Top 10 Opening Tracks From 2010s Rock Albums

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By the 2010s, rock music had spread across generations, with veteran bands and newer artists working side by side. The opening tracks on this list come from legends such as Van Halen, Tom Petty, Heart, Deep Purple, David Bowie, Elton John, and Sammy Hagar, along with artists such as Samantha Fish, Chris Cornell, and Joe Bonamassa. Each one does what a great album opener should do: establish the mood immediately and make you want to hear what comes next.

# 10 – “Tattoo” – A Different Kind of Truth (2012) – Van Halen

“Tattoo” opened Van Halen’s 2012 album A Different Kind of Truth, the band’s first studio album of new material since Van Halen III in 1998 and its first full studio album with David Lee Roth since 1984. With Eddie Van Halen on guitar, Alex Van Halen on drums, Wolfgang Van Halen on bass, and Roth back at the microphone, the track immediately announced the return of a familiar lineup dynamic with a newer sound. The song’s playful lyrics revolve around tattoos, identity, and self-expression, while Eddie’s riff gives the record the kind of swagger expected from a Van Halen opener.

# 9 – “Jefferson Jericho Blues” – Mojo (2010) – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

“Jefferson Jericho Blues” opens Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 2010 album Mojo with a loose, blues-heavy sound that immediately separates the record from much of the band’s earlier work. Petty uses the history of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings as the starting point for the lyric, while Mike Campbell’s guitar and Scott Thurston’s harmonica help give the track its rough, live-in-the-room character. Mojo was designed to capture the Heartbreakers playing together as a band, and this opener makes that approach clear from the first few bars.

# 8 – “Devil Came to Philly” – Space Between (2019) – Sammy Hagar & The Circle

“Devil Came to Philly” opens Sammy Hagar & The Circle’s 2019 album Space Between with a heavy blues-rock groove and a darker tone than the title might suggest. Hagar is joined by Michael Anthony on bass, Vic Johnson on guitar, and Jason Bonham on drums, giving the track the muscular sound expected from a band built from decades of hard-rock experience. The album revolves around ideas of money, greed, truth, and personal choices, and “Devil Came to Philly” throws the listener directly into that world without wasting any time.

# 7 – “He Did It” – Chills & Fever (2017) – Samantha Fish

Samantha Fish opens her 2017 album Chills & Fever with “He Did It,” a cover of the Ronettes song that immediately reveals how different this record would be from a straightforward modern blues album. Recorded in Detroit with musicians associated with the Detroit Cobras and a horn section, the album digs into vintage R&B, soul, garage rock, and blues material while still sounding like Samantha Fish. “He Did It” gets the record moving with punchy horns, a strong rhythm section, and Fish’s voice right out front, making it an ideal introduction to one of the most adventurous albums of her career.

# 6 – “Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart” – Higher Truth (2015) – Chris Cornell

“Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart” opens Chris Cornell’s 2015 solo album Higher Truth with a mandolin-driven arrangement that immediately moves away from the heavy sound most listeners associate with Soundgarden. Produced by Brendan O’Brien, the song puts Cornell’s voice and songwriting at the center, while acoustic and folk-rock textures carry a lyric about being drawn back into love after almost convincing yourself heartbreak was behind you. As the album’s lead single and opening track, it established the intimate direction Cornell pursued throughout Higher Truth.

# 5 – “If It Wasn’t for Bad” – The Union (2010) – Elton John and Leon Russell

“If It Wasn’t for Bad” opens The Union, Elton John and Leon Russell’s 2010 collaboration, with exactly the kind of piano-driven roots music that brought the two artists together in the first place. Written by Russell and produced by T Bone Burnett, the track mixes gospel, blues, country, soul, and rock and roll while placing Russell’s weathered lead vocal against John’s harmonies. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, and it works beautifully as the opening statement for an album built around Elton John honoring one of his longtime musical heroes.

# 4 – “Evil Mama” – Redemption (2018) – Joe Bonamassa

“Evil Mama” opens Joe Bonamassa’s 2018 album Redemption with a deep blues-rock groove and a clear nod to the weight and attack of classic Led Zeppelin. Produced by Kevin Shirley, the track features Bonamassa alongside drummer Anton Fig, bassist Michael Rhodes, keyboardist Reese Wynans, horns, backing singers, and additional guitarists who helped give the album a broader sound. The riff does most of the talking at first, but Bonamassa’s vocal and guitar quickly turn the song into the kind of forceful opener that tells the listener exactly what sort of record has begun.

Read More: Top 10 Joe Bonamassa Songs

# 3 – “Fanatic” – Fanatic (2012) – Heart

“Fanatic” opens Heart’s 2012 album of the same name with Nancy Wilson’s heavy guitar work, Ann Wilson’s unmistakable voice, and the large-scale production of Ben Mink. The title track wastes no time easing into the record; it arrives as a full hard-rock statement from a band that had already been recording for nearly four decades. Heart’s official description of the album called the song a rumbling, big-production rocker, and that is exactly what makes it work here: “Fanatic” sounds like a band determined to begin the album at full strength.

Read More: 10 Most Underrated Heart Songs

# 2 – “Time for Bedlam” – inFinite (2017) – Deep Purple

“Time for Bedlam” opens Deep Purple’s 2017 album inFinite with an eerie processed vocal from Ian Gillan before Steve Morse’s guitar, Don Airey’s keyboards, Roger Glover’s bass, and Ian Paice’s drums push the song into classic Deep Purple territory. Produced by Bob Ezrin, the track combines the band’s familiar hard-rock power with a darker, more modern atmosphere and was the first song released from the album. More than 45 years after Machine Head, Deep Purple could still open an album with enough force and unpredictability to make the listener pay attention.

# 1 – “Blackstar” – Blackstar (2016) – David Bowie

“Blackstar” takes the top spot because few album openers from any decade feel as mysterious or complete. David Bowie opens his final studio album with a nearly 10-minute piece built around his voice and the adventurous jazz musicians Donny McCaslin, Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre, and Mark Guiliana, with Tony Visconti co-producing the album with Bowie. Blackstar was released on January 8, 2016, Bowie’s 69th birthday, and he died two days later, giving the record an added weight that nobody outside his inner circle fully understood when it first appeared. The title track later won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song, but its real power is in the recording itself: strange, unsettling, beautiful, and unmistakably Bowie.