The Actor's Revealing Musical Selections: Starting with Childhood Loves to Unexplained Dislikes
The initial tune I became enamored with
My first recollection is stepping into a room at preschool where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the audio textures, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the refrain, I recall believing: “This must be music!”
The very first record I acquired
When I was eight years old, I won a competition at school to pick a new vinyl to play at the mini disco we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to a local store, and I picked out Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first single 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 song I sing at sing-along
I frankly do not enjoy karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But if forced, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.
The track I strangely know every lyric to
I just realised that I have memorized almost the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by Paul Simon.
The ideal tune to play at a soirée
It hinges on what stage of the evening you are at. At the start it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the evening progresses, I’d transition into the Artist, the Stones and David 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 massive track.
The song I can never bear
I strangely loathe Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The ideal song to get intimate to
Come Together by the Beatles.
The LP that transformed me
When I was twelve and beginning to play the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was obsessed with Elvis, the rock pioneer, the killer, the New Orleans legend, Buddy Holly and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder brought round Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was high voltage rock music. Instantly after he dropped the record on the record player, I was hooked.
The tune that motivates me in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by Ray Charles.
The piece that gets me emotional
All music leaves me moved. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Beatles all bring a tear to my eye because of the harmony and sheer perfection of the voices. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner gets me going without fail.
The track I’d like to be played at my final send-off
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.
