Yesterday, KEXP counted down what you voted as the Best Opening Track off an album, and no, it wasn’t Michael Jackson (although he ranked 18th). It’s no surprise that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from the Seattle grunge gods Nirvana took the number one spot. A reflection of our listeners’ diversity, the list contains artists new and old in a variety of genres, and even the top 10 tracks are well rounded with “Debaser” from the Pixies, “Like a Rolling Stone” from Bob Dylan, and “Just Like Honey” from The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Here is what you, the listeners, consider to be the best opening tracks of all time:
| Rank | Opening Track | Band | Album |
| 110 | Caribou | Pixies | Come On Pilgrim |
| 109 | Is There A Ghost | Band of Horses | Cease to Begin |
| 108 | It Was There That I Saw You: Source Tags and Codes | And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead | Source Tags and Codes |
| 107 | Cowboys | Portishead | Portishead |
| 106 | Song Remains the Same | Led Zeppelin | Houses of the Holy |
| 105 | Love Burns | Black Rebel Motorcycle Club | Black Rebel Motorcycle Club |
| 104 | I Will Follow | U2 | Boy |
| 103 | Packed Like Sardines In a Crushed Tin Box | Radiohead | Amnesiac |
| 102 | To Bring You My Love | PJ Harvey | To Bring You My Love |
| 101 | The District Sleeps At Home Tonight: Give Up | Postal Service | Give Up |
| 100 | Never Let Me Down Again: Music For The Masses | Depeche Mode | Music For the Masses |
| 99 | Love Vigilanties | New Order | Low Life |
| 98 | Leave Them All Behind | Ride | Going Blank Again |
| 97 | Secret Meeting | The National | Alligator |
| 96 | New Year | Death Cab For Cutie | Transatlanticism |
| 95 | She’s In Parties | Bauhaus | Burning From the Inside |
| 94 | Drive | REM | Automatic For the People |
| 93 | Kissing The Lipless | The Shins | Chutes Too Narrow |
| 92 | Baba O’Riley | The Who | Who’s Next |
| 91 | Speed Trials | Elliott Smith | Either/Or |
| 90 | Nebraska | Bruce Springsteen | Nebraska |
| 89 | 2+2=5 (The Lukewarm) | Radiohead | Hail To the Thief |
| 88 | Rhymin & Stealin | Beastie Boys | License to Ill |
| 87 | Whole Lotta Love | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin II |
| 86 | Message in a Bottle | The Police | Regatta de Blanc |
| 85 | Everything Hits At Once | Spoon | Girls Can Tell |
| 84 | Beautiful Day | U2 | All That You Can’t Leave Behind |
| 83 | While You Were Sleeping | Elvis Perkins | Ash Wednesday |
| 82 | Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) | Kate Bush | Hounds of Love |
| 81 | Summer Babe (Winter Version) | Pavement | Slanted & Enchanted |
| 80 | Jimmy James | Beastie Boys | Check Your Head |
| 79 | 15 Step | Radiohead | In Rainbows |
| 78 | Bombtrack | Rage Against The Machine | Rage Against the Machine |
| 77 | Bridge Over Troubled Water | Simon & Garfunkel | Bridge Over Troubled Water |
| 76 | Caring Is Creepy | The Shins | Oh, Inverted World |
| 75 | The Queen Is Dead | The Smiths | The Queen Is Dead |
| 74 | Fake Empire | The National | Boxer |
| 73 | Planet Telex | Radiohead | The Bends |
| 72 | My Name is Jonas | Weezer | Weezer |
| 71 | New Day Rising | Husker Du | New Day Rising |
| 70 | Finest Worksong | R.E.M. | Document |
| 69 | Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough | Michael Jackson | Off the Wall |
| 68 | I Saw Her Standing There | The Beatles | Please Please Me |
| 67 | I Am Trying to Break Your Heart | Wilco | Yankee Hotel Foxtrot |
| 66 | In The Flowers | Animal Collective | Merriweather Post Pavillion |
| 65 | The Stars of Track and Field | Belle and Sebastian | If You’re Feeling Sinister |
| 64 | Bittersweet Symphony | The Verve | Urban Hymns |
| 63 | Age of Consent | New Order | Power Corruption & Lies |
| 62 | Untitled | Interpol | Turn on the Bright Lights |
| 61 | Radio Free Europe | R.E.M. | Murmur |
| 60 | I Am One | Smashing Pumpkins | Gish |
| 59 | Help! | The Beatles | Help |
| 58 | Disorder | Joy Division | Unknown Pleasures |
| 57 | Know Your Rights | The Clash | Combat Rock |
| 56 | 3rd Planet | Modest Mouse | The Moon and Antarctica |
| 55 | Respect | Aretha Franklin | I Never Loved A Man the Way I Love You |
| 54 | I Will Dare | The Replacements | Let It Be |
| 53 | Good Times Bad Times | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin I |
| 52 | Up A Beach | Jane’s Addiction | Nothing’s Shocking |
| 51 | Sympathy for the Devil | The Rolling Stones | Beggars Banquet |
| 50 | Tangled Up in Blue | Bob Dylan | Blood On the Tracks |
| 49 | Rid of Me | PJ Harvey | Rid of Me |
| 48 | Space Oddity | David Bowie | Space Oddity |
| 47 | Welcome to the Jungle | Guns & Roses | Appetite for Destruction |
| 46 | We Will Rock You | Queen | News Of the World |
| 45 | Let’s Go Crazy | Prince | Purple Rain |
| 44 | Foxy Lady | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced |
| 43 | Sgt Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band | The Beatles | Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band |
| 42 | Boys Don’t Cry | The Cure | Boys Don’t Cry |
| 41 | Cherub Rock | Smashing Pumpkins | Siamese Dream |
| 40 | Plainsong | The Cure | Disintegration |
| 39 | What’s Going On | Marvin Gaye | What’s Going On |
| 38 | Who Loves the Sun | Velvet Underground | Loaded |
| 37 | Hells Bells | AC/DC | Back In Black |
| 36 | Search and Destroy | The Stooges | Raw Power |
| 35 | Taxman | The Beatles | Revolver |
| 34 | Fight Test | Flaming Lips | Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots |
| 33 | Burning Down the House | Talking Heads | Speaking In Tongues |
| 32 | Blitzkrieg Bop | Ramones | The Ramones |
| 31 | Hell’s Bells | AC/DC | Back In Black |
| 30 | Search and Destroy | The Stooges | The Stooges |
| 29 | Come Together | The Beatles | Abbey Road |
| 28 | Gloria | U2 | October |
| 27 | Wouldn’t It be Nice | Beach Boys | Pet Sounds |
| 26 | The Stone Roses | The Stone Roses | The Stone Roses |
| 25 | Get Up Stand Up | Bob Marley and the Wailers | Burnin’ |
| 24 | Imagine | John Lennon | Imagine |
| 23 | Pink Moon | Nick Drake | Pink Moon |
| 22 | Only Shallow | My Bloody Valentine | Loveles |
| 21 | Devil’s Haircut | Beck | Odelay |
| 20 | Head Like a Hole | Nine Inch Nails | Pretty Hate Machine |
| 19 | Rusty Cage | Soundgarden | Badmotorfiner |
| 18 | Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ | Michael Jackson | Thriller |
| 17 | Sympathy for the Devil | Rolling Stones | Beggars Banquet |
| 16 | Sunday Bloody Sunday | U2 | War |
| 15 | Gimme Shelter | Rolling Stones | Let It Bleed |
| 14 | Bone Machine | Pixies | Surfer Rosa |
| 13 | Angel | Massive Attack | Mezzanine |
| 12 | Break on Through | The Doors | The Doors |
| 11 | King of Carrot Flowers | Neutral Milk Hotel | In An Aeroplane Over the Sea |
| 10 | Just Like Honey | Jesus and Mary Chain | Psychocandy |
| 9 | Teenage Riot | Sonic Youth | Daydream Nation |
| 8 | Everything in Its Right Place | Radiohead | Kid A |
| 7 | Where The Streets Have No Name | U2 | The Joshua Tree |
| 6 | Like a Rolling Stone | Bob Dylan | Highway 61 Revisited |
| 5 | London Calling | The Clash | London Calling |
| 4 | Debaser | Pixies | Doolittle |
| 3 | Airbag | Radiohead | OK Computer |
| 2 | Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) | Arcade Fire | Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) |
| 1 | Smells Like Teen Spirit | Nirvana | Nevermind |
Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from Nevermind:
Nine Inch Nails “Head Like A Hole” from Pretty Hate Machine:
Beck live “Devil’s Haircut” from Odelay:
Pavement live “Summer Babe” from Slanted & Enchanted:
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club “Love Burns” from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club:
9 Comments
Ahhh Grunge…those were the days…how I miss thee. Though I guess we all still have the blessing that is PUSA still rockin’ around town.
I am sad Lou Reed’s “Vicious” did not make the list, but, WOW!, what a great list it is!
Just a note, 30 and 36 - both the Stooges, both Search and Destroy, different albums.
I’m printing out these lists for my children - especially the Best Cover Songs. Great category.
Two in the top 10 for Radiohead - the most of any other!!! Love this
I was really hoping to see “The Wagon” by Dinosaur Jr. This is a great list none the less.
i thinks its great radiohead has so many songs on this list..
this is a great list but Sympathy for the Devil is on the list twice, the song is awesome enough to be on there twice but I’m guessing it’s a mistake.
I second the nomination the for Dinosaur Jr’s “The Wagon.” I would’ve lead the charge if I weren’t so out of the loop these days…..
i made one of these lists myself. results can be seen here: http://sadsongsforimmaturelovers.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/you-must-be-a-masochist-to-love-a-modern-leper-on-his-last-legs/ .
on the whol this is a pretty nice list, though. not too many arguments. :D