I am pretty sure that everyone, I don’t care who you are, has a go-to slate of songs for when they want to get amped. These songs work on the brain like a going-out top, activating on contact whatever neurons are responsible for creating an internal party atmosphere. I have a getting-ready playlist; I bet you have a getting-ready playlist; and King Charles? I think I just found his: The “Coronation Celebration Playlist” on Spotify, which His Majesty’s government just dropped.
To be clear, the Department for Digital, Culture Media, and Sport has taken credit for this roster of nonstop bangers, proudly displayed on the official coronation website. Why do I think it’s secretly Charles’s, when I also believe that he only listens to chamber music? Because the last time the king shared a greatest hits playlist, his selections were all over the gaff, just like they are here. That’s also a common trait of getting-ready playlists, where the point is not to create an easily identifiable ambiance but rather to put the person who’s DJing in a fun and buoyant mood. Here we have Coldplay back-to-back with David Bowie back-to-back with Ed Sheeran. (Whose face, let’s not forget, Princess Beatrice supposedly slashed with a ceremonial sword while pretending to knight “You’re Beautiful” singer James Blunt.) Grace Jones appears next to Harry Styles who is next to Kate Bush, just a few songs up from Michael Bublé. The Spice Girls are of course represented — thanks to Spare, we know that Charles is a big Spice Girls guy, but remember how Ginger Spice once publicly patted his bum? — as are The Beatles, plus a band called “Elbow.”
The artists skew heavily British, though there are some notable exceptions. The German Caribbean outfit Boney M., for example, takes the number two slot with “Daddy Cool.” How does that one go? So glad you asked, here’s an excerpt:
She’s crazy ‘bout her daddy
Oh, she believes in him
She loves her daddy
She’s crazy like a fool
Wild about Daddy Cool
I’m crazy like a fool
Wild about Daddy Cool
Definitely a getting-ready playlist.