Seven songs George Clooney can’t live without and one he hates
At the start of the 1990s, George Clooney was a frankly anonymous public figure in his early 30s, and recognition continued to evade him. Finally, Clooney attracted mass attention as Dr. Doug Ross in the hit NBC medical drama ER, and his life changed forever.
With the momentum of success, Clooney finally broke into the film industry in 1996, with an appearance in Robert Rodriguez’s 1996 action horror film From Dusk till Dawn alongside Quentin Tarantino. Gradually, Clooney’s career snowballed as he was scouted by Steven Soderbergh, David O. Russell and the Coen brothers for a run of critically acclaimed films.
By the time Clooney hit the screens in the first of Soderbergh’s hit Ocean’s franchise, he had truly arrived as one of Hollywood’s heavyweights alongside his co-stars, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts.
Over the past two decades, Clooney has capitalised on his position, enhancing his scope and influence as an actor, producer and director. For his trouble, he’s scooped two Academy Awards, one for Best Supporting Actor in Syriana, and another for Best Picture, after producing Argo.
In 2003, just as Hollywood’s favourite silver fox was basking in the glory of his directional debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, he was invited to partake in the BBC’s Desert Island Discs feature with host Sue Lawley. In the programme, castaways are asked to pick the songs they’d take with them to a desert island, and Clooney didn’t disappoint.
In his selections, Clooney showed an eye for the true classics with selections from Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin. His genres were as broad as the timeframe they covered, with Hank Williams’ 1949 hit ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ and Pink Floyd’s sensational 1979 single ‘Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2’ bookending his palate.
Clooney was particularly logical with his selections. Beginning with Williams’ oldie, he said, “Well, I thought, if I’m gonna be on a desert island, I should have Hank Williams’ ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ just so I could feel sorry for myself.”
After picking out Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2’, Clooney explained, “You know, you can’t go wrong with Pink Floyd, and why not have a bunch of people singing so you feel as if you’re not alone on the island.”
For his final selection, Clooney broke six decades of Desert Island Discs convention by picking out a song he hates. However, there was a method behind his madness. “Ok, you’re gonna like this one,” he teased. “What I figure is you need a reason to get off the island, and if you play William Shatner singing [The Beatles’] ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,’ then you will hollow out your own leg and make a canoe out of it to get off of this island.”
Listen to a playlist of George Clooney’s song selections below.
Seven songs George Clooney can’t live without and one he hates
- Hank Williams – ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’
- Pink Floyd – ‘Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2’
- Dinah Washington – ‘Destination Moon’ (Castaway’s Favourite)
- Frank Sinatra – ‘Nice ‘n’ Easy’
- Bobby Darin – ‘Artificial Flowers’
- Bill Withers – ‘Who Is He (And What Is He To You?)’
- Van Morrison – ‘Moondance’
- William Shatner – ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’
