The song Cillian Murphy wants played at his funeral
Irish acting sensation Cillian Murphy first rose to our attention in 2002, appearing in Danny Boyle’s blockbusting zombie thriller 28 Days Later. Since then, he’s shuffled his way to the top of the pack. Having joined Christopher Nolan for his breathtaking Dark Knight trilogy and 2007’s Boyle for Sunshine, the pair are now set to reunite for Oppenheimer.
Besides his impressive movie oeuvre, including work with Ken Loach, Wes Craven, and Neil Jordan, Murphy’s most lauded and synonymous role remains that of Tommy Shelby in the BBC’s hit series Peaky Blinders.
In the late 1990s, Murphy enjoyed localised success as the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the rock band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes. The decisive moment for the young creative came when he turned down a record deal to pursue a career in acting. While music had always been a passion of Murphy’s, he had set his sights on dramatics in his teen years and admirably stuck to the dream.
Although he channelled his flow towards the big screen, Murphy never hesitates to discuss music and has occasionally appeared on radio stations to play some of his favourite tracks. It’s safe to say Murphy has an eminently discerning taste in music that’s eclectic as it is revealing.
In a 2016 interview feature with the NME, Murphy picked out the tracks of his life. At the very beginning, Murphy remembers hearing his father’s traditional Irish music records. While he didn’t appreciate them at the time, he’s become fully engrossed in adulthood.
“There was a lot of that played when I was a kid,” he said. “I would’ve gone to a lot of trad sessions as a child. I was probably in the corner asleep with a packet of crisps and a Club Orange. I kind of rejected all that, but now I love it. My dad’s old trad records were all on vinyl. I began to listen to them, and they’re beautiful.”
As he rifled through the years, Murphy picked out Nick Drake as an essential voice during his early twenties, when he fully committed to acting. “I was listening to a lot of Nick Drake when I started off because that’s just what you do, isn’t it, in your early twenties? You listen to a lot of Nick Drake,” Murphy opined.
“I think it’s very much a young man’s kind of music. It’s a peculiar take on the world and quite a lonely take on the world, but it’s also every young man going and trying to find an identity. Nick Drake is a good medium to go through. I’ll still put him on sometimes quite late at night.”
At the very end of the feature, Murphy was asked what song he would like on the day of his funeral. The actor is still very much middle-aged, so we don’t have to worry about teary goodbyes just yet, but it’s always good to be prepared. Picking out ‘Hymn Of The Big Wheel’ by Massive Attack, Murphy said: “That’s a pretty beautiful song, and I like the sentiment of it. It’s kind of a hopeful song – y’know, the big wheel keeps turning.”
