The first song I fell in love with
I loved a fellow sixth-former, Sarah, at school. It was unrequited. She kissed me once at the end-of-term party. I\u00a0came home at 5am and played Love My Way by the Psychedelic Furs 18\u00a0times in my bedroom as the sun came up and my adult life began.<\/p>\n
The song that is my karaoke go-to
I once cleared a bar in the US by singing Losing My Religion by REM. I\u2019m\u00a0looking for another chance to let rip on it, although Stan by Eminem might be better. He sings one note, and it\u2019s the only note I have.<\/p>\n
The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
Ruby, Don\u2019t Take Your Love to Town by Kenny Rogers is just incredible. I love the image of the sun going down and the shadow on the wall. The\u00a0narrator has been left paralysed by the Vietnam war and is begging her not to go out looking for someone else, while accepting he\u00a0cannot give her what\u00a0she needs.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The best song to play at\u00a0a party
I once danced with Rylan [Clark] to Shackles (Praise You) by Mary Mary. He has snake hips and I felt arthritic by the end. But I would go again if I\u00a0had Rylan on hand.<\/p>\n
The song I can no longer\u00a0listen to
I must have played Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell 2,000 times. The line \u201cthey paved paradise and put up a parking lot\u201d is far too similar to the story of human behaviour, which is sad.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The song I secretly like but tell everyone I\u00a0hate
Mandy by Barry Manilow is soppy, melodramatic, silly, and\u00a0I absolutely love\u00a0it.\u00a0The key change towards the end is\u00a0a car crash, but I don\u2019t care.<\/p>\n
The song that changed my life
I first heard Sound and\u00a0Vision by David Bowie when I was 12. I\u00a0thought it was so weird\u00a0and brilliant that\u00a0he doesn\u2019t even start singing until halfway through. The\u00a0opening lyrics \u201cBlue, blue,\u00a0electric blue \u2026\u201d are what awakened me.<\/p>\n
The song that makes me\u00a0cry
Diamonds & Rust by Joan Baez. It\u2019s about the\u00a0imbalance between her love for Bob Dylan and his for her, how much was lost between them, and how she understood that his greatness excused it all.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The song I want played at my funeral
Heaven Is a Place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle. She would have\u00a0to sing it live for my\u00a0friends and family. And tone it down a bit.\u00a0Perhaps I\u2019ll try to\u00a0book her.<\/p>\n