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The first song I was captivated by
My earliest recollection is entering a room at nursery school where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was mesmerized by the sonic landscape, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the refrain, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”

The very first 45 I bought
When I was eight years old, I won a competition at school to pick a new vinyl to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I chose Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I bought with my own savings was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a music store in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my father noted that it was by one of the Beatles.

The tune I perform at sing-along
I frankly do not enjoy karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But under duress, I’d choose Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The song I oddly recite each line to
I recently became aware that I know virtually the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The best track to play at a soirée
It relies on what stage of the party you are at. For the beginning it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the night wears on, I’d move on to the Artist, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an massive track.

The song 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 record that altered my perspective
When I was 12 and beginning to play the six-string, I’d only listen to 1950s rock and roll, and was consumed by The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, Buddy Holly and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder brought round Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still guitar music, but it was electrifying rock music. The moment 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 parts 1 & 2 by The Genius.

The track that brings me to tears
Virtually any music leaves me emotional. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the harmony and utter brilliance of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner gets me going consistently.

The music I’d like to be played at my final send-off
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.