The first single I bought
Rollout (My Business) by Ludacris from HMV in Lewisham Shopping Centre. I played it over and over.
The first song I fell in love with
I grew up listening to a lot of reggae – my dad was a Rastafarian – so Get Up, Stand Up by Bob Marley was always playing in the house when my mum was dishing out the chores. It’s ironic that it’s a song about redemption when you’re being told to clean the house.
The song I do at karaoke
You need to have a song that everyone knows, so they can help you sing along, so I’d go for Angels by Robbie Williams or Wonderwall by Oasis.
The song I know every lyric to
I remember hearing Boombastic by Shaggy in a Wallace and Gromit-style Plasticine advert for Levi’s 501s in the 90s, in an advert break during The Big Breakfast, as I was getting ready to go to school. I loved the lyrics, although I didn’t know what he was talking about because I was only a kid.
The song I can no longer listen to
It’s not so much I’ve rinsed it, but Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond felt like it became a vibe during the last [men’s] Euros. Now when I hear it, I think: “Oh no, not this again.”
The best song to play at a party
Talkin da Hardest by Giggs always goes off. As does Freed from Desire by Gala.
The song I secretly like, but tell everybody I hate
I don’t go around telling people I love Wannabe by the Spice Girls. But it’s an underrated banger. “So, here’s a story from A to Z / You wanna get with me, you gotta listen carefully.” A lot of people don’t realise they’re actually spitting bars.
The song that changed my life
I was on a plane, just as we were descending to land, listening to Yebba’s Heartbreak by Drake and Yebba, which is an interlude on the Certified Lover Boy album, and I remember thinking: “This feels as if I’m bouncing on the clouds.” Now, I’ll listen to it any time I feel like I need to calm down.
The song that gets me up in the morning
I’ll wake up, have a double espresso and an oat bar and say: “Alexa, play Cosmic Girl by Jamiroquai,” and it’ll make me think like I’m driving through the mountains like in the video, rather than cleaning the kitchen.
The song that makes me cry
Know That You Are Loved by Cleo Sol.
The song I’d like played at my funeral
I’m not quite sure what sort of funeral I want. I’ll either have Party Up (Up in Here) by DMX, because I don’t want people crying. Or I might go sad and have Stay Another Day by East 17 with some dry ice coming out of the coffin for added dramatic effect.
Mo Gilligan tours the UK and US from 28 January to 13 May.
