Creeper’s Will Gould: The 10 songs that changed my life

A nostalgia-filled trip down the musical memory lane of Creeper vocalist Will Gould. Warning: contains bangers…

“My mum is a big Elvis fan and we used to do a lot of car trips with his music as the soundtrack. This one stands out for that epic midsection and it’s had a lasting effect on me. I had a strong connection with it, even though as a child I had no idea what it was about.”

“My parents’ music tastes really rubbed off on me and I inherited a lot of my dad’s records when he left, so this is really apt. I used to listen to it all the time, even if I didn’t fully appreciate it until much later. It’s alarming how that song from the ‘70s can still reach a kid all those years later. That’s the magic and timelessness of the music.”

“When I was with my first girlfriend we listened to [the album] Coral Fang a lot. Any time I hear those songs now it brings me right back and I think of that person instantly. I look back on it all very fondly, because I’m still friendly with her. So when this comes on, I remember being in her parents’ house or queuing up for a gig in Portsmouth drinking cider.”

“I can’t really play properly, but I write a lot of Creeper songs on piano. Well, actually it’s an old keyboard I bought in Argos years ago. The guys in the band and I laugh about how bad I am, but I’m getting better. One of my biggest regrets in life is not doing music in school. I was too shy and insecure, but I loved musical theatre. So, when I was in my teens, I learned how to play this from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Not very well, I might add.”

“I lifted some lyrics – very much on purpose – for the second half from American Pie by Don McLean. I was on holiday and when I was away, no-one wanted to tell me that we didn’t get clearance on the lines. Apparently Don McLean himself said it was fine, but the paperwork didn’t go through in time. He was like, ‘I don’t even know who this band is, but just send me the money.’ So I had to go into the studio to re-record one line on Boxing Day. The label couldn’t risk not having it signed off.”

“My first musical love was glam rock and bands like Roxy Music and T. Rex, but as I got older I discovered punk rock and when I heard AFI I was blown away. It was the perfect combination of stuff I loved. I was never confident enough to start a band, but their energy and vibe came at the perfect time to inspire me.”

“This is a supremely sad song. When I first discovered it I was jetlagged from a trip to America, I was lying in bed with my girlfriend and I just remember crying. Randy is the master of the sad song. I think because he’s such a part of our subconscious thanks to his association with Toy Story, when you hear him sound sad it’s like, ‘Oh my God…’”

“I’m actually a happy-go-lucky guy, so I tend to do it the other way around by listening to sad songs. But this is one of my favourites from a great record. It brings back so many happy memories, mostly of being young and drunk.”

“This was a step in a direction we’d never been before. I feel like it was quite ambitious compared to where we started out. It was a challenge, but we were happy when we wrote it and we’re proud of how it came out.”

“This has got some brilliant lyrics. I always associated Leonard Cohen with death even before his passing, which is pretty morbid. I guess it’ll really capture the spirit of the occasion as people will be really sad. Unless I change my mind before I die and decide to put something happy on to cheer everyone up.”