Lying in the sun on holiday is perfect listening time. I always go back to the same sounds – here are my all time favourite Top 10.
1. David Bowie - Absolute Beginners. I'm a huge Bowie fan. Like a lot of people, Bowie, the Stones, Queen, they've all had a big effect on me. There so many Bowie songs I could include but Absolute Beginners always tugs at me. It reminds me of my early twenties and it still feels fresh and new.
2. Elton John - Tiny Dancer. I'm an Elton fan! I love so many of his songs. I was driving home from work one night in Sydney around 1993, it was pouring with rain and Tiny Dancer came on the radio. That night was like I was hearing it for the first time. It's been my favourite ever since and I fell in love with it all over again when it was used so brilliantly in Almost Famous.
3. The Rolling Stones - Paint it Black. This only came into my consciousness when a made for TV movie in Australia about the Vietnam War used it. The opening bars came on constantly in the ads and not having a clue what the song was I went to a bar and played every song on the jukebox until I found it. It cost a lot and took hours but it was worth the search (where was the internet when I needed it??).
4. The Beatles - Golden Slumbers. This is off the Abbey Road album, which I have owned for years, but suddenly paid attention to when I was writing the business plan for Donna Ida. I would play it over and over and over again and it will always remind me of that time. I absolutely love this song.
5. The Beatles - Here Comes the Sun. Who doesn't love this song?! I makes me feel so happy. I could listen to it every day quite happily.
6. David Bowie - Life on Mars. Here's my friend David Bowie again. He is SO cool. No one really needs a reason to love Life on Mars, it's just one of the best songs ever.
7. Rodriguez - the Whole Cold Fact album. This was introduced to me by a brief boyfriend years and years ago from Bondi Beach. It went no further than two dates but he introduced me to Rodriguez so I'll always be thankful to him for that. My favourite song is I Wonder....followed by Jane S Piddy (I love the 'bag it, man' at the end of the latter). And Sugar Man too....you just really have to listen to the whole album.
8. ABBA SOS. Like any good Aussie, I LOVE ABBA. Dancing Queen is way up there and I had the single, but I was in music class at high school (maybe 1988) and one of the girls said SOS was their favourite ABBA song. I listened to it again and suddenly it was mine too. It was one of those classic moments when you need the blindingly obviously pointed out.
9. Dolly Parton - Here You Come Again. I love Dolly Parton, she's such an icon. She's sunny, positive; she's totally herself and makes no excuses. I think she deserves every bit of success and recognition she's achieved. This is one of my favourites of hers and it's my sister's too. We both love Dolly.
10. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows. Everyone in Australia was into the Beach Boys when I was growing up. I listened to Pet Sounds constantly (along with the Sex Pistols which funnily enough I've now left behind). One of my classmates told me one morning that she'd spent the night riding around on the back of her boyfriend's motorbike listening to God Only Knows over and over. I was horrified that she was such a daredevil but thought it was impossibly romantic at the same time.
