The first song I fell in love with
Growing up, every weekend we’d visit a different Sri Lankan family’s house in London. One kid had Thriller by Michael Jackson, and I fell in love with Billie Jean. I then ripped my brother’s Michael Jackson Bad poster in a retaliation move, for which I now formally apologise.
The song I do at karaoke
I’ve never done it. If somebody had my family and said: “Pick a song for them to be released,” I’d still consider not doing it, before eventually settling on Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J.
The first single I bought
Batdance by Prince from Woolworths in Crawley, probably the worst entry to the Prince catalogue. I was more led to it by Batman than I was Prince, to be honest.
The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
My dad is a massive Bob Marley fan. He had a pub and would put on Jamming 30 times in a row.
The best song to play at a party
Jump Around by House of Pain is an injection of energy into any party. It’s one of the biggest hip-hop tunes of all time, but it’s not offensive to people that aren’t into hip-hop. It also requires no choreography.
The song I can no longer listen to
The buildup in I Want Your Soul by Armand Van Helden is so relentlessly catchy, I must have listened to it 100 times. Now I’ve broken it, I’m so sick of it.
The song I secretly like, but tell everybody I hate
Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter. It absolutely slaps.
The best song to have sex to
Based on tempo and length, Song 2 by Blur. You mess around for a little bit, there’s a big explosion. You mess around a little more, there’s a second explosion, then you finish. If Song 2 ended with an apology, it would be perfect.
The song that changed my life
Rebel Without a Pause by Public Enemy was the start of my journey into loving hip-hop. Now I host a show [For the Love of Hip-Hop on Radio 2] and throw parties. It definitely changed my life.
The song that gets me up in the morning
Juicy by the Notorious BIG, for the rags to riches lyrics, which makes me think of all the teachers at school who said I wouldn’t amount to anything. I used to be a teacher, and find it upsetting that anybody would be so disparaging.
The song that makes me cry
Hip-hop doesn’t do love songs as a rule. But I love the story on Got Me by the Roots featuring Erykah Badu and Eve, about trust, and how it doesn’t matter how long they’re away from each other. The drum’n’bass bit at the end is a nice touch, but that’s not what makes me cry – it’s the sentiment.
The song I want played at my funeral
I’d want it to pop off of my funeral, so Ante Up by MOP, just to get the party started. I love the idea of it all going off as my coffin is lowered into the ground.
Romesh’s new podcast, The Romesh Ranganathan Show, is out now.
