The Actor's Revealing Playlist: From Early Loves to Peculiar Dislikes
The initial track I was captivated by
My earliest memory is walking into a room at nursery school where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was mesmerized by the audio textures, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the chorus, I recall believing: “This must be music!”
The first record I purchased
When I was eight, I was victorious in a competition at school to choose a brand new record to play at the small dance we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I picked out Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I purchased with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a music store in Colne. It was No 1 at the time, and I chose it when my dad mentioned that it was by one of the Beatles.
The track I perform at karaoke
I candidly cannot stand public singing and avoid it at all costs. But under duress, I’d go with Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.
The song I inexplicably remember all the words to
I recently discovered that I know 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 tune to play at a party
It hinges on what stage of the event you are at. Early doors it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the night wears on, I’d work through Prince, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an massive track.
The track I can not listen to
I for some reason cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The best piece to get intimate to
Come Together by the Beatles.
The LP that transformed me
When I was 12 and starting to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to 1950s rock ’n’roll, and was obsessed with Elvis, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and Eddie Cochran. Then my childminder introduced me to Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was high voltage rock music. As soon as he put the vinyl on the record player, I was a fan for life.
The track that gets me up in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.
The track that brings me to tears
Most music makes me moved. The Queen of Soul, 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 gets me going without fail.
The song I’d like performed at my funeral
The King. 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.
