John Simm's Honest Playlist: From Early Loves to Unexplained Aversions

The first song I became enamored with
My earliest recollection is entering a room at kindergarten where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was mesmerized by the audio textures, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the hook, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The first single I purchased
When I was eight years old, I was victorious in a contest at school to choose a brand new record to play at the mini disco we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I purchased with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a music store in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my dad noted that it was by one of the Beatles.

The song I do at sing-along
I honestly cannot stand karaoke and steer clear at all costs. But if forced, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The song I inexplicably recite each line to
I just became aware that I know almost the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.

The ideal track to blast at a gathering
It depends on the point of the evening you are at. Early doors it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the night wears on, I’d work through the Artist, the Stones and Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an massive track.

The number I can not hear
I for some reason cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

The ideal song to get intimate to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The album that changed my life
When I was 12 and just learning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to 1950s rock and roll, and was consumed by The King, Chuck Berry, the killer, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder introduced me to Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still guitar music, but it was powerful rock ’n’roll. Instantly after he placed the record on the turntable, I was hooked.

The song that gets me up in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by Ray Charles.

The song that brings me to tears
Most music makes me touched. The Queen of Soul, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Fab Four all stir my emotions because of the harmony and utter beauty of the vocals. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley hits me hard every time.

The song I’d like played at my funeral
Elvis. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.