(March 11, 2025). Not that my favorite song of all time (don’t judge me) needed a royal endorsement, but I certainly wasn’t expecting the kind that came out of Buckingham Palace yesterday (March 10) as King Charles III used his Commonwealth Day address to reveal the 17 highly eclectic songs that populate his favorite tunes playlist (in a podcast he dubbed “The King’s Music Room”). It appears to be a first for Charles, following in the vein of former president Barack Obama’s annual playlists, but it’s clear based on the added commentary that these are indeed personal favorites of his.
Right alongside hits by Kylie Minogue, Michael Buble, and Al Bowlly (whose 91-year-old tune “The Very Thought of You” the 76-year-old monarch’s “much-beloved grandmother” used to play) was a disco-era classic by Diana.
The Boss, Diana Ross, that is. Her Chic-produced “Upside Down,” a 1980 smash that topped the American charts and just missed the top at No. 2 in the U.K., was included as one of only two songs recorded by non-Commonwealth artists. The other was Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love,” her 2003 breakthrough solo single that topped the charts in both the U.S. and the U.K. (and was the only song to do so that year).
True to his homeland and the many other sovereign nations that make up the British Commonwealth (including Jamaica and Nigeria), the remaining 15 songs were by artists like Jamaicans Grace Jones (“La Vie En Rose”) and Bob Marley & the Wailers (“Could You Be Loved”), plus Nigerian artist Davido (“KANTE,” feat. Fave) and Ghanaian Daddy Lumba (“Mpempem Do Me”), largely regarded as the greatest musicians of their respective countries.
But it was the king’s mention of “Upside Down,” a post-disco No. 1 American hit and Ross’ biggest solo one, that nearly turned me in that direction. The song has been my absolute favorite since it first graced airwaves in the late spring of 1980. Obviously agreeing and calling it a “particular favourite,” Charles said, “when I was much younger, it was absolutely impossible not to get up and dance when it was played! So, I wonder if I can still just manage it…?!” There was no mention by the king of the song’s heavy use of the very old-English, Quaker-like pronoun “thee” throughout its lyrics as being a possible source of allure.
Doing the math, the surprising statement would have placed Charles at 31 years old when “Upside Down” was peaking in popularity. It also would have been just months before he married another famous Diana, the late former Princess Diana of Wales, mother to Princes William and Harry. One wonders whether the song was played at the Royal Wedding Reception in July 1981.
So, not only did we get the unexpected reveal that included Ross and Beyonce as the only Americans (and non-Commonwealth country artists) to appear on the king’s list celebrating “Commonwealth Day,” but we also got the free visual of Charles dancing uncontrollably – or as Ross might put it, “instinctively,” – to this writer’s favorite tune, “Upside Down,” albeit in his “much younger” years.
That also puts Charles one up on me. I don’t believe I’ve ever actually danced to “Upside Down.” But I have also never turned it off (or down) once it’s being played.
Related Reading: Did you know that “Upside Down” by Diana Ross is a palindrome?
So, does the ultimate royal endorsement lend the song some validation (as if it’s even needed)? I’ve heard some people dismiss “Upside Down” as being a repetitive nursery-rhyme set to a disco beat, but for me, it’s always been about that irresistible Chic groove and Diana’s very polite (and sexy) way of confronting a cheating lover. The King’s list likely won’t sway any opinions one way or the other, but King Charles giving it a special nod was certainly not on this blogger’s bingo card in 2025!
Here is the complete list of the 17 songs (in no particular order) that made up the King’s Music Room:
“Upside Down” – Diana Ross
“Crazy in Love” – Beyonce
“Could You Be Loved” – Bob Marley & the Wailers
“My Boy Lollipop” – Millie Small
“The Very Thought of You” – Al Bowlly
“The Loco-Motion” – Kylie Minogue
“La Vie En Rose” – Grace Jones
“Love Me Again” – Raye
“Mpempem Do Me” – Daddy Lumba
“KANTE” – Davido (feat. Fave)
“The Click Song” – Miriam Makeba
“Indian Summer” – Anoushka Shankar
“My Country Man” – Jools Holland & Ruby Turner
“Anta Permana” – Siti Nurhaliza
“E Te Iwi E (Call to the People)” – Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
“Haven’t Me You Yet” – Michael Buble
“Hot, Hot, Hot” – Arrow
Long live the king’s list… and disco!
The King’s Music Room podcast was made available beginning March 10 on Apple Music 1 (check for times and time zones).
DJRob
DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, disco, pop, rock and country genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff! You can follow him on Bluesky at @djrobblog.bsky.social, X (formerly Twitter) at @djrobblog, on Facebook or on Meta’s Threads.
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