood is sacred......until there is no more food!" -- "Straighten Out" by the Stranglers

Jaz Coleman's implausibly phlegmy cough as the first sound on "Wardance" by Killing Joke

"It won't be easy - you'll think it's strange..."

(actually Jess' pick is best)

(runs, covering head...)

"All your friends are cunts/ Your mother is a ballpoint pen thief" - McLusky, think it's 'Gareth Brown Says'

I think its been sampled as well, no surprise there.

"AOhhhhhhh-oh-ah-oh-ah-ohahoh, ah-ah-ahhhhh ah-ah ah-ah, ahahahaohahhh, ohahhoh!" - The Communards version of Don't Leave Me This Way.

from 'you've really got a hold of me'.

although i saw a terrible thing on one of those "i love motown' things where diana ross, trying to describe the genius of smokey robinson, quoted that line and said " you see, smokey's not just saying he LIKES his girl, he's saying he LOVES her, that's so romantic..."

AAAAAAARGH!

On the other hand.

She sang 'Love Hangover'. What have I ever done?

"LOUIE LOUIE! I never thought it would come to this baby..." [bottle flying by the microphone]

"Marquee Moon" and "Another Girl, Another Planet." Especially the latter. What a great line.

"It was the biggest cock you'd ever seen."

Not bad.

"I was Underwhelmed if thats a word/ I know its not cause I looked it up"
-this band called Sloan who for some strange reason are opening for the Str*k*s

Could've sworn it was "RRRAAAPE!!"

"You only got one finger left, and it's pointin' at the door"

-- Just got offed, Thursday, 8 November 2007

haha what's that from?!

Beck, "Lord Only Knows". Slate him all you like, the guy had prodigious talent.

(One can argue that the opening line of that song is actually "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGHHHH", which works almost as well.)

"ANTIQUES!" (Prefab Sprout)

Destroy your safe and happy lives before it is too late

(Mekons)

This is a simulation of a song, are you impressed or what?

(more Mekons!)

I've got these arms & legs that flipflop
flip flop

yeh, 'bsolutely! that pere ubu opening was one of those i was a-gonna post also...

more faves:
"it's not that funny, is it?" (the sizzling buckingham sneer on tusk

"if your mem'ry serves you well ..." (yep, boberman zimmer & the band)

Here's a penny for your thoughts, incidently, you may keep the change.

Orange Juice - Flesh of My Flesh

most of my fantasies are of
making someone else come

-- ciderpress, Thursday, 8 November 2007

wow that's fantastic.

"A cheap 'oliday in other people's misery"
"It was Christmas Eve, babe--in the drunk tank"
"I'll let a train be my feet if it's too far to walk to you"

This one's a little long but I think it's great, and savage--from la Mitchell:

Just before our love got lost you said
"I am as constant as a northern star"
And I said, "constantly in the darkness?
Where’s that at?
If you want me I’ll be in the bar."

"You lack the minerals and vitamins irons and the niacin"

"Won't you let me walk you home from school?"

Hand in glove, the sun shines out of our behinds

The Smiths

"I still dream of Orgonon."

Kate Bush - Cloudbusting

Oh, the snot has caked against my pants

I walk 47 miles of barbwire

OK, I'minlovewiththegirlwhoworksatthestorebutI'mnothing but a customer!

And right now it's time to KICK OUT THE JAMS, MOTHERFUCKERS

"CAT'S FOOT IRON CLAW/NEAURAL SURGEONS SCREAM FOR MORE"

"I'm a rompin' dead boy on a long road"

"IIIII, I AM A TIMEBOMB"

"Hope came to him/as it had a hundred times in many shapes"

"Well you wish upon a star...
that turns into a plane"

(Replacements, "Valentine")

"I've got six things on my mind...
you're no longer one of them"

(Prefab Sprout, "Desire As")

"Listen to the girl...
as she takes on half the world"

(Jesus & Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey")

There's loads of great first lines here, but the best one is the Fugazi line from 4 years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VhPHtKinmA

"I really don't mind if you sit this one out" - "Thick As A Brick", Jethro Tull.
"So you want to be a rock'n'roll star, then listen now to what I say...", "Rock'N'Roll Star", The Byrds.
"Shady politician in my bed", "Rabbit Fighter", T.Rex.
"Sometimes you're better off dead, there's a gun in your hand and it's pointing at your head.", "West End Girls", Pet Shop Boys.

inspirational thread!

"you said you wanted some space / well is this enough for you?" (Pulp - Space)

"i never thought it would happen / with me and the girl from Clapham" (Squeeze - Up The Junction)

Kate Bush "Saxophone Song"

"You'll find me in a Berlin bar, in a corner brooding"

Old 97's "Victoria"

“This is the story of Victoria Lee/She started off on Percodan and ended up with me."

HOW BOUT GETTING OFF THESE ANTIBIOTICS

"Why's it never light on my lawn?" - Elton John, 'Grey Seal'

not my favorite ever but up there

"Captured effortlessly, that's the way it was."

"did you see her walking, did she come around here, Sir?" - pj harvey, my beautiful leah

'mmhmm' - pj harvey, long snake moan

“You’re everybody’s second home” - Heatmiser, ‘Plainclothes Man’

"All of your friends are cunts/ Your mother is a ballpoint pen thief"

"Well, some people ain't no damn good."

"As I went out one morning, to breathe the air around Tom Paine's"

"Ain't thou watchin my film"

i wrote a letter to a wild flower on a classic nitrogen afternoon

"William Butler Yeats in jeans"

He pauses shaving and tells himself that he is the bomb

they sentenced me ton twenty years of boredom/for trying to change the system from within

Hey kids, let me tell you how I met your Mum

Pushing a hoopty, bumping the Fugees, my life is a scary movie, your life is a male groupie

Well I been watchin' you waltz all night, Diane

Nobody move, there's blood on the floor. And I can't find my heart.

(Earworm this week. Not sure about the rest of the song TBH)

I fell asleep on a rooftop
I woke up halfway down

--Stephen Fearing, "Me and Mr. Blue"

You ain't no punk, you punk

'I've been contemplating suicide,'
Though maybe its the combination with the 2nd line
'But it really doesn't suit my style'

"LET ME TELL YOU 'BOUT THE FUCKIN' BITCH, DEAN-O!!"

Sur le trottoir d'en face une fille riait

"Anyone caught speaking Esperanto was thought crazy or headed for jail..."

Nww

In little sunrise of goblin eyes
I watch the coupling of the flies
Under waving trees and bumble bees
I strain to amputate my knees

The fall

When it happened we walked through all the estates, from Manchester right to Newcastle.
In Darlington, helped a large man on his own chase off some kids
Who were chucking bricks and
Stuff through his flat window.