Darlene Love "Christmas (Baby ... )" Collection on Letterman, 1986-2014 (st.)
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- Darlene Love performed her 1963 single, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," twenty-one times on Dave's shows. The first was on Late Night in 1986. The remaining twenty were on Late Show, every year from 1994 until 2014.*
*Except for 2007, when there were no new shows due to the months-long writers strike. In 1993, the first Late Show Christmas holiday song honors went to Andy Williams, who performed "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year."
Here are all of Darlene's Late Night and Late Show performances. Note that the key was lowered from E on Late Night to D to C, and, in several performances, to B, on Late Show as the years rolled by, reflecting the natural deepening in a remarkable artist's vocal range.
The story begins in early 1984, when the musical production "Leader of the Pack" debuted at The Bottom Line in New York City on Friday, January 20. It was conceived and produced by songwriter Ellie Greenwich, and it starred Karla De Vito, Rory Dodd, Ula Hedwig, Bobby Jay, Darlene Love, and Hank Martin. Jimmy Vivino was the show's musical conductor and arranger. Paul Shaffer served as musical consultant.
The show ran for just two nights, closing on Saturday, January 21. It was revived for an extended run on April 27 and, after a few "special return engagements," it ended up playing a full month until May 27. The cast was larger, now consisting of Ellie Greenwich, Jon Fiore, Annie Golden, Ula Hedwig, Bobby Jay, Darlene Love, Peter Neptune, Pattie Darcy, Chrissy Faith, Charles Pistone, and Paul Shaffer, who portrayed Phil Spector and again served as musical consultant. The musical conductor and arranger was again Jimmy Vivino, and the assistant vocal arranger was Marc Shaiman.
It was on Thursday, May 10, when Dave and most of the Late Night staff saw the show, and it was the first time Dave had heard Darlene sing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."
The following year, the production then moved to the Ambassador Theatre, premiering on April 8, 1985.** Among the cast members were Ellie Greenwich, Darlene Love, Annie Golden, and Jasmine Guy. Again conducted by Jimmy Vivino. Paul was not involved in this production.
**I uploaded a tv ad for this production here: • Leader of the Pack com...
The videos.
Late Night:
0. Brief clips from Late Night on Paul's involvement with "Leader of the Pack": April 26, May 3, 7, and 24, 1984; and then December 10, 1986, when Dave asked Paul about the song the band had just played during the show's first break. After identifying the song and the singer, Paul then suggested that Darlene Love herself should come perform it on the show.
1. December 16, 1986. Six days later, Darlene performed the song for the first and only time on Late Night.
Late Show:
2. December 23, 1994. Plus "A Fine Fine Boy" during the break.
3. December 22, 1995.
4. December 20, 1996. Plus a dash of "Da Do Ron Ron" during the break.
5. December 23, 1997.
6. December 23, 1998.
7. December 23, 1999.
8. December 19, 2000.
9. December 19, 2001.
10. December 20, 2002.
11. December 23, 2003.
12. December 23, 2004.
13. December 23, 2005.
14. December 22, 2006.
--. 2007 writers strike
15. December 23, 2008.
16. December 23, 2009.
17. December 23, 2010.
18. December 23, 2011.
19. December 21, 2012. The first year with Aaron Heick succeeding Bruce Kapler on baritone saxophone.
20. December 20, 2013.
21. December 19, 2014.
Bonus clip: "The Making of 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).'" Prepared as a Late Show web exclusive in December 2011, it was updated shortly before the show ended in May 2015. Included here is the updated version.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Don Giller- most other references say that Darlene Love sang this on Letterman 28 times, not 21. Could you please cite your source.
My source is this video collection and the description therein. All claims otherwise are inaccurate. In fact, I prepared this collection to set the record straight.
Love did _not_ perform this song on Dave’s shows in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993. And 2007, due to the Writers Strike.
Asking me to prove this is asking me to prove a negative. The burden of proof is on the party claiming the number you cite, and videos and/or documentation of such claimed performances would do that. But there are no videos nor any documentation, because there were no performances.
I have every Late Night and Late Show, along with comprehensive databases and logs of both. I suppose I could upload every show, establishing that no such performances exist, but life is short. I’ll stand by my data, videos, extensive knowledge of Dave’s shows, and established credibility. If you’re interested, read the various references cited on my RUclips About page.
@@dongiller - thanks for the feedback. Sad that most of the other tallies are in error.
@@donabel1273 They all originate with Darlene Love. As lovely and gracious she is, her memory, not that accurate.
@@dongiller Don, many thanks for all this work and time you have spent. As a long time Dave fan, I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of these episodes. I do have 1 ?, did you used to work for Dave? You are a great keeper of Dave's legacy. 👍
@@alanriley9621 First, thanks!! Second, no, never worked for Dave. Just a fan with too much time on my hands. :)
PRECIOUS! National Treasure!!!
It's just not Christmas without this.
GTOger - You got that right!
After this show ended, she would sing it in the view.......
I agree
Not for me!
You got that right. She's been doing the song on Letterman show since 80's..Until Dave retired. She had said she wouldn't be doing this song after Dave retired. What a great powerful voice she still has well into her upper 70's. 🤔Love it. Merry Christmas
Darlene Love really didn't get the recognition she deserved
For those who missed it, Paul, Darlene, and David had a reunion christmas 2023, first time since 2014, and they sang it again. It's on Letterman's official RUclips channel. It was so amazing to see them together again.
Wasn't that on the Barbara Gaines show?
It was fun to watch. There's also a 2024 Jimmy Fallon version w/Lil Steven's band & Paul on keys. Imho it's the best version since Dave’s shows.
In that first interview he left her seated and went 😮
She changed completely her look the second show.
Wow Wow Wow - I think she just go BETTER!
Every year, every version just keeps getting better and better. That is true star power. Darlene Love is just kicking it.
The way this woman sings seriously brings tears to my eyes. I can't even explain why. She performs with so much soul and passion. Truly amazing.
So I'm not the only one with wet eyes?
Christmas is for everyone whether he is White - Black- Brown- Yellow or Red. Merry Christmas to all Christians in the World. Greetings from Croatia.
I kind of get emotional about the song and how she still sings it even if she’s growing older.
Same. One song that gets me during this wretched season
Same here. I still get goose bumps hearing this. I'm 73 and go back to 9th grade with her.
can't say that I spilled a tear but boy I came damn close! haha
Same here
One.of.phil.spectors.top.singers
Sang.original.hes.a.rebel
2004 was a highlight for me seeing Ellie Greenwich who wrote this song singing in the backing group.
Who EVER you are who posted this incredible compilation, God love ya!!! THIS is something I've ALWAYS wanted!
I lz YES!! Got to have Ms Love singing this song blasting in my house..couldn't blast it right now at 1:00am though later.. : ) Peace and have a joy-filled loving New Year!
Amen...this is pure gold!
I certainly agree with you! What a gift for all of her fans! B
Same here
Too good for words -- listened to half, will be back tmrw to finish. THANK YOU DON G!!!
I could listen to Darlene all night.
It's a great Christmas song by a fabulous vocalist. As I grow older It's sadder because it evokes memories of people I have loved that passed away.
And I wish they could come back home for one more Christmas.
There is Only One Darlene Love, and she has always been this good!
1986 , and I was watching this show live. This is Darlene Love. One of the most incredible voices ever.
She is so beautiful and what a voice. I love Paul Shaffer and miss Letterman so much. Love love this.
Late night talk shows died when Dave retired and Darlene Love made this my favorite Christmas song.
Same here
This show was part of my Christmas tradition. Miss it so much…
Love Darlene Love, Paul Shafer, and David Letterman. Dave was the best!!!!! My favorite Christmas song 🎵 💕 ❤️
THIS is music history - A beautiful slice of american life.
I was friends with a number of players in that band. They would speak of her as if she were a goddess. They adored her musicianship. These guys got all the studio gigs. They didn’t talk about it, in the sense that they were “the cats” and others were not “the cats.” But to hear their excitement every year. They were like little kids.
Well, this just makes my day! Thanks
From her very first note in 1986, she was crushing it, and she immediately elevated the energy and performance of the entire band to an amazing level. #Goddess
Thanks for the interesting info!
It does not get any better than this.
This was a wonderful tradition in my home! I miss Darlene Love at Christmas and David Letterman always!! ❤️
So do I !! I miss Letterman, Ferguson, !!!
As a dedicated Letterman fan, I looked forward to hearing Darlene Love every year. I miss Letterman a lot!
Oh the music that rang out from that studio! Paul Shaffer and all of those fabulously gifted musicians backing Darlene Love! Love how the arrangements grew each year!!
One of the truly great pop voices if not the BEST !!!! Fabulous lady who I have admired since 1962 !!
What a voice. I adore this girl.
Wonderful song sung by an amazing woman Darlene Love with a fantastic voice. Christmas is perfect with this song
I agree
She is a force of nature.
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE TALENT AND WOMAN FELL IN LOVE WITH HER WHEN I WAS IN 6TH GRADE 1963
Fantastic! I can’t believe I just watched the entire two hours start to finish. I saw Darlene in concert six years ago and she was simply incredible.
My favourite: the 1999 performance with the Highbridge Youth Voices choir.
We never managed to get Letterman on mainstream TV in the UK and missed this, but thank you for posting this. Surely THE Greatest Christmas song ever, and what a fantastic voice Darlene has, one of the true greats. No miming or lip-synching here, some of the young pretenders would do well to watch these masterpieces.
Totally Agree!!
Wow! Soo Sooooo Sooooooooo Awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I keep going "Well, THAT's the best one!" over and over again ;>)
Still have a VHS tape of 12 of these performances......still
an amazing accomplishment by "the cats" EVERY year.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!
It isn’t Christmas until I listen to Darlene and Paul. Thank you, thank you.
Same here
Wow 1995 she was really on top of her game. The energy and the jazz was next level. Awesome performance.
Thank you, Don. You made my Christmas.
The one thing I looked forward to each Christmas season on Letterman was Darleans appearance, loved it.
Same here
Me too Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄
@@kirby711 a BIG MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄 to you as well Michele
*Darlene's
@@annehajdu8654 DARLENES WHAT ??????
Classy lady every time on Letterman..no.one comes close..voice get better and better!
My wife an I followed this through the years, she past in 2009 this will always have a special place in my heart.
Sorry for your loss. Kudos for your excellent taste in music!
Incredible! She’s amazing!
Just found this treasure ! TY for posting this compilation. . Darlene Love is such an amazing artist & I remember waiting impatiently each year for the Letterman Christmas special. Just recently discovered that the original 1964 recording by Phil Specter included "LEON RUSSELL" on piano. Darlene was quoted as saying that "Leon played that piano like a man possessed & it was like a concerto. Leon played himself right off the piano bench into the floor & kept right on playing." Just made my whole year !!!!!
Fascinating to hear the key changes over the years. Love you, Darlene. You own this song.
The absolute Best compilation EVER!
TYOU Very Much
2021
By far one of my favorite Christmas songs. This compilation made my whole year...especially after the kind of year we had.
💝💝💝💝
Temptations Christmas songs
😭😭 Sittin here in 2023. Hell yea, I know how tha world used ta be. In this time they tryin to make the Love not flow. But we got recordings from Letterman Late Night Show! Darlene poured her Love for 21years of Great! Positive proof of how the world rolled without such hate. Remembering how it was could drown me in tears, but this Beautiful compilation removes all fears!! Darlene Love and David Letterman did a magic trick, left evidence. This planet weren't always sick. They've released Thee Love the world once knew. Now Joy and Peace, I call on you. Christmas, Baby, Please come home!!!
Peace and Joy please touch us. Mostly we feeling ALONE!
The world we grew in left so fast.
We built this M.F. now it say "kiss my azz"?
Peace and Joy, Please, Come back.
We in dire need of a major LOVE ATTACK!!!
Merry Christmas, YOU!
To be clear, 21 years total, not 28.
@@dongiller Thanks, I'll edit my comment. Never was good at maths. Thank you for this incredible collection. A fantastic job you've done. Feels like a gift. Thanks for Thee Love! Merry Christmas
@@noneone2u Not your fault; as fantastic as she is, Darlene has been claiming 28 consecutive years forever, when it’s just not true.
"Fixed the newel post".
I don't understand how no one is ever standing when she is done singing. You got into this show for free, and this is the best live performance you've ever seen...stand up and clap
I love how this started out as just Darlene and the band, and evolved into an all-out production number as the years went by. Thank you for such a wonderful compilation showcasing Ms. Love’s talent.
Thanks a lot!❤
I've just discovered this incredible song at the end of a not so good movie, ( Carry -on) and I got in love with it and her incredible voice.
And now i found this true jewel. 💎
Muchas gracias.
Thanks form México City.
The Great Darlene Love, Goddess of Girl Groups, Belter Extraordinaraire, Still At It At Eighty Years Old, two glorious hours of a decade and a half of the One True Christmas Song. This is EPIC. Thank you.
For all the young viewers..this is called talent.
the best christmas song of all time fight with the wall if you disagree
Btw, Don- not my first time watching this, but Thank You again for it, and fir including the clips with Dave and Paul leading up to it.
Nobody sang it like her...Nobody !! She was the Best !
Still is
Man, this an awesome collection! Just beautiful!
What a singer! Always gave all she had. The smiles on the faces of the backup singers say it all!
When she first did this song in 1986, it was just the four piece band backing her up, so Sid and Will served as backing vocalists, but as the arrangements got just about as grandiose as Spector's Wall of Sound, they provided her with some, and even a full choir from a branch of the military.
@@jnadle1 - AGELESS!!! In all ways!
Don Giller, you are the man. December 22, 1995 is legendary!
Oh boy Don! I'm a grumpy ol man and whether I wanted it or not, this collection put me into the spirit!
BONUS: "Hey, isn't that Sgt Murtaugh's wife?".
Merry Christmas!
Beautiful collection. I'm so thankful.❤
Words can’t express how much I love this! I never missed her on Letterman!
She's almost 80 and is still so powerful....saw her last year with Dionne Warwick..Dionne was 79 and Darlene was 78...both were awesome! It wasn't Christmas music, but I did get to see Darlene a few times with Ronnie Spector at Christmas time....they were great!
Truly, this song IS Christmas to me.
I always like seeing Paul Shaffer go nuts on the piano.
The one thing I miss besides Dave, is Darlene Love singing Baby Please Come Home. I am so glad I found this compilation Wonderful!!!!
This site popped up after I watched Darlene Love's performance from the Tonight Show again online. So glad she's back on a late night show & glad I saw this--WONDERFUL! She still looks great & sounds great, as always. Watching all of these annual appearances flash by emphasizes how fast time flies. I was around when this song first came out; hope to continue to hear her belt it out for many years to come! ❤
BEST video on RUclips
Thanks Don, can't Thank -You enough !!!
Darlene Love, a National Treasure, it's "NOT" Christmas
until the band, Paul, and Darlene ask us to "PLEASE COME HOME"
Luv always Ladies & Gentlemen < Happy Holidays > 🎄💖🎶
p.s. the one night each year I made sure I was at home,
tuned into the "LATE SHOW" starring David Letterman.
Thanks Dave, for all the Years of Joy & Happiness
One beautiful lady! Loved watching her every year!
this is really one of the hidden gems of youtube - bravo to whomever posted this!
Thanks!
Now that's how to sing a song, with pure JOY!
Yes I agree 👍💯
It's never Xmas until Darlene does it!! And OH how she does it!! 4:30am Xmas 2021 morning in
Sydney and I'm only halfway thru it 🎄😊🙋♀️👌🎅
It’s cool to see how the production evolved from the very simple concept of the 1986 appearance… the one constant is that AMAZING voice!!!!😎
This video is out of sight, out of this world with Darlene and put together
by Don Giller.....Just great. Thanks!
This Is Fantastic! And By Far The Very Best Compulation Of Darlene Loves Christmas Song
At The David Letterman Show! Who ever shared this,
I Thank You For Sharing This On RUclips, I give you a handshake 😀 and if you're a woman a cheak kiss😁
It's only mid Oct. 2024: happy thanks giving!! and A Little early wishing,,
Marry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2025 and I hope for Peace to all nations on planet Earth,,
I know, in my wildest dreams!
❤ or 💙
Love you
Darlene Love🥰
Love this, love Darlene, love Dave, love Paul, love the backups! Just not Christmas without watching this multiple times!
Time to start watching this constantly again
Sweet - Nothing beats Darlene Love at Christmas time.
Watching the 1st one and then the last, just incredible how the production has changed.
Tears of joy. Thank you. My holiday tradition. Love you Darlene.
For as long as this video stays up, I will now have a new Christmas Tradition!
What an incredible collection of brilliance, Don Giller. Thank you for sharing, I appreciate your dedication. Darlene Love is one of the all-time great voices of rock and roll, and her Letterman appearances cemented her place in essential pop culture history. Thanks again. All the best & Merry Christmas.
Just goes to show how "practise makes perfect" - 28 years and they damn near got it. As Paul himself said - "you can't improve on perfection" - but man did they get close. Still miss this annual spectacular!
To clarify, 21 performances spanning 29 years.
For me, when I see this, it's officially Christmas
Made my day , my week , my December
Thank you Don for loading this collection of a truly great artist Darlene Love
Thanks, Frances!
Wow, Roberta Flack, Phoebe Snow and Cissy Houston as the backup group in 1998! Annie Golden the backup singer who Paul introduces in the video at the end, was a lead singer in the punk band the Shirts at CBGB's back in the 70's. A lot of musical history in this package.
Annie was also lead vocalist for a band called Ten Wheel Drive in the early ‘70s. Its trombonist: Tom Malone.
Annie also sang with The Rascals.
Now it's definitely Christmas for me now after seeing all the great Christmas performances by the beautiful gorgeous Darlene love once again thank you
1995 is definitely the best year!
2005 when Bruce the sax player came down on wire from the ceiling #1
2014 good too
2001 since I was born in 2001.
I love this woman!!!!!
This is really amazing
THE Queen of Christmas! 👑 ❤🎉
Darlene fucking rocks! She pulls the old heart strings! Keep on singing girl!! I will keep on listening!
For me, it’s the 1995 version (16:00). They are all great, but that particular one, she is absolutely stellar! She takes me to church. I just love it. ❤
Christmas treasure. Could never thank you enough Don. Oh, and I can't wait for the 12/19/24 B.G show.
Wow what a performer !!
As good as it gets!!!!
Best live rock and roll performance on TV each year they performed it.
Darlene Love has just the most talented voice, I loved the
Blossoms songs from back in the day! If you ever hear Darlene Love!!!!! She is Miss Christmas to me singing at Christmas. Darlene was such a voice, 60 years later I can still hear that voice in my head. Just love Darlene and she loved the music she sang.
So many delightful looks and performances from this fabulous one woman wall of sound. Thanks to Darlene Love and David Letterman for brightening my Christmas for so many years!
I will NEVER get tired of this!
Thanks for posting this
what an epic christmas song
Beautiful Lady beautiful song Christmas time doesn’t get any better than this
Sweet Lord! Miss Love takes it to church every year? Especially the 1999 performance. And 1998 the city, Roberta and Phoebe! OMG! YES!