The Hovis ad music.

At the end of every show, I always blast September by Earth, Wind & Fire at full volume as people leave. It is the best song in the world and has a sense of total positivity, community, friendship, physicality and memorability. It feels like an extraordinary human experience, a sense of joy and celebration that we are lucky to be here at all. It reminds me why I am alive, and I’d like to give people that. The ultimate end to my big gig on earth!

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!

It’s another bloody Prince song, I’m so sorry – Mountains. I love how the chord structure ascends and the vocals – “It’s only mountains and the sea / There’s nothing greater than you and me” – feel like an ascension. I’d like to think, when I shuffle off this mortal coil, I’m going to be ascending as opposed to descending. I think I’ve been a good girl.

A bad performance.

Last Monday was a really emotional day for me: my last son graduated from high school and he’s going on a mission for the Mormon Church soon. I’ve already experienced it four times with my other sons: my oldest went to London, my second son to Italy, my third to Scotland and my fourth the Netherlands. They come back, but the little boy stays out there. He never comes back.

Eight grandchildren, five sons and my one wife.

In 1971, I was sitting in a hotel room in London and there was a television chat show going on, debating whether Donny Osmond should be deported because of the chaos he was wreaking. And while I was watching this, there were fans on the street below, chanting my name. I was 13 and thought, “Does it get any better than this?”