The Actor's Honest Playlist: From Early Loves to Unexplained Aversions

The earliest track I was captivated by
My first recollection is walking into a space at preschool where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sound effects, and John Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the chorus, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”

The inaugural 45 I bought
When I was eight years old, I was victorious in a contest at school to select a new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I chose Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first record I bought with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a music store in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my father pointed out that it was by one of the Beatles.

The tune I sing at sing-along
I candidly actively avoid karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But if forced, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The song I strangely recite each line to
I recently realised that I know almost every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The ideal track to blast at a party
It relies on what stage of the party you are at. Early doors it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the party deepens, I’d work through the Artist, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.

The number I can not hear
I for some reason detest Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The best song to have sex to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The LP that transformed me
When I was twelve and beginning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was consumed by Elvis, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder played Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was high voltage rock ’n’roll. As soon as he put the record on the record player, I was captivated.

The track that motivates me in the AM
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.

The track that brings me to tears
All music leaves me emotional. The Queen of Soul, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Fab Four all make me cry because of the tune and pure perfection of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner gets me going consistently.

The music I’d like played at my memorial service
Elvis. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.

Wendy Shaw
Wendy Shaw

A linguist and writer passionate about exploring how language shapes thought and culture, with a focus on Scandinavian languages.