The Actor's Honest Playlist: From Early Loves to Unexplained Aversions
The earliest song I fell in love with
My first recollection is walking into a space at preschool where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sonic landscape, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the hook, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”
The very first single I bought
When I was eight years old, I won a competition at school to select a new record to play at the mini disco we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to a local store, and I opted for Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first record I bought with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my dad mentioned that it was by a former member of the Beatles.
The song I sing at karaoke
I candidly actively avoid karaoke and avoid it at all costs. But under duress, I’d go with Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.
The piece I inexplicably remember each line to
I not long ago became aware that I have memorized almost all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.
The perfect song to put on at a party
It relies on which phase of the event you are at. Early doors it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the evening progresses, I’d move on to Prince, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an massive track.
The song I can never listen to
I inexplicably loathe Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The ideal track to have sex to
Come Together by the Beatles.
The LP that changed my life
When I was twelve and beginning to play the guitar, I’d only listen to early rock and roll, and was consumed by Elvis, the rock pioneer, the killer, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter played Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still guitar music, but it was high voltage rock music. The moment he placed the vinyl on the record player, I was hooked.
The track that gets me up in the AM
What’d I Say in its full glory by Ray Charles.
The piece that brings me to tears
Virtually any music makes me touched. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the harmony and sheer perfection of the voices. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner strikes a chord every time.
The music I’d like to be played at my final send-off
The King. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.
