A remarkable document revealing David Bowie‘s 15 favourite songs has emerged from the vast archive set to be displayed at the upcoming David Bowie Center.

As per Rolling Stone, the handwritten list, titled “Memo for radio show — list of favourite records,” offers unprecedented insight into the musical tastes that shaped one of Britain’s most influential artists.

The David Bowie Center opens its doors in two days at the V&A East Storehouse in London, providing public access to an extraordinary collection of 90,000 items spanning Bowie’s entire career.

Bowie’s favourite songs list spans multiple decades and genres, revealing the breadth of his musical appreciation. Classical compositions feature prominently, including Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” and Richard Strauss’ “Four Last Songs”.

The selection includes several tracks that Bowie later covered during his career. The Beatles’ “Across the Universe” appeared on his 1975 album Young Americans, while Ronnie Spector’s “Try Some, Buy Some” featured on 2003’s Reality, and Legendary Stardust Cowboy’s “I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship” found its way onto 2002’s Heathen.

Jazz selections reveal another dimension of Bowie’s musical taste, with Charlie Mingus’ “Ecclusiastics” and Miles Davis’ “Some Day My Prince Will Come” featuring in the list.

The list also captures Bowie’s connection to rock’s foundational era, featuring 1950s tracks like Alan Freed and His Rock ‘N’ Roll Band’s “Right Now Right Now” and Little Richard’s “True Fine Mama”.

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There’s also Sonic Youth’s “Tom Violence”, Roxy Music’s “Mother of Pearl”, and Jeff Beck’s “Beck’s Bolero”.

The document concludes with more obscure selections, including the Hollywood Argyles’ “Sho Know a Lot About Love”, Edgar Froese’s “Epsilon in Malaysian Pale”, and The Walker Brothers’ “The Electrician”.

The timing coincides with the release of David Bowie 6. I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002 to 2016), a 12-disc box set documenting the final 14 years of his career with previously unheard material and recordings from his last live performances in 2005 and 2006.

Check out Bowie’s 15 favourite songs below:

Ralph Vaughan Williams – “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis”
Richard Strauss – “Four Last Songs”
Alan Freed and His Rock ’N’ Roll Band – “Right Now Right Now”
Little Richard – “True Fine Mama”
The Hollywood Argyles – “Sho Know a Lot About Love”
Miles Davis – “Some Day My Prince Will Come”
Charles Mingus – “Ecclusiastics”
Jeff Beck – “Beck’s Bolero”
Legendary Stardust Cowboy – “I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship”
The Beatles – “Across the Universe”
Ronnie Spector – “Try Some, Buy Some”
Roxy Music – “Mother of Pearl”
Edgar Froese – “Epsilon in Malaysian Pale”
The Walker Brothers – “The Electrician”
Sonic Youth – “Tom Violence”