Brilliant debut singles part 1

Back in April, Oasis marked the 30th anniversary of Supersonic by declaring, in a typically brash and confident manner, that it was 'arguably the greatest debut single of all time.' 

There is no doubt that Supersonic got its hooks into me and I fell for the band big time, but even as an Oasis fan,  I don't think it is anywhere near the greatest debut single of all time.

Of course, that is entirely personal and debatable. 

With a view to writing a blog, I started thinking about incredible debut singles, where bands/artists seemed to appear fully formed with a perfect song. 

I then started some research and quickly formed a list of 50 brilliant debut singles! So this blog is part 1! Parts 2, 3, 4, 5 ... and so on will follow! And more if I keep researching! 

I've also started a Spotify playlist HERE

Get in touch with suggestions of brilliant debut singles.

1. Break On Through (to the Other Side) by The Doors

Right from the off, The Doors got their image and messaging absolutely perfect. All in just 2 minutes 25 seconds! The first verse and chorus are delivered in less than 30-seconds! Jim Morrison sounds like a man on a mission, his band sound like loyal lieutenants determined to help him deliver his goal- there is a spark, an urgency, an energy ....

Try to run, try to hide

Break on through to the other side

Morrison is poetic, he is mesmerising, as are the beats, melodies and riffs underneath him. Outstanding.

2. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

Power punk pop perfection. Slamming into a ferocious guitar riff, The Undertones roar through verse-chorus-verse-chorus in under a minute, beginning with the incredible line a teenage dream's so hard to beat.

Teenage lust, desire and innocence pour out of the song. Fergal Sharkey delivers an exceptional vocal performance, audibly shaking with intensity at times and I still love the way he yells alright after the second chorus, into a short 15-second instrumental - just the same driving power chords.

Then the band just rip through the song again leading into another short instrumental followed by one more chorus. It's all over in under 2 and a half minutes. It's electrifying pop, the energy is infectious, the way the band just rip through the song is sensational, even on first listen you'll be singing a-long.

Teenage Kicks is simply sensational and must surely be one of the best debut singles of all time.

Full blog from 22/08/21

3. West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys

Originally released in 1984, West End Girls made a mark in in clubs across the globe, but it didn't trouble the charts, only reaching the heady heights of number 133. 

Pet Shop Boys had something though and EMI signed them up, Neil Tenant and Chris Lowe went into the studio with Stephen Hague and re-recorded the song. Re-released in October 1985, the song eventually hit number 1 in early 1986 and paved the way for a string of classic pop singles and albums.

Everything about West End Girls is distinctive; Tenant's spoken word/rap through the verses, the moody synth chords that underpin everything, the exceptionally catchy synth bass riff and the chorus contrasting East and West.

In a West End town in a dead end world

The East End boys and West End Girls

West End Girls

West End Girls is exceptional pop music. It still sounds fresh, it's not euphoric by nature, but the chorus is so super catchy that it lifts everything. An absolute classic.

4. Music Sounds Better With You by Stardust

Not just a debut single, Music Sounds Better With You was the ONLY song released by Stardust! This was despite Virgin offering Stardust $3 million to produce an album! Allegedly, there were a few other songs kicking around as demos, but Stardust resisted the temptation to record and release anything else.

Stardust was; Thomas Bangalter (one half of Daft Punk), Alan Braxe and Benjamin Diamond. The trio created Music Sounds Better With You around a guitar riff sampled from Chaka Khan's Fate, the song is remarkably simple and totally catchy.

Is the song about listening to music with someone you love, or listening to music on ecstasy? This was a popular debate at the time. It could be either.

Music Sounds Better is one verse that cleverly (thanks to the I feel so good last line) leads back into itself over and over again. Diamond said that the lyrics were "like a mantra ... something everyone could understand." 

He was absolutely right and it's the same with the groove, the repetition is infectious with instruments fading in and out. 

I love the fact that Stardust released something so perfect and so successful and then just left it at that! 

Ooh baby

I feel like

The music sounds better with you

Love might, bring us back together

I feel so good

5. Fast Car by Tracy Chapman

Released when Chapman was 24, Fast Car has a remarkable mature feel to it. Riding on a slow and melodic acoustic riff, Chapman sings of escaping a challenging life to anywhere else - any place is better, starting from zero, got nothing to lose

Chapman's voice is deep and souful and she continues to tell her tale, of saving a little from her job in a convenience store, wanting to head across the border to the city to see what living is really like. 'Cause it doesn't sound like she has had much of a life; her Dad hit the bottle, her Mum left, she had to quit school and essentially care for her Dad.

It doesn't take much for Chapman to dream, she just wants to escape;

You got a fast car

Is it fast enough so we can fly away?

Still gotta make a decision

Leave tonight, or live and die this way

That last line is equally beautiful and heartbreaking, she really lays it on the line.

Then the chorus explodes into life;

So I remember when we were driving, driving in your car

Speed so fast, I felt like I was drunk

City lights lay out before us

And your arm felt nice wrapped around my shoulder

And I, I , I had a feeling that I belonged

I, I, I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

Official video - Fast Car