News on the economy seems to be getting worse by the day. It’s enough to make a person stock up on cash and valuables. Or at least sing about it.

T-Bone Burnett “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” (Marilyn Monroe)
T-Bone Burnett not only has a very cool name (how exactly does one get the nickname T-Bone?), he has gained a measure of fame for putting together the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou? But I think he’s criminally underappreciated as a songwriter and performer.

I know that Carol Channing recorded the song first, but Marilyn Monroe is the singer people think of when they think of this song.

The Flying Lizards “Money (That’s What I Want)” (Barrett Strong)
There’s something really obnoxious about this song, but I can’t put my finger on it. Is it the relentless cheesy drum machine? The flat emotionless singing? The burbling synthesizer? The possibilities are almost endless.

Larry Washington & Christoph Bull “Diamonds Are Forever” (Shirley Bassey)
The singer sounds like she’s got some sort of weird sexual relationship with her diamonds that I’d rather not know about.

Chug “Money Money Money” (ABBA)
I was going to do a post of ABBA covers a couple of months ago and never got around to it. So here’s a song from an ABBA tribute album that Flying Nun Records put out a couple of years ago.

Lora Munro “Big Spender” (from the musical Sweet Charity)
The big brassy goldigger number hits the dance floor.