The first single I bought
China Tea by Russ Conway, for four and six – 23p – from Allen & Walker in Ilkley. I used to buy classical music records while everyone else was buying pop, and had to bring them home in a brown paper bag so people couldn’t see it was Beethoven’s Violin Concerto or Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances. I was also the first person in our street to buy She Loves You by the Beatles.
My karaoke go-to
I do love Happy Heart by Andy Williams. It goes up quite high, but I’m a tenor so it’s not too bad. I’ve still got my LP in the attic.
The best song to play at a party
It’s got to be Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade. We play it every Christmas when we’ve got people round and everybody roars into action. It’s a great antidote to carols. It’s fab, I love it.
The song I streamed the last
You Only Live Twice by Nancy Sinatra, in my car. It’s such glorious orchestration. If you’re feeling any road rage, just put this on when you’re driving – it’s very calming.
The song I can no longer listen to
When the grandchildren were young – and I don’t thank you for making me think of this because it’ll be an earworm for the rest of the day – it was the theme tune for the TV series they liked, In the Night Garden. Please don’t play it. I’ll be humming it all day.
The song I wish I’d written
Au Fond du Temple Saint, the baritone and tenor duet from The Pearl Fishers by Bizet. My dad used to love it, and I love it, too. It’s such a heart-rending piece.
The song that changed my life
A long time ago, my first proper girlfriend, Rosemary, and I had A Groovy Kind of Love by the Mindbenders as our song. She was very pretty, with red hair, and I was totally besotted for a good six months when I was 15. Years later, I was doing an autobiography signing in Yorkshire, looked up, and someone said: “Hello”. I hadn’t seen her for 40 years. It was a magical moment. I heard a couple years ago that she died, which was terrible because she was younger than me. I hear the song now with such affection, because it reminds me what falling in love is like.
The song that gets me up in the morning
I put Classic FM on every morning while I shave, and Pavarotti singing Puccini’s Nessun Dorma pops up quite often which is quite appropriate: “None shall sleep.”
The song I would like played at my funeral
Eric Idle’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. That’s me, really.
The Gardener’s Almanac by Alan Titchmarsh, published by Hodder & Stoughton, is published by Hodder & Stoughton.
