Music Mondays: "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" by Doris Day

"If you can't make your mind up, we'll never get started." -- Doris Day

Last week's post about Sinatra got me thinking about ballroom dancing and Strictly Ballroom, which is such a very hot movie. I thought I'd cheat a bit by including one of the iconic clips--the scene in which Fran and Scott dance to Doris Day's performance of Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.

If you leave aside the hotness of the scene, the song is still quite a flirty thing. Day's teasing tone reaches iconic levels.

For an interesting male contrast, check out Cake's version of the same song.

Music Mondays: "The Best Is Yet To Come" by Frank Sinatra

"You think you've flown before--baby, you ain't left the ground." -- Frank Sinatra

I try to represent a wide variety of sexy music for Music Mondays, and this one is a classic. Frank Sinatra's "The Best Is Yet To Come" is so hot it should have been illegal.

Listen to that smooth, secret agent riff, and the way it changes along with the urgency of the song. Catch the innuendo of the lyrics, and Sinatra's tone when he says, "I'm gonna make you mine."

This song is all confident sexiness, made for leading someone around on a dance floor and seducing the clothes right off him or her.

Music Mondays: "Heart Skipped a Beat" by The XX

"Please don't say we're done when I'm not finished--I could give so much more." -- The XX

Heart Skipped a Beat by The XX is probably one of the best breakup songs of recent memory. I love the band's spare sound, and the raw, honest emotion of the lyrics.

I love the line I quoted at the top of the post. Direct, heartfelt, and absolutely true to the feeling of having to let go of a lover before you're ready.

This album, by the way, is on my top 10 sexiest of all time. Put it on, get in bed, and you'll see. I'll definitely post more songs from it in the future.

Music Mondays: "Angel" by Massive Attack

"Her eyes--she's on the dark side. Neutralize every man in sight." -- Massive Attack

Could anything be sexier than the beat to Massive Attack's Angel? It's such a perfect replica of the dark, buzzing tension of desire.

I particularly love the way the sound rises when the narrator repeats "love you, love you, love you, love you, love you...."

As a side note, it's interesting that there are no women in the video, and that the images portrayed suggest violence about to bubble over rather than sex.

Music Mondays: "I Quit Girls" by Japandroids

"If you're lucky, on the seventh day, she'll wear nothing." -- Japandroids

I fell under the spell of the Japandroids' I Quit Girls in the winter of 2009. I love wistful songs, and this is one of the best--the stripped-down sound of the lonely guitar, the noise, and the weak voice.

The lyrics are mysterious, but what's clear is that this girl has marked the narrator. He's never been able to move on. This song is the theme for my character Leonora, in my book The Six Swans.