My eldest son asked me the other day something I regard as  the impossible question…

“What’s your favourite song of all time?”

How on earth do you answer that unless you are one of these people who thinks Adele or some cover ‘artist’ from X Factor is the best singer in the history of time? Sadly a lot of excellent modern bands are having careers wrecked by the Simon Cowell generation of “McDonalds Music” which is easy to consume but poison to the body and soul.

I love most music, I have an eclectic taste that spans from Northern Soul to Punk to Reggae to Ska, my mood changes with the month, the week and even the day, so to define what I class as a favourite song of all time is a task harder than any other; it is not like being asked what your favourite football team, what type of Indian food you take as a preference or whether you prefer blondes or brunettes…It is just not that simple.

Albums are easier of course, The Clash (The Clash) Setting Sons (The Jam) The Stone Roses (The Stone Roses) The Happy Mondays (Thrills Pills and Bellyaches) and The Smiths (The Queen is Dead) are all albums that still, to me, sound as good now as when they were first released…but singles…how can you do that?

So, as a final decision, I have listed the ten songs that at this moment in time, make me sit up and say “I still fucking love this” every time I hear them on my iPod. A song that stands the test of time has to be what defines a list of top ten songs, because with music, as with sport, form is temporary whilst class is permanent.

So, here we go son, and anyone else who is interested…starting from number 10:

Number 10: New Order: Your Silent face

Number 9 : The Colourfield: Thinking of You

Dr Feelgood: She Does it Right

Number 7: The Clash: London Calling

Number 6: The Jam: It’s Too Bad (Live)

Number 5: The Happy Mondays: Step On

Number 4: The Smiths: There is a Light nThat Never Goes Out

Number 3: The Jam: To Be Someone

Number 2: The Clash: Stay Free

Number 1: The Kinks: Waterloo Sunset (I have actually published the one with Damon Albarn as it is brilliant)

I chose Waterloo Sunset marginally ahead of Stay Free (a song that reminds me of my oldest friends) simply because every time I hear it I could almost weep with joy at it’s pure brilliance; by coincidence it was originally released in the year of my birth.

I hope you enjoy, if you don’t, fear not, Simon Cowell’s Greatest Hits will be out soon.

As a footnote, I am proud to say my sixteen your old boy loves The Smiths nearly as much as he loves the Arctic Monkeys…how cool is that boy? I have brainwashed him well, just like any good father should! The poor twat supports Reading as well!