The Actor's Candid Playlist: From Early Favorites to Unexplained Dislikes

The initial song I became enamored with
My first memory is entering a room at preschool where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sonic landscape, and John Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to 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 record to play at the mini disco we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to a local store, and I chose Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first single I purchased with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a music store in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my dad noted that it was by one of the Beatles.

The track I perform at sing-along
I frankly cannot stand karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But if I had to, I’d go with Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The piece I inexplicably remember every lyric to
I recently 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 Paul Simon.

The best song to blast at a party
It hinges on the point of the party you are at. Early doors it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the party deepens, I’d move on to the Artist, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an massive track.

The number I can no longer bear
I strangely cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

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

The album that transformed me
When I was 12 and beginning to play the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was obsessed with Elvis, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter introduced me to Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was high voltage rock ’n’roll. As soon as he placed the vinyl on the turntable, I was captivated.

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

The track that makes me cry
Virtually any music makes me moved. The Queen of Soul, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the harmony and sheer brilliance of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner strikes a chord every time.

The song 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.