These days attention spans are shorter than Kevin Hart’s wingspan. It can be hard to draw someone into your work and when you do,  you only have a few seconds to make sure they keep listening, making that first line so crucial.

From a more artistic point of view, the opening line sets the tone for the song, it establishes the direction, energy, and tone of the track. It may only be one bar, but there is a lot riding on it.

From Biggie’s “Juicy” to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” there are tons of examples of what legendary opening can do, but considering we keep it Strange around these parts, let’s take a look at some of the best examples of Opening lines from Strange Music songs.

Ces Cru – “Seven Chakras”

“I’ve been lied to, bust out/Passed over and cussed out”

With passion, honesty, and a fiery, razor-sharp delivery Ces’ always gets the blood pumping. Perhaps it’s why The Rock (who works out more than anyone alive) picked this one as one of his go-to workout songs.

Obviously cuts like “Tidal Wavy” or “Juice” are great workout cuts, because of frenetic energy, but “Seven Chakras” motivates in a different, arguably deeper way.

Sacrificing a chorus to squeeze in more bars, Godi and Ubi showcase how far they have come and the obstacles that were in their way, using it as fuel to power the rest of their journey, and it all starts with Ubi’s succinct yet potent line; the perfect summary of where they’ve come from to show you where they are headed.

Tech N9ne – “Aw Yeah (InterVENTion)”

“Sippin’ On a glass of red wine/Right before bedtime thinkin’” 

In school, did you ever watch the video that started zooming out on someone laying in a field expanding to the entire solar system showing how vast and expansive our known universe is?

That’s exactly what the start to “Aw Yeah (Intervention)” feels like.  Tech takes the smallest, seemingly casual activity–drinking some wine at home– and proceeds to broaden the scope to analyze some of the worlds biggest, deepest questions and issues.

One of the more powerful, raw, and emotional cuts in Tech’s library, is all the more effective the way it is all built off that first, seemingly innocuous first line.

¡MAYDAY! – “Shortcuts & Dead Ends”

“Where do I start? I’ve had more lives than I can count”

Most stories of “making it” in the music industry are filled with glitz, glamour, and excess, but, on “Shortcuts & Dead Ends,” the ¡MAYDAY! crew provides a look at what it’s really like.

One of the most honest and raw ¡MAYDAY! cuts in existence (and that is saying something), Wrek and Bernz leave everything out in the open, going into detail about the sinuous paths their careers have taken; the good, the bad, the ugly it’s all out there.

The way they tell their harrowing tales, becomes all the more powerful with the beginning line, “Where do I start?”

 It’s short, simple, to the point, and lets you know you are in for one hell of a ride.

Of course, those are just three of many, so, tell us, what are your favorite opening lines??

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