ANNE MARIE TO STEPHEN:

AM: What is your favorite song?

SB: As much as I'd like to say this was close, it really wasn't. And you can thank La Felix for that. I mean, there were so many good songs on this playlist...all the way through. Just amazing. But then I just kept going back to LF and then I was a lost cause. I'm pretty sure when next year's Top Tracks of 2019 comes out, it will be in the top 5 just because of what transpired these last few weeks.

AM: Have you heard any of these tracks before?

SB: Peter Fenn I've heard before and girl in red...love their stuff. Great song. Greater vibe.

AM: What’s your favorite holiday song? What’s mine?

SB: This is going take a minute. It’s a really tough question and I’m trying to squish all of those years of holidays into one answer. First off, I'm going to make an assumption that by "holiday song" you mean one that's Christmas/holiday themed vs songs that I like to listen to during the holidays (because nobody wants me to go down that rabbit hole, especially you). Secondly, because there are so many that I like, I'm going to give you a top 7 based on the feeling/activity I most closely associate them with. In the right moment, each of these can be the perfect song…

#7 - Winding Down the Night

Merry Christmas Darling - The Carpenters

This is one of those songs that snuck up on me over the years, but it's got this perfect balance of slow tempo and optimism. The kids are asleep. You're starting to get presents out, doing a few dishes and putting the finishing touches on the place before tomorrow's chaos begins. Throw this on and you'll see what I mean.

#6 - The Nostalgia

The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole

This makes the list purely because of dad. For as long as I can remember, every time this song came on, I remember him starting to shuffle a little bit more, it's one of the only songs I can ever remember him singing and it puts a little twinkle in his eye that you don't always get to see. And the way it starts off with those strings — I’m immediately ejected from whatever I’m doing at the time and pulled into the song entirely.

#5 - The First Shopping Trip

Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald

This is one of the best holiday season kickoff songs. I always imagine the department stores opening as soon as she starts singing. The for the rest of it, we see all the store staff adjusting their displays, polishing the glass and getting ready for the incoming crowd.

#4 - The Groove

Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses

One of my favorite things about this song is the percussion. Yes, it's got an up-tempo beat but it also skips/alternates in bpm a few times quickly that makes it just right for me. Also, every time I hear it, I imagine you or Erin starting to bop around and bring a little extra joy into the room.

#3 - The Car Ride

What Christmas Means to Me - Stevie Wonder

We all meet up. Maybe we’ve picked up someone from the airport. This is the first thing we put on. The energy is high. I hear sleigh bells. It's on!

#2 - The Slow Dance

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - She & Him

At some point, probably surrounded by loud noises and crazy family, this song will come on. You'll look over at your partner and find your way to the makeshift dance floor. For the next 3 minutes and 42 seconds, everything else will fade away and you'll just shuffle slowly together. You won't say a word, but you'll know that it's your way of saying to each other, "I haven't forgotten about you." 

#1 - The Emotion

Cantique de noel - Andrea Bocelli

This one is hard to beat. The song alone is a powerhouse ballad. Kelly Clarkson comes in a close second covering this song, but at the end of the day, nothing beats Mr. Bocelli bursting through the rafters towards the end. It's transcendent and impossible (for me) to listen to without thinking about the holidays as so much more than the commercialized version.

Alright, now that that's out of the way, on to your song. If I went by my gut reaction, I'd say Last Christmas by Wham! just because I'm pretty sure I've heard you say it's your favorite in the past, but I'm going to go rogue and instead say Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys. Every time I've been around you when this has come on, you get this childish grin on your face and pull people close almost as if to say, "I have so much Christmas spirit because of this song, that I have to transfer some to you or else I'll burst."

STEPHEN TO ANNE MARIE:

SB: What is your favorite song?

AM: Fruit by Tungz damn near had this one, so did Valley Girl by Neon Valley. Inevitably Only You / Theophilus London feat. Tame Impala took this one. Still haven’t seen Tame live and desperately want to. Hopefully one day soon.

SB: Have you heard any of these tracks before?

AM: Only the legend Quincy Jones.

SB: What is your all-time favorite instrument and why? Bonus if you can share a few songs that feature it.

AM: What an easy question. I’ve got to be part of a very small, cult club of women from all over the world who loves the saxophone above all other instruments. That allure that women usually feel about lead vocalists and guitar players? I feel it when a sax comes on. I don’t know how to answer the ‘why’ part - I just know that I like the way it sounds. In all my years of dating, I’ve dated a few guitar players, still no sax players. How wicked and fickle lady fate can be…

I know I’m a true lover of the saxophone because I don’t discriminate when a sax shows up in different genres. My all time favorite sax player is Stan Getz.

Scrub to 23:30: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z5MdnC54_s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70OuKeCOU5U

Never head anything like it. Listening to him play, I have one of those moments in life where I feel like I’m witnessing someone do the thing they were born to do. It’s like watching old footage of Michael Jordan on the court.

While I love a good jazz sax, I love a sax of any kind. Especially those over the top melodramatic sax solos in late 80’s - early 90’s movies and tv shows. Those have a special place in my heart, too.

I love Raphael Ravenscroft’s solo in Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo6aKnRnBxM

I love Steve Gregory’s solo in George Michael’s Careless Whisper. Incidentally, after years of loving this song I finally watched the video, thanks to your question. Definitely an enjoyable experience that I highly recommend:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izGwDsrQ1eQ

I could go on - let’s just say I’m still waiting for the day I’m sitting at a bar and a gentleman walks up to buy me a drink and when we casually get around to what we each do for a living (hours later) he tells me he plays the sax.