The song that changed my life
My mom was Kate McGarrigle, who formed folk duo Kate and Anna McGarrigle with my aunt. My dad is the folk singer Loudon Wainwright III. They were only married for five years, but wrote songs about each other and about my older brother Rufus and I. My dad wrote Five Years Old about missing my fifth birthday. That changed my life. Sometimes it’s easier to apologise in music than in person.
The song I can no longer listen to
Recently, I’m upset that I can’t listen to Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, because the Luke Combs country version has ruined it for me.
The first song I fell in love with
When I was eight, I had my mom write out the lyrics to Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves so I could listen to it on repeat on this little boombox in our house and learn all the words.
The song I’d like played at my funeral
I’ve been learning The Kiss by Judee Sill. She was a remarkable artist, and it is considered her masterpiece. It is absolutely gorgeous, but also tragic, because she died at such an early age.
The song I do at karaoke
I’m really bad at karaoke. I guess I would do Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. The singer in me wants to sound like Stevie Nicks, but unfortunately Martha shows up pretty fast in my karaoke interpretations.
The best song to have sex to
I’ll tell you the worst: when you can hear your parents playing their own music – such as (Talk to Me of) Mendocino by Kate and Anna McGarrigle – while they are having sex. Don’t ever do that.
The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
I’m really bad with lyrics. I’ll sing songs thousands of times but still have to have them written down. When I was young, I learned all the background parts to I’m Your Man by Leonard Cohen, because I wanted to be his backing singer. There’s a really weird song on there called Jazz Police that I know all the lyrics to.
The song I secretly like
Memory from Cats is the sort of song I’d have made fun of in the past. But now it gets me, because I learned it with my son.
The song that makes me cry
Le Blues du Businessman – The Businessman’s Blues – from 70s Canadian-French rock opera Starmania.
Martha Wainwright is touring to 30 August; tour starts Shrewsbury folk festival, 24 August.
