Usually I whip out the good old "Bad Moon Rising" (beat counts after chords)
Verse is 4 of these (2 beats each): [G] [G] [D7] [C] [G] [G] [G] [G]
Chorus is 2 of these (4 beats each): [C] [C] [G] [G] [D7] [C] [G] [G]
Heh, heh. Funny you should post that. Lately I've impressed a couple of old rock folks from my generation by whipping out the intro to Proud Mary (the original, CCR/Fogerty guitar riff, not Tina's horns and organ version). Anyway, the chords are dirt simple (C A C A C A G F D). The timing is another matter, all the important stuff happens on the off beat. Anyway, it's a riff that is instantly recognizable to just about anyone of my generation.
sounds good to slide from 1111 into 2222 at the start. you don't have to know or like the song, but it's a good little slightly less "normal" chord prog. Bm7-E7-A-Bb6
Every time I watch an Aaron Keim Completed Work Demo on the Mya Moe channel, I try to play the cool little fiddly bits that he plays. Sometimes I get them, most times I don't, but each snippet is unique. His timing is impeccable; Aaron makes even simple progressions sound as fresh as a barrel of rainwater.
I'll put the link here since Brysen has his youtube on his UU banner and is getting thousands of hits (but if you want me to remove it, young, man, let me know).