It’s been a while since we’ve done a list. How about one for rock’s greatest count-ins. Wait, is it a count-in or count-off? It’s definitely not its opposite, a count-on. And, even though the usage of count-out might make some sense, I think calling it that can be, well, counted out. Yeah, we’re going to stick with the initial thought, count-ins, and thus do what can only logically be called a countdown of count-ins.

What exactly is, by the way, a count-in? At its most basic, it’s essentially a timing device, normally a series of numbers that are verbalized preceding the beginning of a song, to help activate the band in tempo and in unison. You’ve heard it plenty of times, probably without thinking much about it (but hey, that’s what SMGM’s here for). Some songs and artists throughout rock history, though, have taken the count-in to particularly vivid, distinctive places. How many? Probably too many to…count. So, let’s make it a tidy Top 20. Will that encompass all the best ones? Our crack research department has studied this topic extensively, so I think you can, um, count on it.

Note: like with other fan-favorite, song-starting lists we’ve covered (The Greatest Opening Guitar Riffs Ever, More Great Opening Guitar Riffs, The Best Drum Intro Songs Ever), it’s critical to literally hear the songs in question from their beginnings – when on Spotify, for instance, to be sure you’re logged in to your account to play the songs from their outset, not some random middle part. Such a mid-song placement might only be helpful in finding what’s possibly music history’s single, most unforgettable count: exactly 3 minutes and 3 seconds into Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born To Run,’ immediately before “The highway’s jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive,” of course. Otherwise, no.

All and all, Springsteen is likely the second most famous count-in counter in music history; the first, naturally, being Lawrence Welk.

Alright, let’s get started counting off: A-one, and a-two…

But first a few honorable mentions. Ah, 9 actually, but…who’s counting.

  • ‘Raspberry Beret’ – Prince
  • Turn it On Again’ – Genesis
  • ‘Fulton County Jane Doe – Brandi Carlile
  • ‘Lawyers, Guns and Money’ – Warren Zevon
  • ‘Patience’ – Guns ‘N Roses
  • ‘Walkie Talkie Man’ – Stereogram
  • ‘Let’s Dance’ – Chris Montez
  • ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ – Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • ‘You Got Lucky’ – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

There’s some good ones here, but what’s really more noteworthy is that’s also the only way you’re going to see Prince or Genesis appearing positively in the pages of SMGM.

Now, here we go again: And a-one, and a-two, and…

The Top 20 Greatest Ever Songs with Count-ins

  1. ‘Waiting on the World to Change’ – John Mayer

Count: “One, two..One, two, (fades off)”

Steve Jordan’s powerful groove on drums starts and takes immediate control, then Mayer quietly intones a count that’s not even really needed. Maybe that’s why he fades his own voice out. Between the time Mayer arrived as a lite rock teen idol and before he’d become the stylistic reembodiment of Jerry Garcia, Mayer emerged in a blues power trio and explored some soulful R&B. This partial count acted as his announcement of the transition.

(By the way, don’t feel obligated to listen through this, or all succeeding, entire songs on the list; for this exercise, the first few seconds or so will generally do).

  1. ‘Land of 1,000 Dances’ – Wilson Pickett

Count: “One, two, three..One, two, three..Ow, uh, alright, uh”

I’m not even positive this should really count as a count-in. Yeah, there are numbers being called out, along with some extensive grunting, and I guess it’s all used in a timing sense. I don’t know. But goddamn, the Wicked Pickett is belting it out as only he could, and I’m not going to be the one to tell him no.

  1. ‘The Ocean’ – Led Zeppelin

Count: “We’ve done four already, but now we’re steady, and then they went, one, two, three, four”

The voice on the intro is that of legendary Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, and the meaning behind what he said is actually surprisingly straightforward. The band had tried, and failed, in four prior takes on recording the song, in part due to its complex, shifting time signatures. Bonham’s count-in, in addition to setting the tempo, was meant to be humorous, but also served as a kind of quick pep talk as they began the next attempt of their session. And the fifth take, this one, turned out to be the keeper. The band decided they liked the vibe of Bonham’s introductory chatter and left it in the recording. A Led Zep classic about seas of people in the audience was facilitated by a party of one.

  1. ‘I’m Your Boogie Man’ – KC & Sunshine Band

Count: “One, two, three!”

This one’s got the longest lead-in before the actual occurrence of the count-in. There’s 14 seconds of muted horn, light guitar stabs, twinkly keyboards, and tension, before bandleader Harry Wayne Casey (he’s “KC”, get it?) finally gets around to shouting in a rapid three-count that triggers the familiar and irresistible disco-funk swagger of the Sunshine Band. This was their fourth of five Billboard #1 hits, written about a Miami DJ who gave the initial airplay to their first.

  1. ‘Taxman’ – The Beatles

Count: “One, two, three, four (cough)..One, two”

Uh, what is that voice? And whose is it? Wtf’s with the cough?! And, is there also an overlapping secondary count? (you’ll need headphones to engage with that one). Much scholarly research has been done trying to address these consequential questions. I’m not joking. Long-form videos, tape reversals, even portions of books. George claimed it was John. Yet most voice analysis seems to point to George. Or maybe Paul. (Ringo is right out). The ‘Taxman’ count-in examination has found everything but a grassy knoll. What’s not up for debate: as the opening track to the album “Revolver” it sets in motion something truly remarkable.

  1. ‘Vertigo’ – U2

Count: “Uno, dos, tres, catorce!”

Here’s Bono, in echoey Spanish, with a count-in that, of course, translates to “One, two, three, fourteen.” Various theories emerged as to the reason behind the unorthodox count: some fans speculated that it was a nod to this being the beginning of what was U2’s 14th album, while others have tried to attach a hidden biblical reference. In a Rolling Stone interview, however, Bono merely noted that during the recording “there may have been some alcohol involved.”

  1. ‘Slip Kid’ – The Who

Count: “One, two, three, four, five, six, ?”

This one’s darn tricky. The intro has a syncopated percussion rhythm featuring the kick drum, a cowbell, and handclaps, before Pete Townshend counts in the band with…I’m not entirely sure. And, I’m told the song enters on an off-beat pulse rather than a standard first beat (whatever that means). In any event, Townshend does seem to challenge Jonathan Richman’s status (upcoming) of being music history’s only counter-inner to six.

  1. ‘Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today)’ – The Temptations

Count: “One, two..One, two, three, four, ow!”

Not only is this the slowest count-in on the list – it takes song co-writer Norman Whitfield six seconds to recite his dramatic count of four – it also escorts in the fewest instruments: just one, a burrowing bassline initiated by legendary Motown Funk Brother James Jamerson. Somehow it also seems worth noting the inclusion of the song’s weighty pre-chorus couplet: “Oh, great googa mooga / Can’t you hear me talking to you?” No amount of counting can really prepare you for that.

  1. ‘I Just Want to Celebrate’ – Rare Earth

Count: “One, two, three, four”

On a short list of rock lead vocalist/drummers was Rare Earth’s Pete Rivera, whose urgent-sounding count-in has to be shouted to break through the rumbling guitar note ringing through this opening. An even shorter list is that of successful all-white bands on the Motown label: just these guys.

  1. ‘Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine – James Brown

Count: “One, two, three, fo”

“Fellas, I’m ready to get up and do my thing. I want to get into it, man, y’know. Like-a, like-a sex machine, man. Moving, doing it, y’know. Can I count it out?” The Godfather of Soul doesn’t just count-in his song, he tells you about doing it.

Let’s take a quick break; I don’t know about you but James Brown just wore me out.

Here are three other oddball count-ins that could not find a proper place on our list.

Two are actual countdowns, with the numbers being recited backwards:

  • ‘Instant Replay’ – Dan Hartman
  • ‘Rhythm Nation’ – Janet Jackson

And then there’s this one, which more or less defies description:

  • ‘Rock of Ages’ – Def Leppard

What does “Günter Glieben Glauten Globen” mean? Well, nothing. It’s German-sounding gibberish uttered by producer Mutt Lange before the recording of the song, instead of the normal “One, two, three, four.” Pretty catchy, though. In fact, that same “count-in” was later sampled by The Offspring at the beginning of their 1998 song ‘Pretty Fly (For a White Guy).’

Now back to the count-in countdown. Here are So Much Great Music’s Top 10 Best!

  1. ‘Saturday Nite’ – Earth, Wind & Fire

Count: “One, two..One, two, three, four”

Leave it to Maurice White to make even the spoken count-in to this Earth, Wind & Fire banger a bit of funky magic. Does it get even funkier for the ensuing four minutes in the hands of EWF’s mighty nine-piece conglomeration? All in favor say “Yow.”

  1. ‘A Matter of Trust’ – Billy Joel

Count: “One, two..One, two, three, four”

Though I could do without the song itself (and frankly, Billy Joel in general, as soon as he started wearing skinny ties), I do have to give him kudos here: he actually sings the count-in (with some annoying over-earnestness, yes, but still, credit where credit’s due).

  1. ‘Saturday Night Special’ – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Count: “One, two..one, two, three”

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Al Kooper owns a pretty eclectic list of notable appearances. He played the main organ riff in Bob Dylan’s ‘Like A Rolling Stone,’ the French horn on the Rolling Stones’ ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want,’ and, as producer, it is his voice doing the count-in for this ominous Skynyrd classic about the evils associated with cheap handguns. (Kooper also formed Blood, Sweat & Tears, in case the prior three items weren’t wide-ranging enough for you).

  1. ‘Bobby Jean’ – Bruce Springsteen

Count: “Two, three, four”

Jazz icon Miles Davis famously said, “It’s not the notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t play,” emphasizing space and restraint: doing more by doing less. Bruce Springsteen is nothing if not a rock icon, and, among other things, the unquestioned king of the count-in. He’s such a master of the art he apparently doesn’t always even need to do a complete count, here starting his ode to bandmate and bestie Steven Van Zandt at the count of 2.

And a quick Springsteen bonus section, to highlight some of his other best, and full, count-ins:

  • ‘Waiting on a Sunny Day’
  • ‘Ramrod’
  • ‘From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)’
  1. ‘Roadrunner’ – The Modern Lovers

Count: “One, two, three, four, five, six”

SMGM has previously documented this song, and this count-in, in some detail. Why does it land at the #6 spot in our count-in countdown? Because Jonathan’s nasally voice is oddly awesome, yes, but also due to it being the only tune ever to count-in to 6 (we think). Why did the always peculiar Jonathan Richman choose to continue his count-in up to 6? No one knows. Probably not even Jonathan.

  1. ‘Can’t Get Enough’ – Bad Company

Count: “One, two..one, two, three, four”

This is the opening that every aspiring drummer first tries to play. In college, I once stole away for hours at my friend Bruce’s secret attic drum kit to try to master it (it’s seven stick clicks, kick drum, snare). Bad Co. drummer Simon Kirke utilized the count, however, for very practical reasons: the band were all playing in separate parts of the large country house Headley Grange – the same acoustic palace where John Bonham recorded the greatest drum intro ever on Led Zeppelin’s ‘When The Levee Breaks.’ Kirke was in the basement, while bassist Boz Burrell was in the boiler room and guitarist Mick Ralphs was upstairs, so Kirke’s reciting of the count was merely a necessary vocal cue to get everyone to start playing together. Simple. As simple as the intro drum sequence – which I got!

  1. ‘Hey Ya!’ – Outkast

Count: “One, two, three, uh!”

André 3000 executes a bold three-beat count-in, with the “uh!” that immediately follows actually falling into the next measure. Trying to figure that out shook me like a Polaroid picture.

  1. ‘Wooly Bully’ – Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs

Count: “Uno! Dos! One, two, tres, cuatro!”

The crazed, bilingual count-in was not planned. “I was just goofing around,” said bandleader Domingo “Sam” Samudio, “I counted off in Tex-Mex, and it just blew everybody away. Actually, I wanted it taken off the record. But we did three other takes, all of them different, and they took the first one and released it.” How bueno!

  1. ‘Good Lovin’ – The Young Rascals

Count: One!, Two!, Three!”

Two amazing things about this three-part count-off: The three numbers are shouted out by three different members of the band (“One!” by Eddie Brigati, “Two!” by Gene Cornish, and “Three!” by Felix Cavaliere), and also emerge from three different speaker placements (left, right, then “center”). All in two seconds. How has no one else done something that cool before or since?

  1. ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ – The Beatles

Count: “One, two, three, FOUR!” (or really, FAH!).

The opening three counts are pretty standard, tinged with a soon-to-be-famous Liverpudlian accent, but still almost perfunctory. Then the “four” changes everything. With that last count, Paul McCartney unmistakably and unforgettably kicks in what was the opening track of the Beatles debut album – it’s literally the first sound we ever heard from them – and with it points the entire future of popular music in a new direction. No single numeric syllable has ever done so much. Producer George Martin lifted the count-in from take 9 because he felt it was the most energetic, and spliced it onto the front of take 1, which was the actual musical take used for the record. Of course, The Beatles got it in – count it – one.

Well then, can we count you in to listen to all of our cited selections on the full Spotify count-in playlist? I’d like to think you might be down for the count.