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The first tune I fell in love with
My most primal memory is walking into a space at kindergarten where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was enthralled by the audio textures, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the refrain, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”

The first single I purchased
When I was eight years old, I was victorious in a contest at school to select a new vinyl to play at the small dance we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I bought with my own pocket money 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 chose it when my father noted that it was by one of the Beatles.

The song I perform at karaoke
I honestly actively avoid karaoke and avoid it at all costs. But if forced, I’d go with Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The piece I inexplicably recite each line to
I not long ago became aware that I know pretty much all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.

The best song to blast at a soirée
It hinges on what stage of the event 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 work through Prince, the Rolling Stones and 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 bear
I strangely detest Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ideal piece to get intimate to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The album that transformed me
When I was twelve and beginning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock and roll, and was fixated on The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder played Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was powerful rock music. Instantly after he put the record on the record player, I was hooked.

The song that wakes me in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by The Genius.

The piece that gets me emotional
Most music makes me touched. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Fab Four all make me cry because of the tune and pure perfection of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner strikes a chord without fail.

The track I’d like to be played at my funeral
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.