Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) -- Live

[Safeco1999]

The backup singers did an amazing job.

[arhuxtable]

I love this song so much that I cry happy tears. Better than U2's cover.

[gunplaywriter]

Totally awesome! On an unrelated note, she used to date one of the Righteous Brothers, sang backup for Elvis, The Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, and Mamas & Papas.

Was on Ron & Fez show yesterday. Maybe catch her on weekend replay.

[Pedromose]

I thought Mariah Carey's version was the bomb, but this original blows that one out of the water. No comparison; it's not even close.

[CodMaster1024]

it so over the top but she can still sing!! wowow

[wavemaker10111]

I saw her Christmas show a week ago, and she's still just as amazing! She really hasn't lost any of her voice, and the concert was on her 70th birthday!

[blinko656]

How do you keep such a powerful voice for so many years….?? :)

[topmangaz]

She is a Fantastic live singer!

[groovydakota]

Death Cab for Cutie did a good job with it too

[MrSchlah]

Darlene just got better and better every year. I hope Letterman has her on this year. PLEASE DAVE!!!!!

[Koimon21]

My god, one of the best voices I've ever heard

[crazyromanian1]

@Koimon21 Oh yes, way better than the crap that is out there these days.

[nanozith]

This song is amazing! Bright and powerful. Thanks Darlene Love =o)

[videoman271]

Love this song she has an amazing voice

[robinandthe7hoods]

This woman is good!

[boston1925]

An all time favorite on Letterman - I always look forward to seeing Darlene Love perform this song' thanks Dave and Darlene.

[FieldHockey007]

Dayum, that piano guy is really going for it!

[cockneysontour]

Sorry X Factor wannabes. This is a singer not the crap you churn out each week! Listen and learn!!! Best Xmas song ever, great voice.

[Andruiscool]

Darlene is an amazing singer, this is my favorite Christmas song, brilliant

[IfAngelsCouldBurn]

I love it. Thank  you Joe :)

[DooWopJoe]

@IfAngelsCouldBurn

You're welcome. My favorite version of this classic by Darlene.

[MisterCrazyLegs]

I just LOVE this tune....makes me feel good.

[TheJunior5721]

Its it me or she's has gotten lighter over the years, I'm not talking about her hair

at one point I thought she was light skin Black, but look at her at 2004...

[wolfmanrick]

wow wow wow.this woman can sing.

[desert3347]

What I Love About Ms. Love Is That She Always Gives 200 percent!!

Also Notice that Ula Hedwig is one of the Back Up Gals. Also the woman on the Guitar, & the "Organ/Chimes are played by the same Woman.

If I am wrong, let me know.

[skipgrdon]

darlene, yur great, c u tonight on letterman, 12/23/10, merry christmas lady, nobody does it like you

[clarence47a]

Magic....!!

[SVDash]

Folks,

Some clown from Kailua, Hawaii has made a few comments on other YouTube postings IRT Darlene Love~

The postings I've come across in the past few days are extraordinary.

Way to Go!

Stephen. (yeah, yeah - from Kailua!)

[rvictor64]

You did it again DooWoopJoe, another display of talent and classic records from entertainers of our era. Darlene Love was the best of Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound." Each female group that she sang with had big hits, mostly due to her great strong voice. Best Regards, Ron--Highway Stars Magazine

[dandydonaldo]

Greatest Christmas song ever, and Christmas is not complete without my annual "Darlene moment". This was before Bruce Kapler would steal the show with his sax solo.

[RCALennon]

Great!

[TubeNumber1]

Nobody has pipes like Darlene - just awesome!

[gymnastix]

What year was "The Late Show w/David Letterman' episode, from which this clip was taken, first broadcast?

[DooWopJoe]

This was in 1993.

[gymnastix]

Thank you.

You have the distinction , so far, of having the earliest Darlene Love Christmas performance on "The Late Show With David Letterman" uploaded here on You Tube.

I have tried a few searching methods so far, and nothing earlier comes up.

There was only one before this from Letterman's CBS run (1992), and seven previous years of the NBC ("Late Night") run.

[gymnastix]

I find it amazing no one has bothered to upload any NBC episodes.

Surely some people had VCRs and recorded Darlene Love's annual, Christmas gigs on "Late Night With David Letterman," especially after the first, few years, when it had already become a tradition.

Perhaps this posting will spur some uploadings?

After all, I'm sure you wouldn't like to hold onto this record, would yourself like to see more clips from this fine TV tradition, especially the very first, 1985 show with Miss Love.

[DooWopJoe]

Well, it is nice to have a record, LOL, but you can never have too much Darlene!

[RossM3838]

@gymnastix NBC goes crazy if people upload their stuff to youtube and so to avoid lawsuits Youtube drops them as soon as they find them.

[gymnastix]

Actually, I posted incorrectly--yours IS the first clip of Darlene Love's performances on the CBS years of Letterman's show.

1992 would have been while Letterman was still on NBC (Darlene appeared there from 1986 until '92, not beginning in '85 as I previously posted).

There is some question about the year 2007 (the year of a writers' strike, which may have resulted in a repeat Christmas show), and if no live performance that year, then Love's 25th anniversary on Letterman's shows is 2011

[Jointfitter]

Darlene Love on Letterman (2000) she blew the roof off the dump that night!

[gymnastix]

I agree Miss Love always gives a fine performance. But The Ed Sullivan Theater is hardly a "dump."

The theater was refurbished after Mr. Letterman took it over for his program in 1992, and in the Sullivan years had played host to some of the earliest TV appearances of many artists and entertainers, among them Elvis Presley, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, as well ballet star Rodolph Nureyev, and comedians Bill Cosby, Joan Rivers and Richard Pryor.

[Jointfitter]

David referred to it as a dump which was where I got the phrase.

[gymnastix]

In fact, except for a segment on "The CBS Evening News" late in 1963, and a filmed clip on "The Jack Paar Show," the Sullivan gig on February 9, 1964 was the first, American TV performance by The Beatles.

[gymnastix]

The theater, which is still listed by CBS as "Studio 50" in its log of NYC TV facilities, also played host to many CBS-TV programs over the years, including the legendary Goodson-Todman game shows "What's My Line?" (1950-67), "To Tell The Truth" (1956-68), and "Password" (1961-67), and the original version of Dick Clark's "$10,000 Pyramid," as well the sitcoms "The Honeymooners" and, under a different building owner, "Kate & Allie."

[gymnastix]

Merv Griffin also used "CBS Studio 50" to host his daytime talk show for a period, before moving to Los Angeles.

The theater was first known as The Hammerstein Theater (named after opera impresario Oscar Hammerstein I), and built in 1927. Its first play was "Golden Dawn" starring a then-unknown Archie Leach (later to become famous film legend Cary Grant).

[gymnastix]

The theater is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and the interior has been designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

So Bette Davis would have never walked in The Ed Sullivan Theater and uttered her immortal line "What a dump!"

[gymnastix]

And, oh yes, Bette Davis was also among the many celebrities who did walk into this theater, having appeared as a Mystery Guest on the original "What's My Line?" a few times, as well a guest on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

So it would take more than a few high notes by Darlene Love to "blow the roof off" this historic art palace.

[Jointfitter]

td 0727 check out this one

Darlene Love on Letterman (2000) she is backed by the US Air Force singers.

[llekym65]

@Jointfitter thanks for the heads up on this upload absoluteley superb, Happy New Year !!

[Elmaestrodemusica]

Fantastic! To me, a much more intimate version. Although are the performers are excellent, it's Darlene who carries the day . . .

[td0727]

A good version. But no where near as good as her Christmas 1995 Letterman version.

[blondiesister1]

Very early and with a much smaller production than in recent years -- but she's not changed or missed a beat! She MAKES the Christmas season!

[grifitti]

Darlene is blowin' song outta the water

[christophergenovese]

Agreed-No voice compares to her's. She reigns.

[rocmaven]

Darlene Love's great christmas show live -Dec13 at BB Kings New York City, NY and Dec 20 at Bergen Pac Englewood NJ. The first ever Ronnie Spector Darlene Love A Christmas Gift For You live shows Dec. 11 at Parilla Pac Montgomery College Rockville MD and Dec.17 at The Count Basie Theatre Red Bank NJ.

[2baholic]

I wish I lived in Jersey!

[annoyinglydifficult]

Darlene Love has the best voice in rock and roll. No doubt, no contest. The best!