00:00Welcome to WatchMojo!
00:10And today, we're counting down our picks for the greatest first ever impressions made by musicians with their debut release.
00:1710. Brown Eyed Girl, Van Morrison
00:38By the time Van Morrison went solo, he had already worked up a reputation for himself as a member of blues rock outfit, Them.
00:46However, when he took to the studio to record his debut solo release, the results would change his life forever.
01:00Brown Eyed Girl was an instant success in the US, catapulting Van the Man to the top 10 in the Billboard charts.
01:07Sure, he would go on to explore different genres on albums like Astral Weeks and Moondance, but Morrison nailed his sound early.
01:15The song is simple but effective, and even though Van himself doesn't like it anymore, it remains one of his most revered compositions.
01:30Do you remember when, we used to sing
01:36Shalalalalalalala
01:41Number 9. Supersonic Oasis
01:45Oasis were never going to do anything other than kick the door down with their debut release.
01:59The band came pre-packed with all the swagger and confidence they needed to stand out, and
02:04Supersonic is a prime example.
02:13The brothers Gallagher, Liam and Noel were an instant hit with fans, rising to number
02:18two on the indie charts in the UK.
02:21The track preceded the release of their studio album Definitely Maybe, a cultural landmark
02:26that would shoot the band to global fame.
02:38Beyond all that, it stands on its own two feet as an excellent song, injecting British
02:43rock and roll with some much-needed grit and attitude.
02:54Number 8 Anarchy in the UK Sex Pistols
03:05The British punk scene didn't come out of nowhere, no, it was a response to what was
03:10happening in the country musically and, of course, politically.
03:14When Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols burst onto the scene, to say they had an impact would
03:19be putting it lightly.
03:20We'd heard rock and roll delivered with aggression before, but this was something different.
03:32The band were loud and angry, becoming icons for disillusioned youth.
03:37It didn't take long until the group were a national sensation, poster boys for any form
03:42of counterculture movements.
03:43However, given how volatile they were, it should come as no surprise, they had a very short life
03:49span, imploding after just three years.
03:52Number 7 Wuthering Heights Kate Bush
04:15There was nothing normal about Kate Bush's ascent to superstardom when she released Wuthering
04:20Heights in 1978.
04:22She became the first female songwriter to earn a self-penned No. 1 in the UK.
04:27She wrote the song when she was just 18 years old.
04:30"...Coming back now to history, I want you, I'll be lost."
04:39Everything from the music video to the production and arrangement felt oddly mature and fully formed
04:44for a debut.
04:45Bush knew exactly how she wanted to present her art and this track, along with her first album
04:50were remarkably well thought out.
04:53Sure, she would go on to release even more critically acclaimed work during her career,
04:57but this was one incredible way to announce yourself to the world.
05:02He's here.
05:04He's here.
05:05He's here.
05:06He's here.
05:07He's here.
05:08He's here.
05:09He's here.
05:10He's here.
05:11Number 6 Fast Car
05:12Tracy Chapman
05:14You get a fast car.
05:15I want a ticket to anywhere, maybe we make a deal.
05:21Making an opening statement as strong as Tracy Chapman's Fast Car is simply not going
05:26to happen for most artists.
05:28In her first ever single, Chapman painted a picture so vividly that it remains as popular
05:33and relevant today as ever.
05:35The song, and in particular her performance at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday concert,
05:46propelled her to fame.
05:48Since then, she has always preferred to live a more reclusive lifestyle for the most part.
05:52However, Fast Car ensured that she would always receive a rapturous reception whenever she
05:58did make a rare on-stage appearance.
06:00And I, I had a feeling that I belonged.
06:05I, I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone.
06:12Number 5 Take It Easy Eagles
06:15Well, I'm running down the road trying to loosen my load.
06:19I got seven women on my mind.
06:23Few bands, if any, have introduced themselves to the world as well as the Eagles did on Take
06:28It Easy.
06:29Their laid back sound was already in full swing and it would go on to become one of their
06:33signature tracks.
06:34Take it easy, take it easy.
06:42Co-written by band member Glenn Frey and music legend Jackson Brown, the song received a pretty
06:47warm commercial and critical reception.
06:49The song details a man's simple journey as he looks for a woman to comfort him.
06:54It's a truly timeless and universal theme.
06:57To this day, it's up there with Hotel California as one of the band's definitive releases.
07:02We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.
07:08So open up, I'm climbing in, take it easy.
07:15All right!
07:16Number 4 Baby One More Time
07:19Britney Spears
07:20Once Britney Spears achieved superstardom with her debut single, Baby One More Time, it
07:32changed pop music forever.
07:34Oh baby, baby, how was I supposed to know?
07:40She was a different breed of superstar, ready to redefine the tired formulas of the 90s with
07:46something truly fresh.
07:48The song's iconic music video introduced Britney to the world, but the strength of the song
07:52itself cannot be ignored.
07:53Composed by Max Martin, this is the type of tune that would hold up if performed in a dozen
08:06different genre styles.
08:08It would eventually go on to become one of the biggest selling songs in music history,
08:12over 10 million copies sold.
08:23Number 3 That's Alright Elvis Presley
08:27Well, that's alright mama, that's alright for you.
08:32It's hard to imagine how it must have felt to hear the sound of That's Alright by Elvis
08:37Presley blasting through the radio in 1954.
08:39This was one of the true before and after moments, a mainstream introduction for the masses
08:51to an entirely new type of energy.
08:54Sure, Presley owed quite a lot to great musicians like Big Mama Thornton, Arthur Crudup and even
09:00B.B.
09:01King.
09:02However, the King earned his crown by taking all of these influences and bringing them
09:06together in a package that was an instant hit.
09:09The track made Elvis a bonafide star, setting in motion one of the most legendary rock and
09:21general careers in music history.
09:23It's alright, that's alright, that's alright, that's alright no longer anyway.
09:33Number 2 Creep Radiohead
09:37If you asked Tom York whether he would have preferred if Radiohead never released Creep,
09:49you might get a surprising answer.
09:51For as much as the band famously hated the song, this insanely popular debut single opened so
10:04many doors for them in the early 90s.
10:07The self-loathing lyrics, the grungy music video and the explosive chorus.
10:11Sure, it was all very of its time, but the song is extremely popular for a reason.
10:23York and Company crafted a truly timeless anthem with this one.
10:27Thankfully, after years of openly hating on it, they eventually began performing it on stage again,
10:32from time to time.
10:43Before we unveil our top hit, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:47More Than A Feeling, Boston. Boston came out with a blistering debut album.
11:03Wannabe, Spice Girls, the single that changed pop music forever.
11:07If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends, make it last forever.
11:14I bet you look good on the dance floor.
11:16Arctic Monkeys, our unforgettable intro to Sheffield's Finest.
11:29Clint Eastwood, Gorillas, Damon Albarn sheds his Britpop image for good.
11:45Ponda Replay, Rihanna, a 21st century pop superstar arrives on the scene.
11:51It goes one by one, even two by two, everybody in the club want me rockin' when I'm through.
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12:101. Love Me Do, The Beatles
12:24When the four Beatles, John Paul, George and Ringo introduced themselves,
12:28nobody had any idea what would follow.
12:37Indeed, Love Me Do is a catchy little number, but it's by no means their most acclaimed single.
12:43However, it was what the song's release would represent that earned it a spot on our list.
12:48This song effectively launched Beatlemania, changing the very nature of superstardom in the 1960s.
13:02After years of honing their talents on stage, the Beatles officially arrived with this track.
13:08It charted in the top 20 in the UK and eventually reached number one in the US after finally being
13:13released 18 months later, it kickstarted the career of the biggest band in the world and the rest,
13:26as they say, is rock and roll history. But what first glimpse at an artist sticks out in your memory?
13:33Let us know in the comments below.
