The singer received assistance from Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul and Paul Shaffer
Darlene Love brought some festive cheer to The Tonight Show by performing her holiday classic “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul and Paul Shaffer joined the singer, with Paul Shaffer playing the grand piano for the rousing rendition of the 1962 hit.
Love initially recorded “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” for the 1963 compilation album A Christmas Gift for You From Philles Records (also known as A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector), which was produced by Phil Spector. Cher provided background vocals on the song and later covered it herself last year. Cher’s version, featuring Love, was included on her LP, Christmas.
Last year, Love spoke with Rolling Stone about recording both the original and new versions of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” and how the two singers developed a lifelong friendship after that initial recording session together.
“Sonny Bono was working for [Phil] Spector at that time,” Love recalled. “He was one of those guys who would fetch whatever Phil needed. We used to call him ‘The Gopher.’ And then one day, he brought this girl to the session. She was very quiet, very humble, very shy. I asked, ‘Sonny, who is that?’ He replied, ‘This is Cher. This is my new girlfriend.’ She was just 17 years old.”
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Love shared her experience of reuniting with Cher for the new version, saying, “The whole process only took an hour. They simply wanted me to sing it the way I do when I perform it live, which was amazing. We nailed it in just four takes. They said, ‘That’s perfect. We have what we need.’ I had no idea what they would do with it until I heard the final product, but we sing the verses together in unison. I was pleasantly surprised by how fantastic it turned out.”
In November, Love and Cher performed a duet of the track at the annual Rockefeller Center tree lighting. That same month, U2 presented their own rendition at Las Vegas’ Sphere, performing the yuletide classic for the first time in nearly 36 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What inspired Darlene Love to record “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”?
A: Darlene Love was inspired by the holiday spirit and wanted to create a timeless classic that would resonate with audiences for generations to come.
Q: How did the collaboration with Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul come about?
A: Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul were fans of Darlene Love and her music, and they were thrilled to join her for a special performance on The Tonight Show.
Credit: www.rollingstone.com
