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While doing reviews of a pair of albums for this site recently, it struck me how each album’s tone was set by the opening songs. Whereas Elvis Costello’s Momofuku opened with “No Hiding Place”, a driving melodic rocker without an ounce of fat on it, Death Cab For Cutie’s Narrow Stairs opened with the ponderous, meandering “Bixby Canyon”, which left me with no other emotion other than a desire to get to the next song. Try to guess which CD I loved and which, well, not so much.

All this got me to thinking about the very best opening songs of all time. After rummaging through my CD collection, I came up with a quick personal Top 10. To heighten the drama, we’ll reveal them in reverse order. (The name of the album is in parentheses.)

10. “Mother” by John Lennon (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band): Some will cry foul that it’s not “Imagine” on this list, but this primal scream-influenced cry in the dark sets the tone for Lennon’s baring of the soul.

9. “Hells Bells” by AC/DC (Back In Black): Like “Mother”, it opens with tolling bells, and it extinguished any doubts about AC/DC’s viability after Bon Scott’s death the moment that Brian Johnson belted that opening line, “Rolling thunder, pouring rain.”

8. “Straight Outta Compton” by NWA (Straight Outta Compton): Although they imploded almost as quickly as they rose, NWA came out of the gate with this frantic statement of purpose that changed the face of rap forever.

7. “Baba O’Riley” by The Who (Who’s Next): I’m not a huge fan of Pete Townsend’s self-obsessed meditations, but there is no denying the greatness of this album or this ferocious opener, even with that goofy title.

6. “Badlands” by Bruce Springsteen (Darkness On The Edge Of Town): Bruce could make a greatest hits out of his album openers (“Thunder Road”, “Atlantic City”, “Born In The USA”), but I’m going with this defiant rocker as his best.

5. “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince (Purple Rain): With that dramatic opening (“Dearly beloved…”), this song encapsulates everything that is unique about this one-of-a-kind artist and introduces his crowning achievement.

4. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana (Nevermind): This song was momentous for so many reasons: For beginning a peerless album, for jump-starting an entire new musical movement, and for introducing the world to Kurt Cobain.

3. “Sympathy For the Devil” by The Rolling Stones (Beggars Banquet): Dumping the psychedelia that didn’t fit them at all, the Stones returned to their bluesy best on this album with the song that still defines them 40 years later.

2. “I Saw Her Standing There” by The Beatles (Please Please Me): The first song on the first album of the greatest band in history, it’s fitting that it kicks off with a memorable Paul McCartney count-in (“One, two three, fow’”).

1. “Like A Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan (Highway 61 Revisited): It transformed rock and roll from the music of teenagers to an adult art form, pushing the limits so far that they practically ceased to exist anymore.

Honorable Mention: “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by The Beach Boys (Pet Sounds), “Band On The Run” by Wings (Band On The Run), “Black Dog” by Led Zeppelin (Four), and “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” by U2 (War).

OK, what did I miss? Let’s hear your choices, fellow readers.