In the introductory post, I mentioned that classics should lightly be sprinkled in. Of course, they don’t all have to be the obvious choices either, as today’s selection shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2fK91-ztPM

Honey & the Bees were a Philadelphia-based group that recorded on the famous Chess label in the ’60s and early ’70s. They never made a huge mark, but their talent was obvious, as “Jing Jing a Ling” shows. It’s a simpler song, but it works, and the beauty of the music and the vocals secure a spot on the playlist.

I heard this play in a store years ago, and it took quite some time to track it down; the song has popped up on a few collections but it took some work to get ahold of it. Sometimes I think the effort of tracking down a song that’s lodged in your head causes it to stick with you longer.

Additional listening

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVTz69PHLpU

Obviously much more known and from roughly the same era, Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is such a beautiful song, and has become a tradition in its own right thanks to David Letterman having her on the show annually over the past 25 years. I got to see her perform live as part of the “Hairspray” cast a few years ago, and it remains a cherished memory.  Letterman’s team put out a video that edited together her performances over the years, which is pretty awesome in its own right:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfH3W-DtDQY