The 8 songs Kate Moss couldn’t live without
Kate Moss is likely to be one of the first names that you bring to mind when bringing up the word “supermodel”. Although she would arrive towards the end of the ‘supermodel era’ in high fashion, Moss would grab attention for her ‘heroin-chic’ look and lay the ground for much of the runway style of the 1990s. Earlier this year, Moss revealed eight songs that she couldn’t live without on Desert Island Discs to offer a small glimpse behind the curtain.
Moss’ first selection to take to the fictional desert island is apparently one she had “specially mixed”. It’s a remix of the iconic ‘Back to Life’ by Soul II Soul. She said: “I heard Kanye’s Sunday Service version of ‘Back to Life’, and I was blown away. His gospel choir mixed with Jazzie B’s Soul II Soul original. This was when I was 14, and my friend had a [Ford] Escort Mk. I with roll bars and speakers in the back. We would blast it down Croydon High Street and think we were the coolest people.”
A particularly special track for Moss is Neil Young’s beautiful ‘Harvest Moon’. Moss said: “I started working with a photographer, David Simms, when I was 15, and he introduced me to Neil Young, and I used to think, ‘Oh god, this whiny old man.’”
She added: “And then as I got older, I was with Johnny Depp, and we met Neil Young. I fell in love with the music, and David Simms’ son died tragically, really young. He sang it at his funeral. It reminds me of [him] and how amazing he was as a human. It’s a really emotional song for me and brings up a lot of feelings.”
Elsewhere, Moss selects The Velvet Underground classic ‘Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ and said of the band, “I love The Velvet Underground. Them hanging out at CBGB’s with Iggy Pop, that picture of Iggy and Lou and David, I’ve had in a frame for a long time since I was a kid. ‘Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ has got my best friend’s name in it. Jimmy B, Jimmy Brown, and I played it every day during the pandemic for some reason. It uplifted me.”
Moss is evidently a fan of 1960s and 1970s rock and folk, as she also selects cuts from the likes of Van Morrison, George Harrison and The Rolling Stones. Check out the complete list of Moss’ selections below.
Kate Moss’ favourite songs
- ‘Back to Life’ – Sunday Service and Jazzie B (Soul II Soul Mix)
- ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale (Live)’ – King Curtis
- ‘Harvest Moon’ – Neil Young
- ‘Life on Mars’ – David Bowie
- ‘Oh! Sweet Nuthin’’ – The Velvet Underground
- ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ – The Rolling Stones
- ‘My Sweet Lord’ – George Harrison
- ‘Madame George’ – Van Morrison
