A collection of Dan Aykroyd’s favourite songs
Since joining the cast of Saturday Night Live in the mid-1970s, Dan Aykroyd has carved an iconic career as an actor, comedian, musician and writer. Penning much of the material he has starred in, Aykroyd is most revered for his roles in The Blues Brothers and The Coneheads, which both originated from SNL sketches, as well as the Ghostbusters franchise.
As one half of The Blues Brothers, alongside late friend John Belushi, Aykroyd helped to create the quintessential crossover between comedy and music. Enamoured by blues music from a young age, even jamming on the drums with Muddy Waters in an Ottowa disco club as a youngster, Aykroyd introduced Belushi to the genre, leading to the formation of their musical duo for SNL. However, their sketch proved to be more than just a novelty act. Their debut album, Briefcase Full of Blues, sold 3.5 million copies, making it one of the best-selling blues albums of all time.
In an interview with Shortlist, the actor shared a playlist of music that has inspired him. When asked about his favourite sad song, Aykroyd selected Carla Thomas and Otis Redding’s ‘When Something Is Wrong with My Baby.’ He explained, “It’s a beautiful, sad, romantic ballad, and it just speaks of what happens when you’re intertwined with a partner. You know, you’re only as happy as they are.” This led him to discuss the record label Stax and Volt, which he described as “my favourite movement in American music.” Aykroyd elaborated, “I’m a big Otis Redding fan. […] Steve Cropper, Donald Dunne – who joined my band eventually and totally legitimised The Blues Brothers by having Otis Redding’s guitar players.”
Aykroyd named ‘Catch a Falling Star’ by Perry Como as his favourite childhood song, describing it as “whimsical” and “beautiful.” The SNL alumni continued, “It’s a song you have to listen to like it’s leading you along as if you’re kind of chasing it a bit.” Quizzed on his favourite one-hit wonder, the actor picked ’96 Tears’ by Question Mark and The Mysterians. “It’s an old rock song from the ’60s. It’s my favourite because of the use of the Hammer B3 Organ, it’s my favourite instrument. It’s beautiful.”
Another favourite of Aykroyd’s is ‘Hang Out the Stars in Indiana’, a 1930s swing track by Al Bowlly. He explained, “It’s just evocative of a more innocent time, and the vocals are quite sweet on it, it’s quite nice, it’s a vintage piece that I just fell in love with straight away.” In contrast, when asked to pick a more recent favourite, he chose ‘Chicken Switch’ by The James Hunter Six. “I love this artist named James Hunter who used to record with Van Morrison and play with him. […] I’m a big James Hunter fan, he’s one of the great singers of our time.”
The comedic talent also highlighted the Bond theme as his favourite movie soundtrack song, stating, “That guitar riff – Monty Norman composed it and then John Barry arranged it. It’s just spectacular. Just the guitar riff and the feeling of “yeah” – just the expanse of it.”
Dan Aykroyd’s six favourite songs:
- ‘When Something Is Wrong with My Baby’ – Otis Redding
- ‘Catch a Falling Star’ – Perry Como
- ’96 Tears’ – Question Mark and The Mysterians
- ‘Hang Out the Stars in Indiana’ – Al Bowlly
- ‘Chicken Switch’ – The James Hunter Six
- ‘James Bond Theme’ – Monty Norman and John Barry Orchestra (from Dr. No)
