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The earliest track I became enamored with
My earliest recollection is entering a room at kindergarten where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was mesmerized by the sonic landscape, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the chorus, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The first single I purchased
When I was eight, I won a competition at school to pick a brand new record to play at the mini disco we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I opted for Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first single I purchased with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my father mentioned that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The track I do at karaoke
I frankly actively avoid karaoke and steer clear at all costs. But under duress, I’d choose Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The piece I strangely recite each line to
I recently realised that I know pretty much the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The perfect track to play at a party
It hinges on the point of the event you are at. At the start it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the night wears on, I’d move on to Prince, the 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 number I can not hear
I inexplicably cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ultimate song to get intimate to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The record that altered my perspective
When I was 12 and just learning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to classic rock and roll, and was fixated on Elvis, Chuck Berry, the killer, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and Eddie Cochran. Then my babysitter played Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still guitar music, but it was powerful rock music. Instantly after he put the record on the record player, I was a fan for life.

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

The song that brings me to tears
Virtually any music makes me emotional. Aretha Franklin, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Beatles all bring a tear to my eye because of the tune and sheer perfection of the singing. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley strikes a chord every time.

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