Santa Baby - Cynthia Basinet

I had to relearn something today: I always thought this version of Santa Baby was by Marilyn Monroe. My bad! Actually, Cynthia Basinet recorded it in 1997 as a gift for Jack Nicholson but somehow the rest of the world still credited Monroe. I wonder if this works to Basinet's advantage or whether it is just annoying?

This is a perfect song for Christmas Eve. After all, a girl's gotta dream, right? There are other less tolerable versions of Santa Baby which try to go for the cutesy pie appeal but they fall short of Basinet's smooth style and classy vocals. See what you think:

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl

As clichéd as this song has become in bars and Irish pubs around the world, Fairytale of New York by The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl is essentially a bittersweet love song with something for everyone: hope, cheap romance and passion, as well as drunkenness, naughty words and insults for the boys to chuckle at. A working class immigrant couple down on their luck are plagued by alcoholism and drug addiction before being swallowed up by the big apple itself ... dreams are crushed and reality bites. All good Christmas themes, right? ;-)

Murder on the Dancefloor - Sophie Ellis Bextor

Here's an earworm that has followed me around for years: Murder on the Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis Bextor. When I was backpacking around Italy back during 2002, there was a café that offered everyone staying at our hostel a daily breakfast deal. It was quite a trendy place and I'd start each morning in Rome with a strong coffee (standing up!) and pastry, contemplating the day ahead. Only a few of the staff spoke English so I was pretty much immersed in standard Italian each morning. It was a great way to rekindle the little Italian I remembered from my childhood.

I was always amused to hear English speaking songs dubbed into different languages. In nightclubs, the guys  singing along in English thought that made them god's gift to you. This song was playing on high rotate (in English) throughout Europe at the time and I could guarantee it would be playing every single morning in that trendy café. Just hearing it now instantly transports me back there - good times when I'd plan my day of sightseeing before setting off through the streets of Rome, assured that the very next morning, Sophie Ellis Bextor would be ready to greet me with a coffee once again.

Make Yourself Comfortable - Sarah Vaughan

A few years ago, I went through a phase of exploring the great female jazz singers. This was initially kicked off by the Lady Sings the Blues compilations released around 2004 but led me to uncover some absolute gems and my CD began to grow substantially. I converged on a few favourite artists and completely fell in love with the smooth, sophisticated sound of Sarah Vaughan.

Make Yourself Comfortable was released in 1954. It's both brazen and sassy, something which Vaughan can pull off in elegant style while still leaving the listener with a raised eyebrow. This is a woman on a mission. She has planned her romantic encounter down to the last detail and is not leaving anything to chance. This was pretty bold for the time; reputable women just didn't behave like that back then! I love the dual vocal parts during the chorus - two perfectly formed harmonies which also independently stand up for themselves. Mmmmm ...

Rolling in the Deep - Adele

Today's song is more of an earworm than a favourite, although I am growing increasingly fond of it. I have had Rolling in the Deep by Adele on high rotate in my head this morning, probably because 21 is the current album in my car's CD player. It is a poignant breakup album with soaring emotions set to a quality soundtrack but without the anger and bitterness of Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill.

Adele's sound is unique and I hope it remains that way. Even at just 21, she already shows excellent mastery of her voice as an instrument. Personally, I think Adele is still too young to have her style categorised, even though labels like soul, blues and country roots have been applied. While she credits the late Amy Winehouse with helping to make her style of vocals acceptable, she is thankfully not another Amy but is certainly an artist to watch in the next few years.

The Ballad of Lucy Jordan - Marianne Faithfull

At a social function the other day, a workmate commented that "at the age of 47" he had his first child. "Isn't that a song?" someone asked, half in jest. She was out by ten years but, in amongst all the blank stares, we shared a sly smile; I knew exactly what she meant.

Written by Shel Silverstein and originally recorded by Dr Hook, I love Marianne Faithfull's 1979 take on The Ballad of Lucy Jordan. This haunting song is so very different to almost any other that I like and I was hooked (pardon the pun) the very first time I heard it; it was appealing and grotesque all at the same time. Faithfull's voice broke at the most crucial parts and the unusual instrumentation leave an air of mystery about this song. I wonder how many housewives can relate to the lyrics and have dreamed similar dreams of escape for themselves?

At the age of 37, she realised she'd never ride
Through Paris in a sports car with the warm wind in her hair

What happened to Lucy Jordan? The unfinished cadence leaves open endless possibilities. Did she actually jump from that rooftop? Was her eventual ride through Paris in a sports car actually a hearse? (I know it wasn't, but the question remains). Did the stranger that helped her down and release her back to the very life she'd been trying to escape, or was she about to start another life sentence altogether?

Lucy eventually got her ride through Paris in a sports car with the warm wind in her hair, but it remained in her imagination. Tragic, haunting and ever so poignant.