Here, Patti Smith shares the songs that helped to shape her work and her view of the world, and soundtracked her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe
“Robert and I loved to dance to Motown songs. It was his favourite genre of music. He had a box set of Motown songs of the ’60s. He also loved Tim Buckley and liked me to sing Black Sheep Boy by Tim Hardin to him. We listened to the same records over and over on a simple record player.
“I listened to Madama Butterfly by Puccini and John Coltrane records such as My Favorite Things and A Love Supreme.
“When Robert died, I was listening to Maria Callas singing Vissi d’arte from the opera Tosca. It has the lines, ‘I have lived for art, I have lived for love.’”
Listen to the playlist on Spotify here.
1983... (A Merman Should I Turn To Be) – Jimi Hendrix
We Love You – Rolling Stones
Like A Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
Voodoo Child (Slight Return) – Jimi Hendrix
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – The Animals
Papa Was A Rolling Stone – The Temptations
All You Need Is Love – The Beatles
So You Want To Be A Rock ’N’ Roll Star – The Byrds
Dark Star – Grateful Dead
Kashmir – Led Zeppelin
Volunteers – Jefferson Airplane
Monkey Gone To Heaven – Pixies
Marquee Moon – Television
The End – The Doors
For Your Precious Love – Jerry Butler
Cortez The Killer – Neil Young
Everybody Is A Star – Sly And The Family Stone
Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain – Willie Nelson
The World Is A Ghetto – War
Reach Out I’ll Be There – The Four Tops
Eight Miles High – The Byrds
Who Do You Love? – Bo Diddley
It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World – James Brown
We Got The Beat – The Go-Go’s
I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry – Hank Williams
Strawberry Fields Forever – The Beatles
When Doves Cry – Prince
People Get Ready – The Impressions
Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
Ohio – Neil Young
Spill The Wine – Eric Burdon And War
The Crystal Ship – The Doors
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida – Iron Butterfly
Shapes Of Things – The Yardbirds
On The Road Again – Canned Heat
Back On The Chain Gang – The Pretenders
Beautiful – Christina Aguilera
Astronomy – Blue Öyster Cult
Twist In My Sobriety – Tanita Tikaram
Back To Black – Amy Winehouse
Helpless – Neil Young
Spirit Ditch – Sparklehorse
Eulogy To Lenny Bruce – Nico
Work – Charlotte Day Wilson
Sunday Bloody Sunday – U2
It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) – R.E.M.
Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
