John Simm's Candid Playlist: From Early Loves to Peculiar Aversions

The first tune I became enamored with
My first memory is stepping into a space at kindergarten where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was enthralled by the sound effects, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the refrain, I recall believing: “This must be music!”

The first 45 I acquired
When I was eight, I was victorious in a competition at school to select a new record to play at the mini disco we had on Fridays. My teacher took me to a local store, and I picked out Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first record I purchased with my own savings was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was No 1 at the time, and I chose it when my father noted that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The tune I sing at karaoke
I honestly actively avoid public singing and steer clear at all costs. But if I had to, I’d go with Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The track I strangely know every lyric to
I just discovered that I know almost every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.

The perfect song to blast at a gathering
It depends on which phase of the party you are at. For the beginning it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the party deepens, I’d transition into the Artist, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.

The track I can never hear
I for some reason loathe Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ideal piece to have sex to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The record that transformed me
When I was 12 and beginning to study 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 Eddie Cochran. Then my babysitter introduced me to Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was electrifying rock ’n’roll. The moment he put the vinyl on the turntable, I was a fan for life.

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

The track that brings me to tears
Most music makes me emotional. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Fab Four all bring a tear to my eye because of the melody and sheer brilliance of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley hits me hard consistently.

The music I’d like played at my funeral
The King. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.