The Actor's Revealing Playlist: Starting with Childhood Favorites to Unexplained Aversions
The initial song I fell in love with
My earliest recollection is stepping into a room at preschool where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was mesmerized by the audio textures, and John Lennon bellowing: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the chorus, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”
The inaugural 45 I acquired
When I was eight, I won a competition at school to choose a new record to play at the mini disco we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to a local store, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I purchased with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my father pointed out that it was by one of the Beatles.
The song I do at sing-along
I candidly do not enjoy karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But if forced, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.
The song I strangely remember all the words to
I recently discovered that I can recall pretty much all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by Paul Simon.
The best tune to put on at a soirée
It hinges on which phase of the party you are at. Early doors it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the party deepens, I’d transition into the Artist, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and when it really kicks off, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an absolute banger.
The track I can never listen to
I for some reason cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The ideal song to have sex to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
The album that changed my life
When I was twelve and beginning to study the six-string, I’d only listen to 1950s rock and roll, and was fixated on The King, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and Eddie Cochran. Then my babysitter introduced me to Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was electrifying rock ’n’roll. As soon as he put the vinyl on the record player, I was a fan for life.
The song that motivates me in the morning
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by Ray Charles.
The piece that brings me to tears
Most music makes me emotional. Aretha Franklin, The Chairman of the Board, Elvis and the Beatles all bring a tear to my eye because of the harmony and pure beauty of the voices. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner hits me hard without fail.
The track I’d like to be played at my final send-off
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.
