The Actor's Honest Playlist: From Early Favorites to Peculiar Dislikes
The earliest song I fell in love with
My first memory is walking into a room at kindergarten where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was enthralled by the sonic landscape, and Lennon bellowing: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the hook, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”
The first 45 I acquired
When I was eight, I won a competition at school to select a new vinyl to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I chose Come Back My Love by 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 number one at the time, and I chose it when my dad mentioned that it was by one of the Beatles.
The tune I perform at karaoke
I candidly do not enjoy karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.
The song I oddly know every lyric to
I not long ago discovered that I have memorized pretty much the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.
The perfect tune to put on at a party
It hinges on what stage of the evening 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 work through 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 no longer bear
I inexplicably cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The ideal track to make love to
Come Together by the Beatles.
The LP that transformed me
When I was 12 and just learning to study the six-string, I’d only listen to classic rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on Elvis, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder introduced me to Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was high voltage rock ’n’roll. As soon as he dropped the vinyl on the record player, I was hooked.
The track that gets me up in the morning
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by The Genius.
The song that makes me cry
All music makes me moved. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Fab Four all make me cry because of the harmony and sheer beauty of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley strikes a chord every time.
The song 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.