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Bring Me The Horizon’s Jordan Fish: The 10 songs that changed my life

Bring Me The Horizon keyboardist Jordan Fish reveals the music that made him who he is…

Bring Me The Horizon’s Jordan Fish: The 10 songs that changed my life
Words:
Jake Richardson
Photo:
Jonathan Weiner

Jordan Fish – Bring Me The Horizon's resident multi-instrumentalist – isn’t much of a romantic. Unless you’re talking nu-metal – his one true love…

The first song that I remember hearing...Luther Vandross – Never Too Much (1981)

“My mum listened to a lot of Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston when I was growing up, and Never Too Much is a classic from that era. My sister, my mum and I were big car singers and I was exposed to a lot of that type of soul music at a young age.”

The song that reminds me of childhood...South Park – Chocolate Salty Balls (1998)

“I had this single on cassette, which really shows my age. The South Park album [Chef Aid] was massive when I was in primary school and I was obsessed with it. I was at that age where I was first getting into swearing and shit jokes, so the South Park songs were the perfect soundtrack to life. There was so much random shit on that album, like Primus, so I found it really cool. When you’re young, novelty music always has value.”

The first song that I learned to play...Green Day – Basket Case (1994)

“Everyone seems to learn how to play Basket Case or Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple when they start out playing music. I started getting into rock music when I was around 12 years old, so I too tried playing the easy shit like Green Day first. Once I was 14, I really wanted to be in a nu-metal band, which I did end up doing, but I got downgraded to bass and then downgraded again to keyboard because I wasn’t very good at bass. And, er, that’s still where I am now!”

The song that made me want to be in a band...Deftones – 7 Words (1995)

“Limp Bizkit, Korn, Slipknot and Papa Roach were all huge for me growing up, but Deftones were the standouts and they probably remain my favourite band to this day. I got deep into the really crusty nu-metal bands when I was a teenager – stuff like The Kennedy Soundtrack and One Minute Silence. I was totally hooked by the whole nu-metal scene at the time, and 7 Words really defines that period.”

The song that reminds me of my first gig...Deftones – Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away) (1997)

“Deftones, Linkin Park and Taproot on the Back To School Tour at the Docklands Arena in London was the first gig I went to that I really remember appreciating. I was so excited to go, and it was the coolest show, thankfully. I remember it all so vividly. Deftones’ production was amazing. It was just after [2000 album] White Pony came out, and they had this huge flag with a little white pony on it, which engulfed the whole stage. Nu-metal was at its height back then, and what I saw that night blew my mind.”

The song that reminds me of my partner...Korn – A.D.I.D.A.S. (1996)

“I’m gonna have to think of a decent song for this one or my wife will absolutely kill me! I’m not good with soppy songs, though, so I’m going to go with this Korn track. The title stands for ‘All Day I Dream About Sex.’ It was either A.D.I.D.A.S. or I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred. I’m not very good at romantic gestures, clearly…”

The song that was the hardest to write...Bring Me The Horizon – Doomed (2015)

“We stressed about it for ages and I felt like I’d failed, because we’d dedicated so much time to it. We couldn’t get the chorus right and we were so frustrated we thought the song was dead. When we finally got it right it was such a relief. I’m pleased we didn’t settle for second best with that one.”

The song I have regrets about...Bring Me The Horizon – Don’t Look Down (2014)

“I think it’s a real shame how Don’t Look Down turned out. We were originally going to have Keith Flint sing on it, but in the end he wasn’t available. I wish he had been because it was perfect for him. That’s my one big regret when I look back, because we’d based that whole song around him being a part of it.”

The song I’m proudest of writing...Bring Me The Horizon – Why You Gotta Kick Me When I’m Down? (2019)

“It’s one of our most adventurous songs, and I’m really pleased with how it came out. I love the lyrical content, the hook is great and it’s got a cool vibe. It’s one of my favourite tracks we’ve written.”

The song I’d like played at my funeral...Queen – Who Wants To Live Forever (1986)

“A fucking epic by the greatest band of all time. It’s the best song ever written, in my view. It’s so emotional, so operatic and so sad. It might be a bit too dramatic for my funeral – I’ve not had a life like Freddie Mercury did – but it’s a great song about dying, and death is the toughest subject to write about.”

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