‘I loved the Police from the get-go’: Elaine Paige’s honest playlist

The first song I fell in love with
I used to sing All I Have to Do Is Dream by the Everly Brothers with my schoolfriend who lived over the road, when I was 11 or 12. I sang the harmony and she sang the melody.

The song I do at karaoke
The only time was on holiday in Nice with a friend. We’d been out for a lovely supper and had far too much rosé, and I was about to play Édith Piaf in the West End. I ended up singing Hymne à l’amour, and he did Fools Rush In.

The first single I bought
Magic Moments by Perry Como from the record shop in Barnet High Street, for my mother’s birthday. She loved Perry Como, Andy Williams, Matt Monro – all those crooners.

The song I know every lyric to
When I was in Hair in 1968, we were in the pub having a snifter before the show when the company manager came in and said: “Jeanie’s off – and so are her understudies. Paige, you’re up.” I was terrified. Jeanie comes up through a trapdoor, covered in beads, singing Air. Somehow I knew every word.

The best song to play at a party
Roxanne. I’ve loved the Police from the get-go.

The song I can no longer listen to
Shall We Dance? from The King and I. My co-star Jason Scott Lee pulled out after three months. After that I had to dance with a catalogue of different kings in a huge crinoline dress, wearing thick stockings, suspenders, corsets and layers of underwear.

The best song to have sex to
I do have a bit of a penchant for Wicked Game by Chris Isaak. But I’m not saying I’ve tried it!

The song that gets me up in the morning
I wake up to Radio 4, then switch to Radio 3. I’m a big Mozart fan – one of the first things I ever sang in public was a Mozart aria: Deh vieni, non tardar from The Marriage of Figaro.

The song that changed my life
Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, because without it, I probably wouldn’t be talking to you today.

The song that makes me cry
Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye by Cole Porter, because it reminds me of my mum. My dad was an estate agent, but he also had a band, the Arcadians, and would go out gigging. Mum and I would wave him off, then listen to records on the radiogram.

The song I’d like played at my funeral
Oh God, I don’t want to think about it. Maybe George Michael’s cover of The Long and Winding Road – I was a huge fan, he had the most beautiful voice, and it’s a lovely song.

Elaine Paige’s new album Miscellaneous Paige is out now.

Reporting from The Guardian contributed to this story.