‘I can only tell which records are which by the choruses’: Carl Cox’s honest playlist

The first song I remember hearing
I used to listen to a lot of radio when I was a little tucker. Rockin’ Robin by the Jackson 5 appealed because of Michael Jackson’s high voice. We’d had the Partridge Family and the Osmonds; now we had the Jacksons.

The first single I bought

Love Hangover by Diana Ross for 99p from Our Price on Sutton High Street. I’ve still got it. The seven-inch was only three and a half minutes, so it could get played on the radio. On the album, it was eight minutes and goes from ballad to disco. I still play it – or at least a remix – in my DJ sets today.

The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
I only know the chorus to most songs, whereas my younger sister, Pamela, can sing songs from beginning to end. Kids today can really latch on to a song. I can only tell which records are which by the choruses.

The best song to play at a party
I started off doing mobile discos, and the one that used to really get everyone going was Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade.

The best song to have sex to
Most songs by Barry White, or better still Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye.

The song that changed my life
Another Star by Stevie Wonder just sticks in my head, based on: “Wow, this is just amazing”. There’s nothing else that really appeals to my life in the same way.

The song I secretly like but tell everyone I hate
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham! is so happy-go-lucky. I hated that everyone enjoyed it so much. Even now when I hear it, I’ll think: “Not again,” but I actually really like it.

The song I can no longer listen to
Kiss from a Rose by Seal. I went out with this girl for about five years, then six months after we split up she met Seal and went out with him. I thought: “Oh, man!” So when I hear that song, it makes me go: “Grrrrrrrr!”

The song that gets me up in the morning
Sir Duke (You Can Feel It All Over) by Stevie Wonder.

The song I want played at my funeral
I don’t really want people to be too depressed because all I’ve really ever done is make people happy with my music choices. So I’ll have Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel by Tavares.

Carl Cox’s new album Electronic Generations is out now.