Mo Gilligan lists songs that shaped him, from Bob Marley to DMX

Comedian Mo Gilligan has shared the songs that have shaped his life and taste, naming tracks from Bob Marley to DMX and the Spice Girls. He said the first single he bought was "Rollout (My Business)" by Ludacris from HMV in Lewisham Shopping Centre, and that the first song he fell in love with was Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up" — his dad was a Rastafarian and the record "was always playing in the house" while his mum did the chores.

For karaoke he chooses singalongs such as "Angels" by Robbie Williams or "Wonderwall" by Oasis, and the song he knows every lyric to is "Boombastic" by Shaggy, which he remembers hearing in a Levi's advert during The Big Breakfast. He said he can no longer listen to Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" after it became a "vibe" during the last men's Euros.

His go-to party tracks include "Talkin da Hardest" by Giggs and "Freed from Desire" by Gala. On songs he keeps private, he said: "I don't go around telling people I love Wannabe by the Spice Girls. But it's an underrated banger." He described "Yebba's Heartbreak" by Drake and Yebba — an interlude on the Certified Lover Boy album — as the song that changed his life, recalling he listened to it as a plane descended and felt "as if I'm bouncing on the clouds." He said "Cosmic Girl" by Jamiroquai wakes him up in the morning after a double espresso and an oat bar, and that "Know That You Are Loved" by Cleo Sol makes him cry.

Key Topics

Culture, Mo Gilligan, Lewisham Shopping Centre, Bob Marley, Ludacris, Spice Girls