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The first song I was captivated by
My earliest memory is stepping into a room at preschool where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sound effects, and Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the hook, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”

The first 45 I acquired
When I was eight years old, I won a contest at school to pick a new record to play at the small dance we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to a local store, and I opted for 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 music store in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my dad mentioned that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The song I do at karaoke
I candidly cannot stand public singing and steer clear at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The piece I strangely know all the words to
I recently became aware that I have memorized pretty much every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.

The perfect tune to put on at a soirée
It relies on which phase of the evening you are at. For the beginning it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the evening progresses, I’d move on to Prince, the 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 track I can no longer hear
I inexplicably loathe Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

The ultimate track to have sex to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The LP that altered my perspective
When I was twelve and beginning to study the six-string, I’d only listen to classic rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on Elvis, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder introduced me to Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was high voltage rock music. As soon as he placed the vinyl on the record player, I was a fan for life.

The tune that wakes me in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.

The track that makes me cry
Virtually any music makes me emotional. The Queen of Soul, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Fab Four all make me cry because of the melody and utter perfection of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley gets me going every time.

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