Favorite guitar riff

Doesn't necessarily have to be your favorite song, but the opening riff ... Many have put out lists, including this one from Gibson.

http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/top-50-riffs-0211-2011.aspx

For me, the Rolling Stones have many, but this one is just the best.

http://youtu.be/3fa4HUiFJ6c

Other favorites include:
Pearl Jam -- Alive
Jimi Hendrix -- Little Wing
Chuck Berry -- Johnny B. Goode
Ozzy Osbourne -- Crazy Train
Lynyrd Skynyrd -- Sweet Home Alabama
Led Zeppelin -- The Girls I love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair
Deep Purple -- Smoke on the Water
Pink Floyd -- Money
White Stripes -- Seven Nation Army
ZZ Top -- La Grange
Rush -- Limelight
Aerosmith -- Walk This Way
Ted Nugent -- Stranglehold
Dire Straits -- Sultans of Swing
ACDC -- Thunderstruck
Yes -- Owner of a Lonely Heart
Michael Jackson -- Beat It
Metallica -- Enter Sandman
Van Haley -- Hot For Teacher
Guns N Roses -- Welcome to the Jungle
Living Colour -- Cult of Personality
Motley Crue -- Kickstart My Heart
RHCP -- Scar Tissue
White Stripes -- Blue Orchid
Eric Clapton -- Layla

 

"Manic Depression" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience isn't so much a great song as a really great riff, maybe my favorite. "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones is both a great song and a great riff.

 

I've always had a soft spot for the classic descending riff in "I Can Help" by Billy Swan. The riff was played by producer Chip Young.

 

'Rocks Off' would be my Stones choice. First tune that popped in my head when I saw the thread title.

"Whole Lotta Love" would be Zep representative, against some stiff competition.

'Sweet Child O Mine', GNR. Maybe more of a great one minute intro than an opening riff.

In a similar vein, 'Eruption' from Van Halen. Not really an opening riff, but I always saw it as the intro to 'You Really Got Me', and it was like nothing else I'd ever heard on the guitar when I first experienced that VH album in the late 70s.

 

"CYHMK" was the song I immediately thought of when I read the thread title.

"Sway," also on "Sticky Fingers," is a good one too. (There's really no wrong answer when Keith is involved)

Others:
"Remedy" — The Black Crowes
"Aftermath USA" — Drive-By Truckers
"One Big Holiday" — My Morning Jacket
"Too Far Apart" — Wilco
"Maker's Mound" & "Naked Ground" — Dexateens (YouTube these guys if you are unfamiliar. Kick all kinds of ass)

I'm sure there's others I will think of later.

 

Slash hates it and originally played it for Axl as a joke.

 

Paint it Black is a sitar, not a gitar, though right?

 

Also, the "Where do we go now" portion of the song came when Izzy Stradlin wrote those words on a piece of paper because he didn't know what to do with the next part of the song.

 

No love for Money For Nothing? That's my favorite.

 

My all time favs
Gimme Shelter
LaGrange
Crazy On You ( Heart)

 

Sunshine of Your Love, Cream

 

Gibson site only shows the top 10. The links for the other 40 are no longer active.
Upon further investigation story was from 2/11/11 which might explain why.

To show you the state of RnR there likely have not been any new riffs that should be added
though.