The Actor's Honest Playlist: Starting with Childhood Favorites to Unexplained Dislikes
The initial track I was captivated by
My earliest memory is walking into a room at nursery school where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sound effects, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the hook, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”
The first 45 I acquired
When I was eight, I was victorious in a competition at school to choose a new record to play at the small dance we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I opted for Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first single I purchased with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a music store in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my father pointed out that it was by a former member of the Beatles.
The tune I sing at sing-along
I candidly do not enjoy public singing and steer clear at all costs. But if forced, I’d choose Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.
The track I oddly remember each line to
I recently realised that I have memorized virtually 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 soirée
It depends on what stage of the party you are at. At the start it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the party deepens, I’d move on to Prince, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an massive track.
The song I can never bear
I strangely detest Mr Brightside by the Killers.
The ideal song to have sex to
Come Together by the Beatles.
The album that changed my life
When I was twelve and starting to play the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock and roll, and was consumed by The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and Eddie Cochran. Then my babysitter played Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was electrifying rock music. As soon as he dropped the record on the record player, I was hooked.
The track that motivates me in the morning
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by Ray Charles.
The song that makes me cry
All music makes me touched. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Elvis and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the melody and utter beauty of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner hits me hard without fail.
The track I’d like to be played at my memorial service
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.
