Giles Taylor’s Rolls-Royce Phantom playlist

The marque's director of design reveals the songs that are, for him, most evocative of the iconic car

Motoring 15 May 2018

Brian Eno – An Ending (Ascent)

This ambient track is mysterious and other-worldly. It suspends time and opens a window to both the past and future. There is a space created into which one can step and think innovatively – a most amazing canvas. There is a perceivable point of suspension within this music – as though reflecting on mankind’s achievements and those yet to come. Since 1925, Phantom has borne witness to the achievements and events of the world’s most powerful human beings – from Lennon to Lenin.

Mel Torme – A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square

This hugely evocative and romantic song describes a time, a place and finally two people enraptured with each other. The Phantom, above all other cars, has always possessed the warmth and charm that resonates with those who see themselves on a similar stage. Through the imposing formality of Phantom, one has to cater for those moments when it serves a purpose well beyond mobility. I consider it the most charming carriage that money can buy or you can share with another person.

Gustav Holst – Venus, from The Planets

This beautifully arranged violin piece stirs great emotion while traversing between a sense of elegant delicacy and powerful gravitas. Both of these values are captured in the new Phantom in a typical Rolls-Royce way – a sense of predestined stoicism, offset by a lightness of touch which is there to both intrigue and delight. Your choice of colour and the setting will undoubtedly amplify the elements you most engage with personally. When Phantom passes, you should not only remember it but be affected by its presence.

Frank Sinatra – One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)

This sultry soliloquy describes an emotion that is almost touchable and for me summons a cold winter’s evening in New York City. Frank Sinatra’s voice captures a glamour that links the mood to the Hollywood of the 1950s. I enjoy the sense that the piano is just over in the corner and from the back seat of Phantom, you really are listening to him sitting next to you at the bar. There is a sense of timelessness with this track and I enjoy stepping back in time to retrieve an element of nostalgia.