‘Billy Bragg makes me cry': Will Best's honest playlist

The Guardian

3 hours ago

The first song I fell in love with
My uncle was a massive Pink Floyd fan. I remember sitting in the boot of his car when I was eight, and him playing The Great Gig in the Sky super loud. I'd never heard anything like it and it completely blew my mind.
The first single I bought
My sister and I shared our pocket money and bought Spaceman by Babylon Zoo on CD from Woolworths in York. When we got home, we were so excited that we danced on the kitchen table.
The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
Every year at school, we'd have a concert where pupils would form bands, so I had this idea to form a band and ironically do Crossroads by Blazin' Squad. I learned all the words but couldn't entice anyone else to join me. So I chickened out as it definitely doesn't work as a solo.
The song I do at karaoke
I've not done a huge amount of karaoke. I'm very dull. When I did hip-hop karaoke on stage in front of 200 people, I did P's and Q's by Kano and it went as exactly as badly as you'd imagine.
The best song to play at a party
It depends on the crowd. The catch-all that works in every party environment would be Sorry (the David Howard Mix) by Monsta Boy. It's a classic garage tune with a fun drop, a fun bassline and a vocal people can sing along to.
The song I can no longer listen to
I've got a playlist called Rotators, which are songs I listened to over and over again obsessively when I discovered them, then never listened to again. Wasteland by Tierra Whack is one of those.
The song that changed my life
Turn the Page, the first song from Original Pirate Material by the Streets. Normally when I'm interviewing someone, I keep it pretty professional. After interviewing Mike Skinner, I ran after him and said: 'I just want to say thank you so much for Original Pirate Material. It changed my life.' As I was saying it, I thought: 'I think I'm crying.'
The best song to have sex to
Anything off House of Balloons, the first mixtape by the Weeknd.
Sign up to Inside Saturday
The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend.
after newsletter promotion
The song that makes me cry
A lot of songs make me cry. Helplessly Hoping by Crosby, Stills & Nash. I think it's the harmonies. Tank Park Salute by Billy Bragg is about his dad dying, and really sad.
The song I want played at my funeral
The temptation would be something wildly inappropriate. This morning I was listening to Hamdi – Skanka (P Money Vocal Dub) by this producer called Bassrush, which is an absolute face-melting, bassline monster. So I think that, just to watch people get confused, and make my mum cry even more.
Will Best presents the Hits Radio breakfast show weekdays at 6am.