The Actor's Revealing Playlist: From Early Favorites to Peculiar Aversions
The initial tune I was captivated by
My earliest memory is walking into a room at nursery school where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was captivated by the audio textures, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the hook, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”
The very first 45 I bought
When I was eight years old, I won a contest at school to select a brand new record to play at the small dance we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I chose Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I bought with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a record shop in Colne. It was No 1 at the time, and I chose it when my father pointed out that it was by one of the Beatles.
The tune I do at karaoke
I honestly actively avoid public singing and steer clear at all costs. But if I had to, I’d choose Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.
The track I oddly recite every lyric to
I just discovered that I know virtually every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.
The perfect track to put on at a gathering
It hinges on the point of the party you are at. For the beginning it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the night wears on, I’d work through the Artist, the Stones and Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an absolute banger.
The number I can not bear
I inexplicably detest Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The ultimate song to get intimate to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
The album that transformed me
When I was twelve and just learning to learn the guitar, I’d only listen to classic rock and roll, and was fixated on The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, Buddy Holly and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder introduced me to Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still guitar music, but it was electrifying rock music. The moment he put the vinyl on the turntable, I was hooked.
The song that wakes me in the morning
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by Ray Charles.
The piece that makes me cry
Most music makes me touched. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the tune and sheer brilliance of the voices. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner gets me going without fail.
The music I’d like to be played at my memorial service
Elvis. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.
