John Simm's Honest Playlist: From Early Favorites to Unexplained Dislikes
The first song I became enamored with
My earliest memory is entering a room at nursery school where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was enthralled by the audio textures, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the refrain, I recall believing: “This must be music!”
The inaugural single I acquired
When I was eight years old, I won a contest at school to select a brand 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 the group Darts. The first record I purchased with my own savings was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a record shop in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my father noted that it was by a former member of the Beatles.
The song I perform at sing-along
I candidly actively avoid karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But if I had to, I’d choose Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.
The song I inexplicably remember all the words to
I recently discovered that I can recall virtually all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.
The best track to blast at a party
It hinges on what stage of the party you are at. At the start it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the night wears on, I’d transition into Prince, the Stones and David Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an undeniable hit.
The number I can not bear
I inexplicably detest Mr Brightside by the Killers.
The ideal song to get intimate to
Come Together by the Beatles.
The album that changed my life
When I was 12 and beginning to study the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on Elvis, the rock pioneer, the killer, the New Orleans legend, Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran. Then my babysitter played Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was high voltage rock music. The moment he dropped the record on the turntable, I was captivated.
The tune that gets me up in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.
The song that brings me to tears
All music makes me touched. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Fab Four all stir my emotions because of the harmony and pure beauty of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley hits me hard consistently.
The song I’d like performed at my final send-off
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.
