The Actor's Candid Playlist: Starting with Childhood Favorites to Peculiar Dislikes
The first song I was captivated by
My most primal memory is entering a room at preschool where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sound effects, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the chorus, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”
The very first 45 I purchased
When I was eight, I was victorious in a competition at school to choose a new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I bought with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a music store in Lancashire. It was No 1 at the time, and I chose it when my dad noted that it was by a former member of the Beatles.
The tune I perform at karaoke
I candidly do not enjoy public singing and avoid it at all costs. But if I had to, I’d go with Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.
The piece I inexplicably recite every lyric to
I recently discovered that I have memorized almost the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.
The ideal tune to play at a soirée
It hinges on which phase of the evening you are at. For the beginning it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the party deepens, I’d move on to the Artist, the Stones and David Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an massive track.
The number I can never bear
I strangely detest Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The best song to get intimate to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
The record that changed my life
When I was twelve and starting to study the six-string, I’d only listen to 1950s rock ’n’roll, and was consumed by The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder brought round Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was electrifying rock music. The moment he placed the vinyl on the record player, I was captivated.
The track that wakes me in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.
The piece that brings me to tears
Virtually any music leaves me emotional. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Fab Four all bring a tear to my eye because of the tune and sheer brilliance of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner hits me hard consistently.
The music I’d like played at my memorial service
Elvis. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.
