First impressions are important. Whether that be if you’re meeting someone or just discovering something new, the first impression always leaves a mark and this can be seen in music as well. Structuring an album is a very complex process of several components, and in my eyes, the opening track is the most important. A great album has a very strong opening track that sets the tone for the rest of the album, very very few, if any, high praised albums have had weak openers. On the other hand, some albums are considered okay when they do not open strongly but are not all-around bad albums. An album without a strong opener can feel clustered and lost; for example, Benz Truck by Lil Peep is not a bad song per se, but it is not an album opener. While it does have the same vibe as the rest of the tracks, it does not feel like an invitation into an album experience, the song itself feels like it needs to be preceded by something. This hurts the entire album as by that point it does not feel like an album. Yes, it is still technically an album but by starting it with a track such as Benz Truck, a song that sounds like it belongs as a third or fourth track, it no longer makes it feel like a complete musical entity.
However, that begs the question, “What is an album in your eyes?” The way I look at it, an album builds off of its tracks and how they are structured, and mostly how the energy is flowing between them. When you have an album that is just constantly going with no true direction it is then just a collection of songs, which I do not truly see as an album, and the opening track is the first opportunity to get things going in the right direction. Yet, what separates a “bad” and great opening track? Examples from different pieces of music are needed, starting with my favorite album of all time.
The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance on its own is one of the greatest albums of all time, and when looking at the importance of the opening track you cannot ignore it. The 2006 rock opera is opened with the theatrical and bold The End. Opening with the beeping of a heart monitor as an acoustic guitar slowly introduces itself to the scene. Within the first couple of seconds, the listener understands that there is something to pick up upon, an image is already being painted with the multiple hospital noises in the background. The guitar is complemented by a piano and other strings to give a sorrow instrumental with self-demeaning lyrics in the forefront. Then the vocals start to pick up a little bit more and the build-up is complete with drums coming in and introducing the extremely theatrical electric guitars. The drums and guitars are given their moment to shine, without going overboard but doing just enough for there to be a clear change in mood and sound. However, this does not last, and the drums lead us back into the same sound we had in the opening verse, with more emphasis on the piano to start. Harmonizing vocals complement the piano extremely well and we are back to the original sound as the acoustic guitar comes back in, and it works perfectly. There is not a clear change in tempo or speed at any point but the emphasis on different instruments at different times allows the listener to understand what is in store for them. Throughout the album, there are several moments and even full songs that are filled with the sorrow pianos and acoustic guitars, and there are several tracks where the roaring electric guitars and bombastic drums are given their time to shine. This works in the album because this song is structured very similarly to how the album itself is. It encapsulates every sound you will hear in the rest of the album while making it all work simultaneously. It also has the listener realize that the lyrics are more important to understanding the album instead of the instruments themselves, as The Black Parade is a concept album. This one song prepares you for the entire album in a very short one minute and fifty-three seconds and it is truly beautiful. It does exactly what it was supposed to, it sets the tone for the rest of the album, which is the most important thing an opening track is supposed to do. What separates this as one of the best opening tracks is that it can pack in so much without feeling crowded, it is genuinely a good song while its only real purpose is introducing the story and sound of the rest of the album. It does its job and it does it extremely well.
My next example is IGOR’S THEME off of Tyler, The Creator’s sixth studio album Igor. This is different as the instrumental is much more important than the lyrics, the very few that there truly are that is. The track opens with one distorted synth key that stands alone for twenty-four seconds before the drums come in. This works more of a statement, a welcoming. Igor is a concept album, telling a story of love and loss; IGOR’S THEME is used exactly how the theme of a show or movie would be used, to introduce the story at the start. It is a unique stylistic choice not often seen in the world of music. It also works as a way to let Tyler’s producing abilities shine from the start, preparing the listener for new sounds coming and giving them an idea of what to expect. Similar to The End, IGOR’S THEME has moments where it will slow down and stray away from that heavy synth where a piano can shine through for a moment before returning to the distorted sound that preceded it. Most of this album is led by this heavy synth style and sound, however, there are multiple songs where the synth takes the backseat to other sounds or is used to work with them, similarly to how this track is structured. Although I would not call it one of the best openers of all time, I think it is still worth looking at when understanding why they are important. It does a very good job of setting the tone and theme of the album without really saying much at all, which allows the listener to interpret the song as they need to.
My final example comes from the consensus the greatest hip-hop record of all time, none other than Wesley’s Theory from Kendrick Lamar’s extremely critically acclaimed To Pimp a Butterfly. A true analysis of this song would take all day so I will simply stick to how this song works to be one of the best, if not the best, opening tracks of all time. It opens with a sample from Boris Gardiner, a sound reminiscent of previous Kendrick works before the instrumental is completely flipped on its head and the sound completely shifts. This shows separation from the previous sounds of Kendrick Lamar’s previous work as he embraces a very heavily funk and jazz-inspired instrumental. Of course, the beat is still very much so hip-hop it is not conventional, to say the least. This energy is kept throughout most of the song, and equally most of the rest of the album. With a few exceptions like Momma, The Blacker the Berry, and Alright each song is extremely funk and jazz-inspired. Even the three previously mentioned tracks have this inspiration but they do not take the forefront. The Wesley’s Theory instrumental sets the tone for the rest of the record as many of the same sounds are heard throughout the rest of the album. However, the true art of Kendrick Lamar comes from his world-class lyricism which of course is on full display on this track. The themes attacked by Lamar on this song are the main theme of the entire album, that being the exploitation of African-American creators by racist American institutions. Lamar comes out full guns blazing, as expected of him, going directly into calling out these problems in today’s society. However, he is not saying these things directly. He is speaking figuratively throughout the entire song leaving it up to the listener to connect the dots as the album continues and tie things back to the start. Not only does it perfectly set the tone for the album, but it also makes the listener come back because every time they do they are picking up on something they did not the last time. While that is more of a testament to how great the entire album is, it is set by the opening track.
The opening track to an album is fundamental to how well it is structured and can even be a big sign of how well someone might enjoy the album as a whole. If something starts weak then you will be disappointed from the start. Not to mention that, objectively, an album is hurt significantly by a poor opening. However, when you start strong you keep the attention of the listener and can excite them for what is to come next in the record. Not only is it fan-pleasing but it helps the overall album as it sets it up for a good structure allowing it to flow. When an album does not start strong and in the right manner, it affects the entire album, objectively and in the eyes of the casual listener. Although several decisions and components go into structuring an album, it all starts from the opening track.
