The Actor's Candid Playlist: Starting with Childhood Loves to Unexplained Dislikes
The initial tune I was captivated by
My most primal memory is entering a room at kindergarten where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sound effects, and Lennon bellowing: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the hook, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”
The first record I purchased
When I was eight years old, 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 a local store, and I chose Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first record I purchased with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a record shop in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my dad mentioned that it was by one of the Beatles.
The tune I do at karaoke
I candidly do not enjoy public singing and avoid it at all costs. But under duress, I’d choose Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.
The song I oddly know each line to
I recently became aware that I know virtually the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.
The ideal track to blast at a gathering
It relies on the point of the evening you are at. At the start it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the night wears on, I’d work through the Artist, the Rolling Stones and 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 track I can never listen to
I inexplicably cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.
The best piece to make love to
Come Together by the Beatles.
The record that transformed me
When I was twelve and starting to play the six-string, I’d only listen to 1950s rock and roll, and was obsessed with Elvis, Chuck Berry, 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 rock’n’roll, but it was high voltage rock music. The moment he placed the vinyl on the record player, I was captivated.
The song that gets me up in the morning
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by The Genius.
The track that gets me emotional
Most music leaves me moved. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Fab Four all make me cry because of the melody and utter beauty of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley strikes a chord consistently.
The track I’d like performed at my memorial service
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.
