‘I listened to Shake It Off 15 times a day’: Ricky Wilson’s honest playlist

The Kaiser Chiefs frontman is always happy to sing along to John Denver and the Waterboys. But there is one song that sparks tears when no one’s around …

The first song I remember hearing
You Can’t Hurry Love by the Supremes gives me this weird feeling of intense nostalgia that can only be quashed by the pictures in my mother’s downstairs toilet of me and my brother as toddlers.

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The first single I bought
My brother was trying to be an 80s, glitter ball, mobile DJ. I used to go around the record shops in Ilkley with him and bought Keep Your Hands to Yourself by country hair rockers the Georgia Satellites, on 7-inch.

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The song that is my karaoke go-to
I tend to belt out Circle of Life from The Lion King. It’s just a nice bit of silliness.

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The best song to play at a party
Shake It Off by Taylor Swift got me through lockdown. I probably listened to it 15 times a day.

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The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash.

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The song I stream the most
The Whole of the Moon by the Waterboys fits every occasion.

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The song I secretly like but tell everybody I hate
I definitely had some misplaced snobbery towards Starz in Their Eyes by Just Jack because it was in the charts around the same time as we had Ruby. I used to say it was rubbish, even though I secretly knew every word.

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The song I can no longer listen to
For some reason I can’t listen to Tell Me on a Sunday by Marti Webb without crying and I don’t know why it sets me off. I’m not coming across very cool, am I?

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The best song to have sex to
The theme tune to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Obviously.

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The song I wish I’d written
American Pie by Don McLean, even though I get bored after about three verses.

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The song I can’t help singing
If anyone starts singing: “Country road,” from Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver, I defy anyone to not go: “Take me home.” It’s perfect for belting out when you’re driving on your own, in a minibus full of acquaintances, birthdays and weddings.

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The song I want played at my funeral
I don’t care. They can play what they want. I won’t be there. I assume they’ll play Ruby. Or they can play Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver. Just as long as it’s not Starz in Their Eyes by Just Jack.

Ricky Wilson co-hosts Britain’s Best Young Artist on CBBC and iPlayer.