Three under the tree, Day 26

As promised, we’ve put three under the tree to fulfill some of your requests.

“Santa Baby,” Eartha Kitt, 1953, available on the “Elf” soundtrack, 2003. As are a bunch of other swell Christmas tunes by Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Brian Setzer, Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel. A delightful collection. “Santa Baby” also is available on “Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits: 1935-1954.”

We got more than one request for this naughty Christmas tune, including one from the lovely Janet. We’re celebrating our 30th Christmas together.

Update, three days later: Eartha Kitt died on Christmas Day. She was 81. Here is a wonderful story about lunch with Miss Kitt from the Washington Post, an appreciation of her life from the Chicago Tribune and a photo gallery from the Los Angeles Times.

“I Believe In Father Christmas,” Emerson, Lake and Palmer, 1974, from “A Rock ‘N” Roll Christmas,” 1995. It’s out of print but is available digitally.

Our old pal Hose asked for this one. I’m not sure whether this is Greg Lake’s original solo version or a subsequent version with the band. It’s billed this way on the CD, so there you go.

The Hose also asked for “Deck The Halls With Boston Charlie,” a jazz spoof done by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross in the late ’50s or early ’60s. I don’t have it, but our friends over at Star Maker Machine posted that last week.

“Merry Christmas Baby,” Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, 1980, from “A Very Special Christmas,” 1987. Recorded live on Dec. 31, 1980, at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

Our old pal Doug earlier requested “Christmas In Hollis” by Run-D.M.C. from this album, which we delivered on Day 19. He also requested “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by U2 from this album. Doug explains:

“You probably are aware that all of these songs are found on Vol. 1 of ‘A Very Special Christmas,’ the first in the series (benefitting) Special Olympics. It is played each and every Christmas morning in (our) household when opening presents.”

Well, for a tradition like that, I think we can grant Doug a second request.

Speaking of “A Very Special Christmas” — an album I got from my sister-in-law, who teaches physical education for special education kids — it’s become the standard aganst which all contemporary Christmas rock compilations are judged. Few measure up. Certainly not any in the rest of the “Very Special Christmas” series, even though they have their moments.

This is the fourth time this year we’ve hit up “A Very Special Christmas” for a tune. We easily could have grabbed three or four more tunes. Yeah, you hear it a lot, but it’s that good.