My second life-changer is ‘These Arms of Mine’ by Otis Redding.

The opening bars of this song give me shivers down my spine. The melancholy brass section fills the song with pathos and it drips with longing. It’s wonderful before you even get to Otis himself. And boy, when you get to Otis, you know you’d give almost anything for the exquisite pleasure of hearing his voice over and over again. The slightly raspy edge to it – aaaahhhhhhhhh – it turns me to jelly every time. I can never get enough of this song.

Why is it one of my ten life changers? What I didn’t say on the day I confessed the first of my life-changers is that Claz (who I met because of the Q-Tips) also introduced me to David. We originally met donkey’s years ago at a party for her birthday that my ex chose not to go to. I sat next to DM and became mesmerised by his eyes. We got on like a house on fire. I was newly married. It was torture of the worst kind. I know the longing in the song only too well. I have felt every bar and every word of that song permeate every pore of my body for way too many years.

So, when we first dated, I had to play him Otis and see how he responded. While we were listening to this song, we actually managed to blow a hole in one of my speakers. He loved Otis too.

The speaker-blowing incident was the prequel to one of the happiest days of my life – a trip out speaker shopping with DM, which was like putting two kids in a chocolate factory and offering them the chance to eat everything! It was such good fun and we came home with four boxes on the back seat – a pair of wonderful KEFs for me and a pair of Tannoys for him!!!

When we told the chap in the speaker shop that the old speakers had been killed by Otis, he said - blimey, is that your dog!!!!!?????!!!!

Yep – Otis changed my life all right!

Last year I was in the kitchen....