Colin Firth names his favourite songs of all time
Colin Firth has tackled a wide variety of roles over the course of his career, starring in iconic projects belonging to different domains of cinema. From romantic comedies to thrillers, Firth has proven his versatility time and time again while establishing himself as one of the most celebrated talents within the film industry.
While Firth’s romantic comedies garnered a significant audience, he started attracting proper critical attention after his incredible portrayal of King George VI in The King’s Speech. Firth expertly navigated the paradoxical world of a public figure with a speech impediment and won the coveted Oscar for Best Actor.
Recently, he starred in an American true crime miniseries called The Staircase, which premiered on HBO Max earlier this year. Based on the eponymous 2004 docuseries, The Staircase stars Firth as Michael Peterson – a writer who was convicted of murdering his wife after her corpse was found at the bottom of their house’s staircase.
Over the years, Firth has been influenced by other actors like Paul Scofield as well as writers. In addition, music has always been a source of inspiration for him. During a BBC Desert Island Discs segment, Firth participated in a conversation where he chose eight songs as the soundtrack of his life.
His first pick was Curtis Mayfield’s sublime ‘We People Who are Darker Than Blue.’ When asked about Mayfield, the actor commented: “There’s something perennial about this man’s voice that makes me feel that whatever’s wrong in the world, there’s a voice of simple humanity. I just find his voice very reassuring to listen to.”
Firth also included a Tom Waits song in his list and revealed that he discovered Waits during his bleak student days. He said: “This was a period when I was actually homeless, not on the streets but on other people’s floors and I’d come home starving… The lyrics are slightly incomprehensible but they’re satisfyingly witty and rude.”
In addition to these, the actor selected one of Mozart’s greatest works among his top picks. “I discovered this around A-level time,” Firth recalled. “It took me by surprise.” At the time, he was bogged down by schoolwork, but this experience was “profound and spiritual and [he] floated out of the window with it.”
Check out the full list here.
Colin Firth’s favourite songs:
- ‘We People Who are Darker Than Blue’ – Curtis Mayfield
- ‘O.D.O.O.’ – Fela Kuti
- ‘Heartattack and Vine’ – Tom Waits
- Mass No. 18 in C minor ‘Great’ – Kyrie – Mozart
- ‘Lost Cause’ – Beck
- ‘The Stealer’ – Free
- ‘Willin” – Little Feat
- Symphony No. 3 in D minor – 4th movement – Gustav Mahler
