🔗 Share this article

The first tune I was captivated by
My most primal recollection is entering a room at preschool where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sound effects, and Lennon bellowing: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the chorus, I recall believing: “This must be music!”

The first record I bought
When I was eight, I won a competition at school to pick a brand new record to play at the small dance we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to a local store, and I chose Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I purchased with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was number one at the time, and I chose it when my father mentioned that it was by one of the Beatles.

The song I sing at karaoke
I frankly do not enjoy karaoke and avoid it at all costs. But under duress, I’d go with Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The piece I strangely remember every lyric to
I recently became aware that I know almost every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The ideal track to blast at a party
It depends on the point 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 transition into Prince, the Stones and David Bowie, and when it really kicks off, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an absolute banger.

The number I can no longer hear
I strangely cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.

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

The record that changed my life
When I was 12 and beginning to play the guitar, I’d only listen to 1950s rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on The King, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder introduced me to Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was electrifying rock ’n’roll. Instantly after he put the vinyl on the turntable, I was a fan for life.

The song that gets me up in the AM
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.

The song that gets me emotional
Virtually any music makes me emotional. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the melody and sheer perfection of the voices. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner strikes a chord without fail.

The song I’d like performed at my final send-off
Elvis. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.