John Simm's Candid Musical Selections: From Early Loves to Unexplained Aversions
The initial track I fell in love with
My first recollection is entering a room at nursery school where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was enthralled by the audio textures, and John Lennon bellowing: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the hook, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”
The first single I acquired
When I was eight, I won a competition at school to choose 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 purchased with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a music store in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my father mentioned that it was by one of the Beatles.
The tune I perform at sing-along
I candidly do not enjoy public singing and avoid it at all costs. But if forced, I’d choose Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.
The piece I inexplicably remember all the words to
I recently realised that I have memorized almost every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.
The ideal track to put on at a gathering
It relies on what stage of the party you are at. At the start it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the evening progresses, I’d move on to the Artist, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an absolute banger.
The number I can never hear
I for some reason loathe Mr Brightside by the Killers.
The ultimate piece to get intimate to
Come Together by the Beatles.
The LP that transformed me
When I was twelve and starting to play the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was obsessed with The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder brought round Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was powerful rock music. The moment he dropped the record on the record player, I was captivated.
The track that gets me up in the AM
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.
The song that brings me to tears
Virtually any music makes me emotional. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Fab Four all stir my emotions because of the harmony and pure perfection of the vocals. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner gets me going every time.
The track I’d like to be 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.
