The Actor's Candid Musical Selections: From Early Loves to Peculiar Aversions

The earliest tune I fell in love with
My earliest recollection is walking into a space at kindergarten where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was enthralled by the sound effects, and John Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the chorus, I recall believing: “This must be music!”

The inaugural 45 I acquired
When I was eight, I won a competition at school to pick a brand new vinyl to play at the small dance we had on Fridays. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I chose Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I bought with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my dad mentioned that it was by one of the Beatles.

The song I sing at karaoke
I candidly cannot stand public singing and steer clear at all costs. But if I had to, I’d select Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The track I inexplicably know every lyric to
I recently discovered that I know almost the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The best track to put on at a gathering
It relies on what stage of the party you are at. Early doors it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the party deepens, I’d move on to Prince, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.

The number I can never hear
I for some reason detest Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

The ideal track to have sex to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The LP that changed my life
When I was 12 and starting to study the guitar, I’d only listen to 1950s rock and roll, and was fixated on The King, Chuck Berry, the killer, the New Orleans legend, Buddy Holly 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 powerful rock ’n’roll. The moment he put the vinyl 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 Ray Charles.

The song that gets me emotional
Virtually any music makes me emotional. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the harmony and sheer beauty of the vocals. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner strikes a chord every time.

The track I’d like performed at my funeral
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.