John Simm's Honest Playlist: Starting with Childhood Loves to Unexplained Dislikes
The first tune I became enamored with
My earliest recollection is walking into a room at kindergarten where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was mesmerized by the sound effects, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the chorus, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”
The very first single I bought
When I was eight years old, I won a competition at school to pick a new vinyl to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. 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 allowance 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 chose it when my dad noted that it was by one of the Beatles.
The song I perform at sing-along
I honestly actively avoid public singing and dodge it at all costs. But under duress, I’d choose Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.
The song I inexplicably remember each line to
I not long ago realised that I know virtually all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by Paul Simon.
The ideal tune to blast at a gathering
It depends on what stage of the party you are at. For the beginning it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the evening progresses, I’d move on to Prince, the Stones and Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an absolute banger.
The track I can never listen to
I strangely detest Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The best piece to get intimate to
Come Together by the Beatles.
The album that transformed me
When I was 12 and starting to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to classic rock ’n’roll, and was obsessed with Elvis, the rock pioneer, the killer, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter brought round Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was high voltage rock ’n’roll. The moment he dropped the record on the turntable, I was hooked.
The track that motivates me in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by Ray Charles.
The piece that makes me cry
Virtually any music makes me moved. The Queen of Soul, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Beatles all bring a tear to my eye because of the tune and pure beauty of the voices. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner hits me hard without fail.
The track I’d like performed at my funeral
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.
