I suspect not everyone…
It would be interesting to know what is the most universally recognised. Some of those listed so far relate perhaps to people of a cerain generation, others more to do with musical taste, while others are more cross-generation and taste - but which most unibversal?
Possibly the intro to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, even people who’ve never heard the work will probably recognise the Fate motif.
AC/DC Highway to Hell
Imagine John Lennon. We just heard it on Radio 3 Words & Music. My wife said “Imagine” after the first piano chord.
best
David
The Brothers in Arms intro,
Even Vogons know it 
Grapevine.
Whole Lotta Love would have been my first choice, too.
Coltrane’s Giant Steps is pretty distinctive, too.
Almost any of the Keith Richard’s intro licks right up until Charlie Watts comes in.
Just too many to pick one.
Beethoven 5th intro.
In deference to D1ck Dale who passed away yesterday:
Misirlou (Pulp Fiction)
Note: Our forum software won’t allow his name to be spelt correctly…even capitalised…
.
For me, it has to go to the Beatles - so many of their songs are instantly recognisable within the first few seconds, but I’ll nominate I Feel Fine for that wonderful bit of feedback that opens the song recording.
Bowie - Sound and Vision. Sublime.
Focus - Hocus Pocus
Steely Dan - Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
Santana - Samba Pati
Jeff Beck/Stevie Wonder - Superstition
Temptations - Papa was a Rollin’ Stone
Led Zep - Stairway to Heaven
ZZTop - Gimmie All Your Lovin
A couple of tracks kicked off by drummers.
I would add another of DS’s tunes Romeo and Juliet:
I’m going to plump for Black Sabbath playing Black Sabbath their first track from their eponymous debut album and Whole Lotta Love from Led Zeppelin, 'natch.
Talking of drummers - how about Wipe Out by The Surfaris
Many Intro’s suggested here I do not recognize.Classical music is not nearly as big,…so that most people would recognize intro to Beethoven’s No5 is probably very,very small.
And an intro for me is…say,the first 5 seconds.
At that time you should have recognized the “best Intro” I think.
/Peder🙂
