Credit: Far Out / Alamy / Bent Rej / Harry Potts
Sun 26 July 2026 19:00, UK
When we talk about the quality of the introduction to a classic rock song, more often than not, we’re focusing on the riff.
Writing the perfect riff can be tricky. They need to be ear-catching, as people should be able to latch onto the notes and realise it’s something brand new and exciting. Equally, the riff cannot be too overcomplicated; there needs to be a level of accessibility there so that people will recognise it the next time it’s played. Nailing these introductions is a hard balance to strike, but it’s one that a lot of people have been successful in achieving.
Of course, it’s not enough for a song to just have a good introduction, but that introduction needs to lead to something more, and a lot of the time, they don’t. Some bands fall at the first hurdle, where they managed to write a great opening section of their song but then failed to capitalise on it. You’d be surprised just how common an occurrence this is in the music world.
Here are five of the greatest classic rock songs that don’t get any better than their introduction.
Five rock songs that peak at the start ADD AS A PREFERRED SOURCE ON GOOGLE 
The Far Out Classic Rock Newsletter
All the latest Classic Rock content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.