🔗 Share this article

The first song I fell in love with
My most primal recollection is stepping into a space at kindergarten where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was captivated by the sound effects, and Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the hook, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The very first single I bought
When I was eight, I won a competition at school to choose 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 bought with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was No 1 at the time, and I selected it when my dad mentioned that it was by one of the Beatles.

The track I perform at sing-along
I candidly cannot stand karaoke and avoid it at all costs. But if forced, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The track I oddly remember every lyric to
I just discovered that I have memorized pretty much the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.

The perfect tune to put on at a soirée
It relies on which phase 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 night wears on, I’d work through Prince, the Stones and Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an absolute banger.

The track I can never hear
I strangely cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The best song to get intimate to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The record that transformed me
When I was 12 and beginning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to classic rock and roll, and was fixated on Elvis, Chuck Berry, the killer, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder played Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still guitar music, but it was high voltage rock ’n’roll. Instantly after he put the record on the record player, I was captivated.

The song that wakes me in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by The Genius.

The song that gets me emotional
All music makes me emotional. Aretha Franklin, The Chairman of the Board, Elvis and the Fab Four all make me cry because of the melody and pure beauty of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley strikes a chord consistently.

The track I’d like performed at my funeral
Elvis. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.