Lyrical Cold Open

Most songs start with an instrumental intro before heading into the first verse or chorus. Some even have a fade-in. A Lyrical Cold Open is the musical equivalent of a Cold Open, where the vocalist jumps in with lyrics at the very beginning, often adding an element of surprise or impact. Makes the song instantly recognizable to anyone who's heard it before, with the first line often becoming one of the most memorable parts.

A capella songs don't count, nor does Studio Chatter.

Examples of Lyrical Cold Open include:

Anime

• The first closing theme of Death Note, "Alumina" by Nightmare.
• The English closing of Fruits Basket, "Little Prayer".
• Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha's closing, "Little Wish".
• Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's' opening, "Eternal Blaze".
• The opening theme of Serial Experiments Lain, "Duvet" by UK indie band Boa.
• "Stray", opening theme from Wolf's Rain.
• The ending/credits theme of Princess Mononoke leads with 25 seconds of vocals.
• The Bleach ending theme "Daidai" by Chatmonchy.
• Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood's first ending theme "Uso" by Sid, and its second "Let It Out" by Miho Fukuhara, though not in the latter's full version.

Theater

• Sweeney Todd: "A Barber and His Wife", "Epiphany", "The Worst Pies in London".
• Wicked: "Dancing Through Life", "Defying Gravity", "One Short Day", "What is This Feeling?", "The Wizard and I".
• Little Shop of Horrors: "Feed Me".
• Cats: "Magical Mister Mistoffelees", "Memory".
• Hairspray: "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now".
• West Side Story: "I Feel Pretty", "Maria", "Somewhere".
• Fiddler on the Roof: "Matchmaker".
• The Sound of Music: "My Favorite Things".
• Hello, Dolly!: "So Long Dearie".
• Mary Poppins: "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".
• Oliver!: "Who Will Buy?"
• Guys and Dolls: "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat"

Film - Animation

• The Lion King: "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", "Hakuna Matata", and "Circle of Life"
• The Little Mermaid: "Kiss the Girl".
• Gay Purr-ee: "Take My Hand Paree".
• The Jungle Book: "Trust in Me".
• Peter Pan: "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me".
• Song of the South: "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah".
• Brother Bear - "No Way Out"

Film - Live Action

• Bedknobs and Broomsticks: "The Beautiful Briny Sea".
• Dirty Dancing: "I've Had the Time of My Life".
• The Who Framed Roger Rabbit? version of "Why Don't You Do Right?"

Live Action TV

• The Pushing Daisies version of "Morning Has Broken". "Birdhouse in Your Soul" does this as well, although it's also true of the original version.
• "Philosopher's Song" in one of the Monty Python's Flying Circus sketches.
• "Heart of Gold Montage" from the Firefly soundtrack, which starts with Arabic vocals.

Music - Alternative

• All Time Low - "Dear Maria Count Me In"
• Chevelle - "Tug-O-War"
• Cobra Starship: "The City is at War" and "Guilty Pleasure"
• The Dresden Dolls: "Delilah" and "Bad Habit"
• Heavily used by alternative/indie band Blue October, in tracks like "Blue Skies", "Calling You", "Sound of Pulling Heaven Down", "X-Amount of Words", and hidden bonus track "It's Just Me".
• Evanescence: "Going Under" and "Exodus"
• Hole - "Doll Parts"
• My Chemical Romance: "Famous Last Words" and "Teenagers"
• Heavily used by Saves The Day: in some songs like "Certain Tragedy" and "Firefly" they launch into the vocals instantly, while in others like "At Your Funeral" and "See You" they come in after just a single note.
• The Used - "The Taste of Ink"
• They Might Be Giants - "Bangs", "Birdhouse in Your Soul", "Narrow Your Eyes", "Thunderbird"
• Three Days Grace - "Pain"
• "Pennyroyal Tea" by Nirvana
• "All Guns Blazing" by Judas Priest
• Marianas Trench: "Say Anything"

Music - Country

• John Denver - "Follow Me", "Goodbye Again"
• Kellie Pickler - "Best Days Of Your Life"
• Sara Evans - "Big Cry"
• Alabama - "I'm In A Hurry (And Don't Know Why)"
• Love and Theft - "Don't Wake Me"
• Johnny Cash - "Get Rhythm"
• Randy Travis - "I Told You So"
• Gloriana - "If You're Leavin'"
• Bonnie Tyler or Trick Pony - "It's a Heartache"
• Pam Tillis - "Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)"
• Shania Twain - "No One Needs To Know", "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under"
• The Oak Ridge Boys - "Trying To Love Two Women"
• Emerson Drive — "Fall into Me"
• Rascal Flatts' "Bob That Head" begins with a Title Scream.
• George Jones does this a lot: "The Window Up Above", "The Grand Tour", "He Stopped Loving Her Today".
• The Tractors — "Baby Likes to Rock It"
• Little Texas — "Life Goes On"
• Oddly, "Heart Hold On" by the short-lived band The Buffalo Club had one edited into the song.

Music - Metal

• Delain - "The Gathering"
• Iron Maiden - "Can I Play With Madness" (the Title Drop, no less)
• Rammstein has several songs that use this trope:
  • Herzeleid off of Herzeleid.
  • Ich Will of Mutter

Music - Pop

• 3OH!3 - "Don't Trust Me"
• Belinda Carlisle - "Heaven is a Place on Earth"
• Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes - "I've Had the Time of My Life" (as mentioned under Film above)
• Billy Joel - "The Longest Time"
• The Corrs - "Breathless"
• Don McLean - "American Pie"
• Eric Clapton's version of "I Shot the Sheriff"
• Fleetwood Mac - "Monday Morning"
• Florence + the Machine: "Kiss with a Fist", "I'm Not Calling You a Liar", "Cosmic Love", "Falling", "Addicted to Love", "Bird Song", and "Shake it Out".
• Fuckin' Perfect - P!nk
• Gary Puckett and the Union Gap - "Young Girl"
• Gonna be here, by Junko Noda
• B'coz I Love You by Hitomi Yaida
• Jefferson Airplane - "Somebody To Love"
• Kitto Wasurenai, by ZARD
• Harry Belafonte - "Banana Boat Song", better known by its first line "Day-o, day-O, daylight come and me wan' go home..."
• Nena - "99 Luftballons"
• Nickelback - "How You Remind Me" and "Rockstar"
• Pat Benatar: - "Shadows of the Night"
• Plain White T's - "Hate (I Really Don't Like You)"
• The Playmates - "Beep Beep"
• The Righteous Brothers: "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" and "Unchained Melody"
• Rihanna - "Where Have You Been" and "Don't Stop The Music"
• Smash Mouth - "Allstar"
• Celine Dion - "Because You Loved Me"
• Anna Nalick - "Breathe (2 AM)"
  • Anna does this again in "Shine" and in "Car Crash" with one of her characteristic unusual metaphors ("I think I love you like a car crash, dear")

Music - Punk

• The Clash: "London's Burning", "Know Your Rights"
• Green Day, "Basket Case"
• The Offspring, "Self-Esteem", "All I Want" (though it's Scatting in both cases) and "Why Don't You Get A Job?"
• " I Went Out With A Hippy" & "Now I Love Everyone Except For Her" by Frenzal Rhomb
• "Killing Away" and "Panic Attack" by OFF!
• Motion City Soundtrack:
  • Delirium
  • Stand Too Close by
• Rancid - "Roots Radical"

Rap

• Kanye West - "Dark Fantasy", "All of the Lights" (if not counting the album's interlude)
• Nicki Minaj - "Roman Holiday", "Pound the Alarm".

Music - R&B

• Betty Everett - "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)"
• Clarence "Frogman" Henry - "Ain't Got No Home"
• Four Tops - "Standing in the Shadow of Love"
• Otis Redding - "These Arms of Mine"

Music - Rock

• "Banana Co." by Radiohead
• The Beach Boys - "Barbara Ann"
• The Beatles were fond of this trope, doing it in "Eleanor Rigby", "Girl", "Happiness is a Warm Gun", "Help!", "The Long and Winding Road", "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", "Nowhere Man", and "Yellow Submarine".
  • And solo as well: Paul McCartney on "Another Day", "Bluebird", "Junk", "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey". John Lennon on "Happy Xmas (War is Over)", "(Just Like) Starting Over".
• Bon Jovi - "You Give Love a Bad Name"
• Elvis Presley - "Heartbreak Hotel"
• Fats Domino - "Ain't That a Shame"
• Foo Fighters - "Best of You", "Breakout", "This Is a Call", and "Lonely As You"
• Genesis - "Looking for Someone", "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" and "Supper's Ready"
• "Gold Soundz" and "Stop Breathin'" by Pavement
• Jefferson Starship - "We Built This City"
• Journey - "Any Way You Want It"
• Kansas - "Carry on Wayward Son"
• Lita Ford - "Kiss Me Deadly"
• Ozzy Osbourne - "Crazy Train"
• Pink Floyd - "Mother", "Young Lust", "A New Machine" parts 1 and 2.
• The Rolling Stones - "Ruby Tuesday"
• Queen - "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We are the Champions", "Bicycle Race", and "I Want It All"
• Roxy Music - "Do the Strand"
• Sparks - both halves of the medley "Propaganda" and "At Home, At Work, At Play"
• Styx - "Renegade"
• Yes - "I've Seen All Good People" and "The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)"

Music - Other

• Kristen Chenowith - "Taylor the Latte Boy"
• The version of "Sally's Song" by Amy Lee (lead vocalist of Evanescence)
• Within Temptation - "Forsaken"
• Daft Punk - "Technologic"
• Mr. Bungle - "Squeeze Me Macaroni"
• Used by Japanese all-girl J-Rock Chatmonchy in their hit songs "Hana No Yume", "Renai Supirittsu", and "Daidai" (which was a Bleach ending theme) as well as in several others ("Mayonaka Yuuenchi", "Joshi Tachi ni Asu wa Nai", "Weekend no Maboroshi").
• Rednex - "Cotton Eye Joe"
• The Black Ghosts - "Full Moon"
• Celtic Woman - "Mo Ghile Mear", "Over the Rainbow"
• Jim Brickman - "Never Alone"
• Bay City Rollers - "Saturday Night"
• ABBA - "Super Trouper", "Take A Chance On Me"
• Vitamin C - "Volare"
• Hemoglobin by Beborn Beton
• "New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down," "Watch the Tapes," "Drunk Girls," and "Sound of Silver" by LCD Soundsystem

Video Game

• Portal's credits song, "Still Alive".
• The Tokimeki Memorial series, being very prolific in terms of vocal songs, has a few songs of that kind.
  • "Yokan", one of Saki Nijino's Image Songs, sung by Sachiko Sugawara
  • "Sweetest Love", one of Mei Ijuin's Image Songs, sung by Yukari Tamura
  • "ADVENTURE", second opening of Tokimeki Memorial 2 Substories: Dancing Summer Vacation, sung by Junko Noda