The Actor's Revealing Playlist: From Early Loves to Unexplained Dislikes
The first song I became enamored with
My earliest memory is entering a room at preschool where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was mesmerized by the audio textures, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the hook, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”
The very first single I bought
When I was eight, I won a contest at school to select a 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 Paul McCartney's Wings from a music store in Lancashire. It was No 1 at the time, and I chose it when my father noted that it was by a former member of the Beatles.
The tune I do at sing-along
I candidly cannot stand karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But if I had to, I’d select Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.
The piece I inexplicably know all the words to
I just discovered that I have memorized almost every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.
The ideal song to blast at a gathering
It relies on the point of the evening you are at. Early doors it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. 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 absolute banger.
The song I can never bear
I for some reason detest Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The best song to get intimate to
Come Together by the Beatles.
The LP that altered my perspective
When I was 12 and just learning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to classic rock and roll, and was consumed by The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, Buddy Holly 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 high voltage rock ’n’roll. Instantly after he placed the vinyl on the record player, I was a fan for life.
The tune that wakes me in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by Ray Charles.
The song that gets me emotional
Virtually any music leaves me emotional. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Beatles all make me cry because of the melody and sheer brilliance of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner gets me going every time.
The song I’d like played at my funeral
Elvis. 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.
