DEBUT SINGLES

YOU NEVER GET A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION AND, FOR MANY ARTISTS AND BANDS, THEIR DEBUT SINGLE PROVED TO BE THE FOUNDATION FOR A LONG-LASTING CAREER

BARRY PAGE

While many popular acts had to move through the gears before delivering some of their most recognised and representative work, there were some who flew out of the traps with a signature song, or even a seismic single that defined an era.

In this generation-spanning list, we’ve picked 20 of the most iconic debut singles of all time, tracks still talked about years on from release. Our list doesn’t include EPs, or songs re-recorded in superior versions, so there’s no place for the likes of Take On Me and West End Girls...

20 NENEH CHERRY

BUFFALO STANCE (1988)

Released during an era when the likes of Coldcut, M/A/R/R/S and S’Express had turned sound collaging into a veritable art form, this feisty cut-and-paste single – referring to an inner city attitude and lifestyle – went through a lengthy gestation before attaining transatlantic hit status. An embryonic version had originally languished on the B-side of Looking Good Driving, an obscure SAWproduced 1986 single by duo Morgan-McVey, until co-producer Tim Simenon – of Bomb The Bass fame – recognised the potential in the Swedish-born singer’s streetwise rap.

19 PHIL COLLINS

IN THE AIR TONIGHT (1981)

As both a solo artist and de facto frontman of Genesis, Phil Collins was such a ubiquitous presence in the 80s that even he would concede he was “pretty irritating”. Unfairly vilified by the media, it’s easy to forget he made some fine solo records, and the bar was raised impressively high with debut single In The Air Tonight, one of a number of cathartic songs he’d penned in the wake of his collapsed first marriage. Notable for its explosive drum break, it was denied the top spot in the UK by posthumous John Lennon single Woman.

18 SPANDAU BALLET

TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT (1980)

Islington’s finest first served up their ‘White European Dance Music’ at London’s iconic Blitz club in December 1979. Their journey to glory was swift, and, after a series of showcases, a host of labels clamoured for their signatures. They soon found themselves at the forefront of the burgeoning New Romantic movement, and they had a song that perfectly captured the zeitgeist. To Cut A Long Story Short had already gained traction via a BBC session, and it was rush-released as their debut single, weeks before a certain rival act could steal their thunder.