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The first song I became enamored with
My first memory is stepping into a room at kindergarten where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was mesmerized by the audio textures, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the hook, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”

The inaugural 45 I bought
When I was eight years old, I was victorious in a competition at school to choose a brand new vinyl to play at the small dance we had on Fridays. My teacher took me to a local store, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I bought with my own savings was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was No 1 at the time, and I selected it when my dad mentioned that it was by one of the Beatles.

The track I perform at karaoke
I candidly actively avoid public singing and avoid it at all costs. But if forced, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The song I oddly know each line to
I just realised that I know pretty much the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The best track to play at a gathering
It relies on the point of the party you are at. For the beginning it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the evening progresses, I’d move on to the Artist, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it really kicks off, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an undeniable hit.

The number I can never hear
I strangely detest Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ideal song to make love to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The record that transformed me
When I was 12 and just learning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was consumed by Elvis, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon 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. As soon as he put the vinyl on the turntable, I was captivated.

The song that wakes me in the AM
What’d I Say in its full glory by Ray Charles.

The track that makes me cry
All music makes me moved. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Fab Four all stir my emotions because of the harmony and sheer brilliance of the singing. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley gets me going consistently.

The music I’d like performed at my funeral
Elvis. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.