Ten rubies on wax cylinder...
10. The Osborne Brothers - Ruby (Are You Mad?)
Featuring some mighty fine banjo picking.
9. Marty Robbins - Ruby Ann
Ain't true love a funny thing?
8. Foster The People - Ruby
An early FTP track, from before their pumped-up success, released as part of Record Store Day 2012.
7. Bic Runga - Ruby Nights
A haunting story of lost love from the New Zealand chanteuse.
6. Foxboro Hot Tubs - Ruby Room
A Green Day side-project that sounds suspiciously like... Green Day. Nothing wrong with that.
5. Tom Waits - Ruby's Arms
Tom does a Bill Bixby...
The only thing I'm taking is the scarf off of your clothesline4. Donald Fagen - Ruby Baby
I'll hurry past your chest of drawers
And your broken wind chimes as I say goodbye
I'll say goodbye, say goodbye to Ruby's arms...
From the amazing album 'The Nightfly', the best thing to come out of Steely Dan breaking up in the 80s.
3. Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby
The Leeds' lads biggest hit: it seems so long ago. I saw Ricky Wilson in the remake of Jeff Wayne's War of the World stage show just before Christmas. He was the best thing in it... except for Liam Neeson (via hologram) and Jason Donovan. Marty Pellow was awful though.
2. The Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday
I know, I know. You really thought this would be Number One, didn't you? It's a lovely song. There's no denying that. But it doesn't quite do it for me like...
1. Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town
Back from Vietnam, a paralyzed vet finds it hard to readjust to home life... especially when his wife is finding solace in the arms of other men.
Those of you who don't find this heartbreaking: check you've still got one to break.
Originally recorded by Johnny Darrell. Also memorably covered by (among others) The Killers, Carl Perkins, Cake and Leonard Nimoy. Yes, I said Leonard Nimoy.
Those were my Top Ten Rubies... which sparkles brightest for you?
