The Actor's Honest Musical Selections: From Early Favorites to Unexplained Aversions

The initial song I became enamored with
My most primal recollection is entering a room at preschool where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was mesmerized by the sonic landscape, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the refrain, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”

The first record I purchased
When I was eight, I was victorious in a competition at school to select a new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Fridays. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I picked out Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first record I bought with my own savings 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 track I sing at karaoke
I candidly cannot stand public singing and avoid it at all costs. But if forced, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The track I inexplicably recite every lyric to
I just discovered that I can recall virtually the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.

The perfect track to play at a soirée
It hinges on what stage of the event you are at. At the start it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the night wears on, I’d transition into the Artist, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an undeniable hit.

The song I can never hear
I for some reason detest Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ideal track to have sex to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The LP that transformed me
When I was 12 and beginning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock and roll, and was consumed by Elvis, Chuck Berry, the killer, the New Orleans legend, Buddy Holly and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter brought round Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was powerful rock ’n’roll. The moment he placed the record on the record player, I was captivated.

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

The track that makes me cry
Most music makes me emotional. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the melody and pure brilliance of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley gets me going without fail.

The song I’d like 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.