🔗 Share this article

The earliest song I became enamored with
My most primal memory is stepping into a room at preschool where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was mesmerized by the sound effects, and Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the chorus, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”

The inaugural record I purchased
When I was eight, I won a contest at school to choose a new vinyl to play at the small dance we had on Fridays. My teacher took me to a local store, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I bought 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 chose it when my dad mentioned that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The tune I sing at karaoke
I frankly do not enjoy karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But under duress, I’d choose Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The track I oddly recite every lyric to
I just discovered that I know pretty much all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The ideal tune to blast at a soirée
It depends on which phase of the event 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 transition into Prince, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.

The track I can no longer hear
I inexplicably loathe Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The best song to have sex to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The LP that transformed me
When I was twelve and just learning to play the guitar, I’d only listen to classic rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on The King, Chuck Berry, the killer, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon 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 electrifying rock music. Instantly after he put the record on the record player, I was a fan for life.

The song that wakes me in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.

The track that brings me to tears
Most music makes me moved. The Queen of Soul, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Beatles all bring a tear to my eye because of the harmony and pure perfection of the voices. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner strikes a chord every time.

The track I’d like to be played at my memorial service
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.