British astronaut Tim Peake has taken a 117-strong playlist on his six-month space mission, filled with lots of feelgood songs to keep the demons at bay as he and his fellow astronauts float around in space. He blasted off this morning to the sound of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now, U2’s Beautiful Day and Coldplay’s A Sky Full of Stars, and can look forward to lots more of the same over the next six months, by the end of which he might be a tiny bit bored by anthemic rock. Here’s the top 12 tunes that inspire me – admittedly I’m usually only looking for inspiration to write something rather than embark on a dangerous mission into the void.
1. Overture to Wagner’s Rienzi
Hitler’s favourite piece of music, but don’t let that put you off.
2. Paul Simon’s American Tune
Odd perhaps to find this ruminative number inspiring, but I have become obsessed with it, especially sung by the older, broken-voiced Simon.
3. St James Infirmary by James Brooker
The best version of one of the greatest of all songs, though Dave Van Ronk’s version is also fantastic and might have to be in the collection too.
4. Barbara Allen, in a wonderful version by Pete Seeger
Another great folk song.
5. O mio babbino caro from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi
Maria Callas of course.
6. Take Me Back to Sorrento, sung by the great tenor Franco Corelli
Naff, but splendidly so.
7. Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb
I spent a week on a submarine once, and in the other ranks’ mess they had a tape with 500 songs played on a continuous loop. This was on a lot.
8. Pink Floyd’s Wish You Here
Ditto.
9. Love Minus Zero
Possibly Bob Dylan’s greatest song. Other than the other couple of hundred, that is.
10. The Rolling Stones’ Angie
Certainly the Rolling Stones’ greatest song.
11. California Dreamin’ by the Mamas and the Papas
Admittedly I am now descending to cliche, but this is fabulous.
12. The end of Wagner’s Das Rheingold
Donner summons up a storm before the gods enter Valhalla. Hitler was pretty keen on this, too, and staged the Third Reich as if it was a production of the Ring Cycle.
What’s yours?
