Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Last night my friend an I were watching a Christmas-themed movie that featured Darlene Love’s 1963 hit, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). It is without a doubt my favourite piece of modern Christmas music. Could it be that it’s because I’m a rock ‘n roll player? Or perhaps because I’m a bari player and it features a bari solo? Probably both…

It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since I wrote a post that first mentioned this Phil Spector-produced hit, which secured Love’s spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I will miss her annual performance of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) on the Letterman show. After 29 years, last year’s performance was of course her final one.

Christmas (Please Come Home) was the inspiration for Love’s 1992 song, All Alone On Christmas—from the Home Alone 2: Lost In New York soundtrack. The chart was written by Bruce Springsteen’s guitar player Steve Van Zandt.

 

In case you didn’t know, here are some interesting factoids about All Alone on Christmas¹:

• The single did better in the UK than in the US. It peaked at #31 on the official UK Singles Chart, but only #52 on the US Billboard Radio Songs chart, and #83 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
• The E Street band was featured in the track, and yes, that was Clarence Clemons doing the tenor solos. (Facts that are of course confirmed once you watch the video.)
• The horn section is actually a group called the Miami Horns. They have been around since the mid 1970s, when they were formed by Bruce Springsteen’s guitar player Steve Van Zandt. The Miami Horns have toured and/or recorded with acts like: Springsteen, Diana Ross, Gary U.S. Bonds, Sheryl Crow, and Eric Clapton, just to name a few.²
• Darlene Love is of course a veteran of the music scene. Her original, Phil Spector-produced Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), was a strong influence on Van Zandt’s production of All Alone on Christmas.

If your want to catch Darlene Love live, check out the Upcoming Shows page on her website.

___________________________________________________________

¹ Source: Wikipedia page on All Alone on Christmas.
² Source: Wikipedia page on The Miami Horns