Patti Smith’s Music Notes For Just Kids

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