What song got you hooked on your favorite band?

[Hyorinmaru]

my favorite band is The Offspring and I can still remember the first time i ever heard one of the songs and it got me hooked.

I was somewhere between 8-10 and I was a huge Dragon Ball Z fan at the time. I was browsing cartoon network.com and I stumbled across a DBZ slide show type thing set to the song Come out and Play by The Offspring. The clips they had on there were good but the song was what I paid attention to. The guitar and drums blew my pre-teen mind away. The guitar rif they play through out the song is one of the best pieces ever played on guitar (IMO) not the best story but there you have it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJQFf0qj9Nk&feature=related (I'd embbed it but embedding is disabled)

 

[Razor Blade Dream]

Well I have a few favorite bands/groups and are a bizarre mix.

Wu-Tang Clan: I was up early one morning to go to the Dr and I was watching MTV (back in 97, when they somewhat played videos) and I watched the video for "Triumph" and was like, "Holy fuck" and was blown away by the 9 Wu generals and their rhyming. I have been a fan ever since. They really blew open the doors of hip hop for me.

Pearl Jam: My dad of all people got me hooked on them. He played the album Ten on his tape deck in his Jeep (yeah, you go 1992) and "Alive" took over me with Eddie's pained vocals and raw emotion vibrating in my ears. Ever since then I tried to emulate his singing style since we both have deep voices.

Beastie Boys: Can't recall actually. I been a fan since Licensed to Ill days, haha. So I'm sure it was "Fight for Your Right." It really kicked into gear after "Check Your Head" came out with "So Whatcha Want?"

Jimi Hendrix: I mentioned this on another thread, but my ex stepdad had Jimi on vinyl and I listened to them obsessively when I got home from school. I'd lay on my back with my head to the speaker and listened to the lovely "crackle" of the vinyl and Jimi wailed out his Godly solos. But the song "Midnight Lightning" really got me hooked. At the time it was only on the Hendrix documentary soundtrack and I was floored by it.

Last one, I swear!

Miles Davis: Don't ask me what made me pick up a Miles Davis album when I worked at Best Buy but I was setting up merchandise (I worked early morning shift doing merch) and I glanced at "Kind of Blue" and was like, "Hrm, I heard of him, lemme try it out." So on my way home I went down a road with no traffic lights and it was a beautiful spring day and the setting was perfect. The entire album is great and just taking an easy drive home with a perfect spring day just totally fit the entire atmosphere of the album for me.

 

[The Dewbliners]

Like Razor Blade, I have a few favorite bands, and ironically one of them is Pearl Jam. On that note:

The song that got me addicted to the PJ wasn't Alive (though it didn't hurt), but, instead, it was Even Flow. Like Alive, it had the grit, and the emotion associated with Eddie. Incidentally, Pearl Jam is gonna be on Conan in a little bit.

One of my other top bands is (no surprise) Kittie. The first time I heard Brackish, I was hanging with my then-girlfriend, and I was instantly hooked. M's (that's how she signs off in e-mails) screaming was like nothing I'd heard before, and Fallon, Mercedes, and Talenas work was phenominal.

Honorable mention goes to:Chop Suey (for both System and Richard Cheese), I'm Afraid of Britney Spears (LiveonRelease), and Wheat Kings (The Tragically Hip).

 

[X]

First off, great thread idea Milenko. I'm a very obsessive person so I strangely am able to remember that first time of hearing a song for probably hundreds of songs. Music to me comes with a very specific mindset and emotional response, usually bringing me back to the first time I ever heard that music.

It'd be just about impossible to name a single band as my favorite, so I'll describe the songs that got me hooked from a short list of bands that are at the very top of my all-time favorite list.

Nirvana - I will always remember first hearing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for the rest of my life. I was nine years old and a friend of mine played it for me on his walkman on the basketball court before school started. I was instantly hooked and amazed by the song, it was unlike any music I'd ever heard before. Keep in mind that before this the only bands I had liked were Green Day and Blink 182. Nirvana for me was the key that unlocked the doors to entirely new genres of music that I had never before heard or even knew existed.

The Doors - The specific first time I heard them is harder to pinpoint, because my father played their records endlessly when I was growing up (along with other amazing music that I am forever in debt to him for) but I remember the first time I was aware that I was listening to the Doors, it was "Break on Through", and that song still remains one of my all time favorite songs, ever. It's just the absolute perfect song from start to finish, and as soon as I heard it I instantly borrowed their first album from my father and played it nonstop, over and over again. To this day the Doors remain as arguably my all time favorite band, with Nirvana being almost on par.

The Smiths - I will always and forever remember the first time I heard the Smiths (which was also strangely enough the same time that I first heard Bob Dylan). I was 12 years old and vacationing at Disney World in Orlando, Florida for spring break. My mom let me get two CDs from some random store in a shopping district part of the park, and I picked a Best-Of compilation of both the Smiths and Bob Dylan. I remember popping that Smiths CD into my walkman for the first time, sitting on one of the bus shuttles that brings you from park-to-park as the opening guitar and harmonica of "Hand in Glove" began playing and I kid you not, it literally began raining outside. Amazing, I couldn't believe how perfectly Morrissey and the Smiths summed up all of my emotions at that point in my life. Still the quintessential indie band of all time.

I could list probably dozens more, but I think three is enough for now.

 

[Ty Burna]

I was actually going to start something just like this in the All Hip Hop Thread, but props to you Milenko for starting it as a general all music thread.

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - Man this is hard to remember exactly, I heard Ghetto Cowboy once when I was younger and loved it, but didnt' know who it was at that time. Later on when I got into Bone, I'd have to say it's a toss up between "Mo Murda" and "Buddha Lovaz". I loved the energy of Mo Murda, and Buddha Lovaz to this day is still my all time favorite weed smoking song, even if I don't blaze up anymore.

Tech N9ne - I have two songs for this incredible artists as well. The story goes as this: I had an online female friend from Kansas City quite awhile back. She knew I was HUGE into hip hop and suggested I check out a rapper named Tech N9ne because her brother always listened to him. So I went and downloaded some music of his. The first two songs I heard of him was "I'm a Playa" and "Slacker", and I was hooked ever since. "I'm a Playa" had such a different sound to everything that was going on then, and "Slacker" was just a fun song to bump to.

South Park Mexican - The song that got me hooked on SPM was his song "Riddla On The Roof". SPM was one of the first southern rappers, specifically H-town hip hop that I started bumpin. I believe I first heard this song while I was at a homie's house blazin it up with a huge ass gravity bong we had created. He told me he had some shit I've never heard before and threw in SPM and this was the first song that came on. Every time I listen to "Riddla On The Roof" I remember the massive bong hit I took and the following choking and coughing for 30 minutes, and the high that lasted for 6 hours past the fact.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

I'm gonna do one for my other favorite band. Might have been better to do it all at once post but i was listening to The Offspring at the time now I'm listening to ICP

my brother had a song on a mix CD he made I was bored one day so I made my own mix with Sublime and one ICP song tha song Boogie Woogie Wu. it wasn't long before i started putting in the CD just for the ICP song I had on it. the beat was something i never heard before and it was something I instantly fell i love with. Now I have most ICP albums but I'm looking for some of the earlier ones I can't seem to find.

[youtube]9tZGpzkwfsU&[/youtube]

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I think there are several solo songs that've gotten me hooked on various artists, groups, and bands.. but the one I'll key in on right now would be Breaking Benjamin. And like always - it's gonna be slightly different from the question asked in the opening post.

With Breaking Benjamin, it wasn't all about what song turned me ON to them.. it was what song almost turned me OFF from them.

Polyamorous
[youtube]9AXD-Nr2oFE[/youtube]

Story: When I originally, first, heard this song. I didn't even remotely give it a chance. Something in my head clicked wrong and I just recall a video of a Space-station or something, mixed with a really awful beat. On that note - I flipped the channel and the thought "Breaking Benjamin sounded awful" was imbedded.

So, a year or so passes. I get concert tickets with Erin to go see Godsmack, with the opening act of Breaking Benjamin and Cold. (who was replaced by Hed P.E - which is another story in threads dedicated to bands you want to fucking murder and kill as violently as possible)

Anyways, all I could think was about the time I flipped the channel on this awful song I thought I'd heard. So I went to the concert with the lowest possible opinion of Breaking Benjamin.. and then everything changed for me, based on their opening song.

Wish I May
[youtube]s7FKI-puFeM[/youtube]

That song, along with the entire debut c.d (including Polyamorous - once I gave it a better chance) is one of, if not THE best c.d I have and love to death. It was one song that made me almost hate what has come to be my ALL-TIME FAVORITE BAND. And it was one c.d, made by one incredible live performance that changed my mind, and my life - forever.

 

[LamaNamaneumi]

It was '95 I had ditched school with some kids. We were getting high in one of their moms mini vans when I heard the song that changed my life forever: MURDER-GO-ROUND by ICP....... Before that day I only liked punk or metal, my bro liked rap but I did not. That day opened up a whole new world for me .

 

[Blade]

Smashing Pumpkins I'd heard Tonight, Tonight and Today a few times, and I liked the songs but they didn't make me want to get a Pumpkins album. Then i heard Cherub Rock and it blew me away. The lyrics, that riff... The fucking solo. Wow. I knew when I heard it I had to get Siamese Dream. I did, and they've been my favourite band ever since.

Muse As shown above, I never really like a band from hearing thier most famous songs, so it wasn't Plug in Baby or Time is Running Out that got me into Muse. It was Bliss. That song was just so great, alternating between the floating piano/synth and the adrenaline pumping guitar riff. And the lyrics, which are just beautiful.

 

[NSL]

I have 2 favorite bands, and it's not a big secret who either of them are, but here goes:

Godsmack - I first saw them on MTV's summer show in 1997. They were playing live during some stupid game show MTV was producing that summer, but they were never the showcase. They'd play a song while they went to commercial, and stuff like that. Then, at the end, they had a chance to perform one whole song, before the show ended. It was Whatever. Possibly the best rock song of the 1990's, and I'll argue it with just about anyone. I was 13, going on 14, and the lyrics to the song, and the agression behind the music spoke to me. I didn't hear anything else from them, until mid-98, when their debut album was released, and we got a video for Whatever, followed by a video for Keep Away. Those two songs got me hooked, and the rest is history.

In This Moment - I had tickets to see Kittie, Walls Of Jericho, 3 Inches Of Blood, and 36 Crazyfists. There was 2 or 3 other bands scheduled, but the show got postponed due to a horrible snowstorm. When it was rescheduled, 36 Crazyfists was on tour in Europe, so In This Moment got the other co-headlining spot, alongside WOJ and Kittie. When they started, I realized they were good, but was having way too much fun in the pit to pay attention. Then, they played Legacy Of Odio, and I can honestly say I felt moved. There's a long history behind the song, but the short form is that she wrote it for a friend of her's that had passed away. It gave me chills, and silenced a very hot crowd. They almost couldn't finish, because she had started crying midway through the song. After that song, they played Next Life, which is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to music. While the first one is soft, and very melodic, Next Life is very powerful, and has some of the best screams I've heard from a female lead singer in a while. The crowd went from standing still, to creating a huge circle pit, and she absolutely dominated. On the CD, there's a scream towards the end, that lasts 22 seconds. People told me it was a fake. Well live, she did it longer, in one breath. Her face was turning purple, and the music was done before she stopped. I bought the CD at the merch stand, and now their name is tattooed on my arm.

 

[RVDgurl]

Metallica - I can remember watching Dial MTV when I was a kid (this was way before TRL, kids). I was pissed off that GN'R's "Paradise City" wasn't number 1 on the countdown. It was because this band Metallica made their first music video for a song called "One". I heard the opening riff and my jaw dropped to the floor. I went out the next day and bought the ...And Justice For All album. After giving it one listen, I went out and bought Kill Em All, Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets. I was 9 years old, so I had to beg my mom for the money to buy this stuff. I fucking love Metallica.

 

[JenovasWitness]

As mentioned in the favourite genre thread, I have many favourite bands and styles that I listen to.

Even Flow, Pearl Jam - This was my awakening to music outside of what my parents allowed me to listen to. There was such an aggression, a strength in Eddie Vedder's voice that I resonated with. I still listen to it today.

Hurt, Johnny Cash - I know, it's not Johnny's song, but it was the first song I heard sung by him that made me take a serious look at this old time country legend. It was the tribute video for Eddie Guerrero the night after he died and all of a sudden I hear this gravelly, emotional voice singing the lyrics to a Nine Inch Nails tune. I was stunned. I haven't stopped listening to Johnny ever since. The tattoo on my arm is a set of lyrics he wrote from my now-favourite Cash tune.

Lightning Crashes, Live - I was riding fast in the backseat of a friends car making out with an incredibly hot woman the first time I heard this tune. It just reminds me of younger, crazier days.

 

[Pimpin]

I'm gonna list 2 rappers into this one.

2Pac- This is a hard one as I love alot of his songs, but my favorite song of his is Hail Mary cause of the emotion that he put into the song & the true meaning that the lyrics have.

Eminem- Another hard one as I don't hate any of his songs at all, but I remember clearly that Guilty Conscience got me hooked to Eminem cause mainly due to the humor that the song portrays in my opinion & the different situations that was happening in that song.

 

[The Rob]

Eminem - Sing For The Moment

Without Me was a great track and was the first Eminem song I listened too. But whilst it was entertaining and addictive to listen too, I think Sing for the moment was the song that really made me see that Eminem was more than a comedy actor. He actually had alot of demons at the time and the song kind of explains both his world and the rap world in general. It almost taught me about rap in a way. It was meaningful and I really like that kind of music, no matter what genre. So thats the reason why I was hooked to Eminem from the age of 11.

Bullet For My Valentine - 10 Years Today

Well to start with, simply put, this track is fucking awesome! Thats one of the reasons why I love both this song and BFMV. It was the first real heavy metal that I listened too and, like Sing For The Moment, it's heartfelt and meaninful. It explains the story of Matt Tuck's heart-ache of losing one of his best friends at a young age. It's not a song thats based on fictional events, it was about his real life friend killing himself and I loved how personal it felt.

 

[TwistofRKO]

Green Day- As most bands, you get hooked on their most popular song at the moment and I was hooked on Green Day after playing Madden '05 and hearing American Idiot. Soon after I really got into them and basically know all of their songs, and love their older albums, but none of this happens without listening to American idiot.

Nirvana- A rarity of learning of a new band without it being their most popular song, Breed was the first song that hooked me on Nirvana. I didn't really get into them until I heard Smells Like Teen Spirit, but I would have never cared if I didn't hear Breed.

Linkin Park- Breaking the Habit, I was watching the all MTV Video channel and Nick Lachey's summer playlist was on and he chose my favorite Green Day song, Boulevard of Broken Dreams and right after Linkin Park came on and it was Breaking the Habit. I loved the sound, and the lyrics seemed meaningful and well written. Never would have gotten into them without Nick Lachey, actually, lol. Guess that's the only positive impact he's had upon my life.

 

[Fizzy]

Slipknot- Pulse of the Maggots. I used to be a HUGE rap fan, and as I was growing out of that stage I started branching out to new music. I heard this song on youtube, and my god I got so hooked on them. My favorite band ever right here.

Linkin Park- Somewhere I belong. I used to play an online game called maplestory. As I was watching a Maple video from my favorite player slipknoTianz this song came on. I was instantly hooked. After hearing this song I listened to every Linkin Park song ever made.

Breaking Benjaman- Breath. Again I was watching a video called MapleCombat. It was a series, and in the video the most famous maplestory player came out named Tiger. He came out to this song. I proceeded to listen to most of Breaking Benjaman's songs, and I must say I love every minute of it.

 

[ShockTheMonkey223]

Type O Negative: "Paranoid" I used to be kind of a metalhead so I was checking out songs from a Black Sabbath tribute album and came across a "Paranoid" cover that blew my mind. The vampiric vocals, the gregorian-esque chanting, the incredibly slow pace with the feel of impending doom, it was darker than any metal song I had ever heard. After hearing it, I began getting into Gothic Rock which is now my favorite genre.

Pearl Jam: "Jeremy" I was a little too young to really be into music but I remember seeing the video on MTV all the time and actually being semi-fightened by it. It was always stuck in my head and when I started getting into music, Pearl Jam became one of my favorite bands.

Rammstein: "Du Hast" I don't remember how or where I heard it but it was the most intense song I ever listened to. The ultra heavy chug-chug style combined with the deep German vocals just amazed me and after that I started getting into German music which I now love with a passion.

 

[Bloodlust]

Reel Big Fish " Sell Out " This song is just great.. its fun, the bass is amazing, and its just a good song to listen to when your feeling down.

Cannibal Corpse " Stripped Raped And Strangled " Its just a crazy song, with brutal drums and some kickass screaming.

 

[LayneStaleyLives]

Nirvana - AERO ZEPPELIN: This is a Nirvana song that most people probably wouldn't've heard. I was 12 and I'd just picked up a guitar and I was learning some Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin. My older brother told me I should listen to a song that took the styles of both bands and meshed them together... from there, the world of grunge took over my soul.
Alice in Chains - WOULD? - For the longest time, the only grunge band that I couldn't get into was AIC. Then, I brought their MTV Unplugged record on a dare and heard Would? for the first time. Since that day I have been one of the biggest AIC fans in the world hahaha.

Honorable mentions go to:
Linkin Park - ONE STEP CLOSER
Fuel - LAST TIME
Tech N9ne - LITTLE PILLS

 

[Hayles]

Okay so I'm not exactly a huge rock fan myself, but my favorite band is Sevendust. However, everything from their Next album to now has been pretty horrible. This may sound kind of racist, but the thing that got me interested in them was that their lead singer, Lajon Witherspoon, was black. The first song I heard by them was Face to Face. The course had me liking the song, but when I saw the music video, I had a wtf moment at the sight of Lajon.

I'm more of an old school Dancehall / Raggae fan. My favorite artist is by far Beres Hammond. Most of the songs I listen to by him are from the 70's. Thats more than 10 years before my life time. The first song I heard was, They Gonna Talk. His voice is just so smooth and relaxing, he can sing to any beat and the song will come off being an instant classic. Plus throw in the awesome bass and the steel drums, I'm in heaven!

 

[Razor]

How to Save a Life by The Fray--Awesomeness in a song. I've always been partial to bands like 3 Doors Down, The Goo Goo Dolls, Incubus, the like. I had heard Over My Head (Cable Car) a few weeks before, and sorta liked The Fray. Then this song came along, and I was hooked. I sorta hit a lull with them, then their new CD and Say When came out. Fell in love all over again. I've got a soft spot for them, what can I say? I also like John Mayer. He's a crazy guitar playing cracker.

The Suffering by Coheed & Cambria--No, not Welcome Home like everyone else. I had heard Welcome Home, and liked it, but it never really got much past that. I heard The Suffering, and I immediately went to iTunes to pick up the album. After that album I got the other two. Coheed & Cambria is probably the only band for which I can select "All Songs" on my iPod and not end up skipping more than 3 songs.

Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana-- Come on. Who can listen to this song and not nod their head along? Or, in my case, get pissed off that Kurt Cobain was the depressed soul he was, and that his ****e of a wife is such a crazy bitch. Cobain's voice is the embodiment of that Grunge movement. Not the best, no doubt. But he's better than Nickelback's jackass singer. Then again, who isn't?

 

[falconsault]

Maniac Killer by Twiztid It's just a fun song really, it helped pull me into listening to Twiztid and Blaze Ya Dead Homie.

Tear Away by Drowning Pool After hearing Bodies, I thought that Drowning Pool would be a one hit wonder with it. Then I heard Tear Away and thought it should have been the first single from the album.

Halo by Soil I was just getting into this kind of music when I heard Halo, I picked up the album Scars that Soil put out and it was just amazing to me that I had found a cd that I didn't want to skip any of the songs on.

Fette's Vette by mc Chris I remember listening to mc Chris on Aqua Teen Hunger Force as MC Pee-Pants, Sir Loin, and Lil' Brittle before I heard this song, those songs to me were funny, but Fette's Vette was just classic from him.

Chaos Theory by Jumpsteady In my opinion he's twice the rapper that his brother is. I have both of his albums and there's not a single track that I skip, every one of them is golden.

Stamina by Tech N9ne I'd lived in Missouri for about two years before I even thought about picking up any Techa Nina, and when I did I was blown away. His rhymes were solid, his voice fit the beats, he had fun, and he was raw. Stamina is probably the shortest song on AnHellic but it stood out the most to me by the way he delivered his words. Since then, I've tried to buy every album he's released and have loved each of them. He quickly became one of my favorite rappers, behind Redman, Method Man, Ludacris, and DMX.

 

[Spunky]

Highway to hell - The lyrics are amazing, The guitar solo's are great, The drumming is brilliant. This is THE song for me, Nothing better. The song holds a special place in my heart, I go fucked over by some girl, And I went in to a downward spiral of nothing but partying. I listened to this song, And it may as well of been myself singing it.

 

[Tastycles]

I have two favourite bands probably, and in both instances the songs that got me into them are no longer my favourite song by them.

Manic Street Preachers This is two actually. I first liked If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next, which is very good, despite its very emo name. However, I wasn't that into the band until I saw them live, and La Tristesse Duera became my favourite. However, buying their oder albums has pushed it quite far down in my estimations.

The Smiths I was about 14, and I put How Soon Is Now? in my computer and listened to it no fewer than 15 times in a row, which is impressive considering how long it is. However, it has now been superseded by a load of other songs. Still, it holds a special place in my heart but it was start of my liking of decent music.

 

[1C3-M4N]

My current favorite band is Metallice

The song that got me hooked is there song One I was watching videos and I saw this tribute video of Early Undertaker and the song One was the song playing during the video and I remembered thinking "Holy sh*t this is awesome!" So I went out and bought 3 of their CDs and I've been hooked ever since.