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.

Thanks to Chris Salmon for the nice mention in The Guardian.

I can’t dance but I adore a nice tango. Something about the exotic rhythm speaks to the lizard part of my brain.

Cristina “Ballad Of Immoral Earnings” (comp. Kurt Weill)
This is the first Kurt Weill song I ever heard. I didn’t know he wrote it, I just thought it was a cool song.

It’s from the Threepenny Opera. Macheath is waxing nostalgic about the good old days when he used to pimp his girlfriend. A way of life then, if not quite the best…

Anita Kelsey “Sway” (Dean Martin)
She’s so very sultry. I’ll sway with you, baby. Anytime, anywhere.

Mandragora Tango Orchestra “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana)
I know, the world doesn’t need another cover of this song. But I’ll post anything that has both accordion and strings.

Ewan McGregor/Jose Feliciano/Jacek Koman “El Tango De Roxanne” (The Police)
I haven’t seen Moulin Rouge, but I really should because it’s got a killer soundtrack. I’m not sure what song Ewan McGregor is singing in the middle of this tune, but it’s mostly the Police song.

Vitamin Lounge “Mr. Crowley” (Ozzy Osbourne)
I went to see Ozzy at the Aragon Ballroom when he was touring to support the Blizzard of Ozz album on which this song originally appeared. Motorhead was the opening act and somebody vomited on my shoe. It’s one of those childhood memories that I’ll always cherish.

I should probably have some grand overarching theme to end the year but I don’t. Life’s like that sometimes.

30 Seconds to Mars “Stronger” (Kanye West)
Being an old white guy, Kanye West is pretty much off my radar. I’ve heard of him and I know he’s from Chicago and that his mother was killed by an incompetent plastic surgeon.

I had never heard any of his music before I found this song, so I downloaded the original to find out if this cover was different enough to post. The cover is almost unrecognizable, which is good because I hated the original.

Tortoise and Bonnie “Prince” Billy “Thunder Road” (Bruce Springsteen)
Bruce Springsteen is another in a long line of popular artists whose appeal has completely eluded me. There are some covers of his songs that I enjoy, like this one. I’ve even considered doing a post of Springsteen covers but I just don’t like him enough.

This is a slow, almost meditative version that puts a lot of emphasis on the lyrics. That’s probably why I like it.

Tricky “Love Cats” (The Cure)
A very slinky, sexy take on a song I never thought I’d ever want to hear again.

Hanson “Never Been To Spain” (Three Dog Night)
I was shocked to hear how loose and funky Hanson could be. Yes, I just used “Hanson” and “funky” in the same sentence. I think that’s one of the signs of the Apocalypse.

The Puppini Sisters “Crazy In Love” (Beyonce Knowles)
Have you ever wondered what it would sound like if the Andrews Sisters worked with Beyonce’s songwriters? Well, now you know. There’s a nice violin solo in there too.

On Thursday I’ll be doing a guest post over at Covering The Mouse. Check it out!

I did a Christmas post last year and it was the least popular post I’ve ever done. I had pretty much decided that I have no feel for Christmas music and wasn’t going to do it this year. Then a song came my way that changed my mind.

Esquivel “White Christmas”
It’s the wacky sort of arrangement you’ve come to expect from my boy Esquivel. From the album Merry Xmas from the Swinging Bachelor Pad.

Hyperbubble “Away In A Manger”
A very funny electronic version of a song that I’ve always heard sung like a funeral dirge.

Rotary Connection “Silent Night Chant”
It’s not all that silent, what with the loud fuzzed-out guitar and the chanting. They sound like the house band on any 70s anti-drug film.

The Odds “We Three Kings”
This is a great modern rock song, regardless of the holiday theme. This is what every Christmas song should sound like.

Ozzy Osbourne and Jessica Simpson “Winter Wonderland”
This is so wrong on so many different levels that I just had to post it. Special thanks to Phoneman Darth for giving me the video that this song comes from. I shudder to think what the rest of this TV Christmas special must have been like.

The older I get, the more I like Prince. He really is a brilliant songwriter, regardless of how weird he may seem. And seriously, Prince is like the boy next door compared to a freakshow like Michael Jackson .

The Art of Noise feat. Tom Jones “Kiss”
You’ve probably heard this one already but it’s a fantastic song. It also introduced Tom Jones to a whole new generation of urban hipsters and started the second phase of his career.

Hindu Love Gods “Raspberry Beret”
The Hindu Love Gods were REM with Warren Zevon singing instead of Michael Stipe. They turn Prince’s little pop tune into a muscular rock song.

Mitch Ryder “When You Were Mine”
This is probably my favorite Prince song. I just love the line about how you didn’t have the decency to change the sheets. I posted the very excellent version of this song by Tegan and Sara back in April, so here’s Mitch Ryder giving it the Detroit rock treatment.

Damien Rice “When Doves Cry”
When you ponder the idea of a medley of “When Doves Cry” and Led Zeppelin’s “Baby I’m Gonna Leave You” it seems completely absurd. But when you hear it, it works perfectly.

Basix With Sopranos From Herning Boys Choir “Purple Rain”
There’s some incredibly pretty singing on this one.