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The earliest song I became enamored with
My earliest memory is entering a room at preschool where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was captivated by the audio textures, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the chorus, I recall believing: “This must be music!”

The very first single I bought
When I was eight, I won a competition at school to select a new vinyl to play at the mini disco we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to a local store, and I chose Come Back My Love by the group 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 Colne. It was No 1 at the time, and I selected it when my dad noted that it was by one of the Beatles.

The song I perform at sing-along
I honestly actively avoid public singing and dodge it at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The song I oddly recite all the words to
I recently realised that I know almost all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The best tune to blast at a party
It hinges on which phase of the event you are at. At the start it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the night wears on, I’d move on to the Artist, the 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 massive track.

The song I can never bear
I strangely cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

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

The album that changed my life
When I was 12 and starting to play the guitar, I’d only listen to 1950s rock ’n’roll, and was obsessed with The King, the rock pioneer, the killer, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter played Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was electrifying rock ’n’roll. The moment he put the record on the record player, I was a fan for life.

The track that motivates me in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by Ray Charles.

The song that gets me emotional
Virtually any music leaves me moved. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Fab Four all stir my emotions because of the melody and utter beauty of the vocals. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley gets me going every time.

The track I’d like to be played at my final send-off
Elvis. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.