Mary Berry, an icon of the culinary world with a wide-reaching influence, displayed a different kind of taste during her 2012 appearance on Radio Four’s Desert Island Discs. Among the eight songs she chose to take to a deserted island, she revealed Rod Stewart’s ‘Sailing’ to be her all-time favorite. This song holds a deeply emotional significance for Berry, as it was played at her son’s funeral following his tragic death in a car crash in 1989.
Stewart’s rendition of ‘Sailing’, with its Celtic influences and rock undertones, resonated deeply with Berry, who shared that her late son Will used to play the track loudly when he was at home. Despite the song’s apparent romantic connotations, its original writer, Gavin Sutherland, revealed that ‘Sailing’ was intended as an allegory for humanity’s spiritual journey towards freedom and fulfillment.
Berry’s selection of ‘Sailing’ was just one part of her eclectic playlist, which also included pop hits like ABBA’s ‘Mamma Mia’, as well as more traditional pieces such as Antonio Vivaldi’s ‘Spring (Allegro)’ and the Salvation Army New York Staff Band’s rendition of ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’.
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The emotional resonance of ‘Sailing’ for Mary Berry serves as a poignant reminder of the personal tragedies that have shaped her life, offering a glimpse into the deeply personal nature of her musical preferences.
