Top 10 Song Intros Longer Than 2 Minutes

Songs with long intros take you to a long journey even before the singers start singing. Usually these songs are progressive rock or metal but there are exceptions.

Just to remind you, there are many songs that are shorter than 2 minutes, i.e. the entire songs are shorter than the intros to these songs. Songs with long instrumental intros require more work by the listener to fully appreciate.
The Top Ten
1 Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Pts. 1-5 - Pink Floyd

8:40 minutes. This was the first Pink Floyd song I ever heard and it blew my mind. I played it like 15 times in a row.
This intro is great and pretty long - there aren't many bands who played such intros. One of the songs with a longer intro is Deep Purple's April (8:50 min) which was released in 1969, before the Pink Floyd's song (1975).

The intro is basically a bunch of space sounds. This makes me feel really comfortable and relaxed. I love it!

2 For Whom the Bell Tolls - Metallica

One of my favorite metal intros, 2:07 minutes. Just epic with that bell.

I don't think that's too long

3 2112 - Rush

Iconic song and the intro is 4:25 minutes long.

4 Time - Pink Floyd

I haven't even noticed the intro was so long, I thought it was around half a minute. It's so good time flies while listening to it.

One of the best intros ever. Roger Waters makes that clock ticking with his bass I believe.

Phillysports, I can understand you - basically the songs on this list aren't for kids.

This intro used to freak me out as a kid.

5 The Art of Dying - Gojira

Pretty unique and heavy sound (2:15 min long)

6 Sacred Worlds - Blind Guardian

@visitor - I love Wheel Of Time intro but it is under 2 minutes (1:45) and it can't be on this list, which starts from 2 minutes.

Wheel of time is a bit better in my opinion but this is amazing as well

Powerful, flawless and impressive symphonic metal intro (2:10 min long).
A song of 2010.

7 And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope - Ne Obliviscaris

The intro to this song of 2012 is pretty unique and I love it - extreme progressive metal with violins (2:50 minutes). Play the song sample to hear it.
I love these Aussies.

8 April - Deep Purple

Vocals start at 8:50 into the song! And this is a song of 1969...
Deep Purple were so ahead of their time that this song never became popular and only their diehard fans know it. I heard this song for the first time in 2016 and I feel guilty...
Deep Purple deserve much more credits than they get.

9 The Glass Prison - Dream Theater
10 A Change of Seasons - Dream Theater

A Change of Seasons, but also: Home, Octavarium and The Glass Prison as well

Such a beautiful song

The Contenders
11 Echoes - Pink Floyd

It's about 3 minutes long.

12 Weltseele - Obscura

I love the dynamics of this intro (2:05 min). While the intro is pretty soft and melodic, the song after it is progressive death metal. This song came out in 2016.

13 The Architect - Haken

Probably one of my favorite intros to a song in recent years. It starts with a low synth that builds up to this chaotic riff, afterwards is some great guitar playing and drumming which all ends at the 3:00 minute mark to open us with the first verse.
Amazing song and the intro is more than enough to get you hooked.

14 I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab for Cutie

Nearly 5 minutes of intro! I was wondering what was up when I first heard the full version of this song.

15 Money for Nothing - Dire Straits
16 The Mincer - King Crimson

It's over 3 minutes long.

17 Lazy - Deep Purple

4:20 minutes - the whole song is 7:20 so the intro is over 50% of the song

18 Octavarium - Dream Theater

Very, very long

19 Cygnus X-1: Book II Hemispheres - Rush

Absolutely sublime.

20 Song for America - Kansas
21 The Trend - Annihilator
22 Papa Was a Rollin' Stone - The Temptations

The full album version is almost 12 minutes long. The vocals come in at the 4:02 mark. Four straight minutes!

23 Rush - Xanadu

The intro to this song is absolutely fantastic and clocks in at exactly 5 minutes. I don't know how you guys forgot about this song or posted it sooner

24 Urn, Pt. I: And Within the Void We Are Breathless - Ne Obliviscaris
25 Intra Venus - Ne Obliviscaris

Singer starts at 2:12

8Load More
PSearch List