Matthew McConaughey has discussed the songs that have shaped his life, describing how music has prompted family memories, film associations and unusual personal journeys. Most notably, Ali Farka Touré’s “Ai Du” inspired him to travel through Mali without a return ticket to find the musician, an experience he calls the most important trip of his life.

Other selections recall moments with his father and brother, including Tears for Fears, Paul Simon, John Mellencamp and AC/DC. U2’s *Rattle and Hum* accompanied his year as an exchange student in rural Australia, while Steve Miller Band’s “Take the Money and Run” reminds him of *Raising Arizona*; he says music has repeatedly taken him “to the ends of the Earth”.