These songs are the first tracks a deaf woman ever heard

A man whose deaf best friend has recently been fitted with a cochlear implant was given the daunting task of creating a playlist of the first music she would ever hear.

Tremayne Crossley, from Washington, near Newcastle, said he had tried to pick songs from every year since 1973 up to present day.

Video of Joanne Milne, who has been profoundly deaf since birth, having her implants switched on and hearing for the very first time has gone viral around the world.

Speaking on Lauren Laverne's BBC Radio 6music show, Tremayne revealed the songs he had chosen and said the pair first met in a bar in Newcastle.

"I didn't know she was deaf at the time because she was dancing," he said. "She is a really, really mint dancer."

The two quickly became friends and Joanne learned to lip-read his speech despite Tremayne's southern vowel sounds appearing different from the northeastern shapes she was used to.

Here are the songs that became the first pieces of music Joanne ever heard:

  • Ken Boothe – Everything I Own

  • Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – She’s the One - Live at Hammersmith Odeon

  • Paul McCartney – Silly Love Songs

  • Joni Mitchell – Black Crow

  • Steely Dan – Peg

  • Electric Light Orchestra – Mr. Blue Sky

  • Gary Numan – Are ‘Friends’ Electric?

  • The Specials – Do Nothing

  • Soft Cell – Tainted Love

  • The Jam – Town Called Malice

  • Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

  • Prince – When Doves Cry

  • Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)

  • The Smiths – Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

  • Fleetwood Mac – Big Love - Live (Lindsey Buckingham solo acoustic version)

  • Tracy Chapman – Fast Car

  • The The - August & September

  • Deee-Lite – Groove Is In The Heart

  • Ozric Tentacles – Sploosh!

  • INXS – Baby Don’t Cry

  • Nirvana – All Apologies

  • Richard Thompson – King Of Bohemia

  • Pulp – Common People - Full Length Version / Album Version

  • Everything But The Girl – Missing

  • Foo Fighters – Everlong

  • Massive Attack – Teardrop

  • Jimmy Eat World – For Me This Is Heaven

  • The Avalanches – Frontier Psychiatrist

  • Daft Punk – Digital Love

  • The Streets – Turn The Page

  • Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps

  • Beastie Boys – An Open Letter To NYC

  • Nine Inch Nails – The Hand That Feeds

  • Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

  • Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling Into Place

  • Elbow - One Day Like This

  • Maximo Park – Tanned

  • Gruff Rhys – Shark Ridden Waters

  • The Joy Formidable – Whirring

  • Bat For Lashes – Laura

  • Haim – Don’t Save Me

Tremayne said the task was so difficult that he "sat with a blank piece of paper for a week."

"I thought I have to set myself some parameters. I started with 1973 and I took one song for every year up to date.

"I just tried to pick songs that meant a lot to me or that she would like. She's danced to some songs before without knowing.

"And I promised I'd do a Christmas one, because she's never heard Christmas songs before."

He said he would also include some wedding songs because Joanne could never understand why her mum would stand up and punch the air when Tina Tuner's Simply The Best was played.