🔗 Share this article

The first song I fell in love with
My most primal recollection is entering a space at nursery school where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was captivated by the sonic landscape, and John Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the chorus, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The very first record I purchased
When I was eight, I was victorious in a competition at school to pick a brand new record to play at the mini disco we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I picked out Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first single I bought with my own savings 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 mentioned that it was by one of the Beatles.

The track I do at karaoke
I honestly actively avoid karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The song I strangely know each line to
I recently discovered that I can recall pretty much every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.

The ideal song to play at a soirée
It depends on what stage of the event you are at. At the start it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the night wears on, I’d move on to the Artist, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an absolute banger.

The track I can never hear
I inexplicably loathe Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The best song to get intimate to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The LP that transformed me
When I was 12 and starting to learn the guitar, I’d only listen to 1950s rock and roll, and was consumed by Elvis, Chuck Berry, the killer, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter played Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. 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 captivated.

The tune that motivates me in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by Ray Charles.

The piece that makes me cry
Virtually any music leaves me moved. The Queen of Soul, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Fab Four all stir my emotions because of the melody and utter perfection of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner strikes a chord without fail.

The track I’d like to be played at my final send-off
Elvis. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.