John Simm's Honest Playlist: Starting with Childhood Loves to Peculiar Dislikes
The initial track I became enamored with
My first recollection is walking into a room at kindergarten where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was mesmerized by the audio textures, and John Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the hook, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”
The inaugural single I acquired
When I was eight, I won a competition at school to select a brand new vinyl to play at the mini disco we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to Woolworths, 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 Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my dad pointed out that it was by one of the Beatles.
The tune I do at karaoke
I honestly do not enjoy karaoke and avoid it at all costs. But if forced, I’d choose Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.
The track I inexplicably know every lyric to
I not long ago realised that I know almost 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 tune to play at a party
It hinges on which phase of the party you are at. Early doors it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the night wears on, I’d move on to the Artist, the Stones and David Bowie, and when it really kicks off, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.
The song I can never bear
I strangely loathe Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The ideal piece to get intimate 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 classic rock and roll, and was fixated on The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and Eddie Cochran. Then my childminder introduced me to Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was electrifying rock ’n’roll. As soon as he dropped the vinyl on the record player, I was hooked.
The track that gets me up in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by The Genius.
The track that brings me to tears
Most music makes me emotional. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Beatles all bring a tear to my eye because of the harmony and utter perfection of the vocals. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley gets me going every time.
The music 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.