Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Song)

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“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is a pop song originally sung by Darlene Love and included on the 1963 seasonal compilation album, A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.

The song was written by Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, and Phil Spector.

Upon release, the song did not find commercial success but in later years, it has gone on to become a Christmas standard. It charted for the first time on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2018 and has since peaked at number 16. It has also peaked at number seven on the Holiday 100 chart. The song has been covered by Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé, and U2, among others.

Background and release

Love was given a demo of the song over the phone and went on to record the song. The song was released as a single in 1963. and in 1964 (Philles X-125). Upon release, the song was not a huge success but it has gone on to become a Christmas standard.

In 1963, Spector decided that the song was strong enough to warrant a non-seasonal version and wrote a version titled “Johnny (Baby Please Come Home),” which Love also performed. This version was released to the public in 1976 as the final track on the Spector compilation album, Rare Masters Vol. 2.

Cher performed background vocals on the 1962 version, which six decades later came full circle when Love duetted on Cher’s 2023 version of the song.

Chart performance

Despite not charting on release, the song has found commercial success in later years. The song charted on the Billboard Holiday 100 chart at number 99 on the week ending December 13, 2014, reaching a peak position of number seven, seven years later (on the week ending December 4, 2021). On the week ending December 29, 2018, the track entered the main Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time at number 50, and attained an all-time peak position of number 16 on the week ending January 1, 2022 (upon its third chart re-entry). On the official UK Singles Chart, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” made its first appearance on the week of 5 January 2017 at number 74. It entered the same chart again one year later at No. 77, and again on the week of 20 December 2018 at No. 80, eventually reaching its overall chart peak to date of No. 22 two weeks later.

Live performances

Beginning in 1986 and continuing for 29 years, Darlene Love performed the song annually on the episode before Christmas of Late Night with David Letterman (NBC, 1986–92) and Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 1993–2014), 28 times in all. The exception was in 2007 when Love was unable to perform due to the Writers’ Strike and a repeat of her 2006 performance was shown instead. She performed the song with Paul Shaffer and the show’s house band (The World’s Most Dangerous Band at NBC, the CBS Orchestra at CBS).

Love also performed the song on December 24, 2013, in front of traders at the New York Stock Exchange as the market closed for the day. Beginning in 2015, the tradition of Love’s annual performance of the song moved to The View (ABC, 2015–present), where it has continued during its last edition before Christmas in the years since, only skipping out the 2021 edition due to being exposed to a positive COVID-19 case resulting in a quarantine; a compilation of her previous performances was shown instead.

Darlene Love Performs ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ with Stevie Van Zandt | The View

Cher & Darlene Love – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) | Christmas in Rockefeller Center

Personnel

• Lead vocals by Darlene Love
• Backing vocals by: Cher and The Blossoms (Fanita James, Darlene Love, Gracia Nitzsche, Edna Wright, and Carolyn Willis)
• Instrumentation by The Wrecking Crew:
  • Jack Nitzsche – arrangements, percussion
  • Steve Douglas – saxophone
  • Jay Migliori – saxophone
  • Hal Blaine – drums
  • Louis Blackburn – horns
  • Leon Russell – piano
  • Roy Caton – trumpet
  • Sonny Bono – percussion
  • Frank Capp – percussion
  • Ray Pohlman – bass
  • Irv Rubins – guitar
  • Barney Kessel – guitar
  • Bill Pitman – guitar
  • Tommy Tedesco – guitar
  • Nino Tempo – guitar
  • Johnny Vidor – strings
  • Larry Levine – engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications and sales

Darlene Love version

Love has noted that her two favourite covers of the song are Mariah Carey’s, because “hers is so much like the original…with her great voice”, and U2’s “because it doesn’t sound like “Christmas (Baby)” and they had all three background vocals on it”.

Legacy

In December 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” first on its list of The Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Songs, noting that “nobody can match Love’s emotion and sheer vocal power.” The song has also been used in several movies.

Cover versions

The song was covered by rock band U2 in 1987 during a sound check in Glasgow, Scotland during their Joshua Tree Tour.

It was released on the compilation A Very Special Christmas the same year and on the album Unreleased & Rare in the digital box set The Complete U2 in 2004.

Love has noted that her two favourite covers of the song are Mariah Carey’s, because “hers is so much like the original…with her great voice”, and U2’s “because it doesn’t sound like “Christmas (Baby)” and they had all three background vocals on it”.

Legacy

In December 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” first on its list of The Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Songs, noting that “nobody can match Love’s emotion and sheer vocal power.” The song has also been used in several movies.

Cover versions

In 1994, Mariah Carey recorded a version and included it on her album Merry Christmas; Love has praised Carey’s version

Carey’s version reached number 59 on Billboard‘s Hot Digital Songs chart in 2011 and number 20 on the US Holiday 100; the latter being the second highest position for the song on the chart after the original. She first performed her version in 2008 at The Grammy Nominations Concert Live. The song was added to her setlist for her All I Want for Christmas Is You: A Night of Joy and Festivity concert residency.

In 2021, Carey covered the song again for her Christmas special Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues.

Mariah Carey version – Certifications and sales

Weekly charts

In 2010, Josh Ramsay from the Canadian band Marianas Trench covered the song for 604 Records‘ Christmas compilation album.

In 2011, Michael Bublé covered the song for his album Christmas.

In 2021, he performed the song live with Hannah Waddingham on his Christmas in the City NBC special celebrating the 10th anniversary of his Christmas album.

Michael Bublé version – Certifications and sales

Weekly charts

In 2021 Keke Palmer and the cast of Sing 2 covered the song for a 2021 Christmas commercial from Comcast’s Xfinity and Sky Group and as a bonus track from the original motion picture soundtrack of the same name.

Palmer and Tori Kelly performed the song live on The Voice season 21 finale with the top 13 acts.

Italian singer Alexia released a cover version in November 2022 from her Christmas album My Xmas.

The song has been covered by Foo Fighters, Jon Bon Jovi 

Robbie Williams ft. Bryan Adams (Official Lyric Video)

In 2023 Cher released her first ever Christmas album, Christmas, and it contains a new version of the song with both Cher and Darlene Love, reunited 60 years after the original song was made.

Leona Lewis version

Joey Ramone

Annalisa – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) 

Bono & The Edge

Little Mix – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Chris Young – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Lady A – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Kelly Clarkson – Christmas, Baby Please Come Home” Live 2019 Music Video Maria Carey

Shania Twain – Christmas, Baby Please Come Home

‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ Carpool Karaoke

Please Come Home– The Mistletones

Meghan Trainor – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Official Audio)

The Mistle-Tones (TV Movie)

The Mistle-Tones is a made-for-TV movie musical that premiered on December 9, 2012 as part of ABC Family‘s 25 Days of Christmas.

Plot

Holly is excited to audition for the Snow Belles, a Christmas-themed pop group founded by her late mother. However, lead Belles singer Marci denies Holly a chance to audition when she shows up late. Nevertheless, Holly takes to the stage and delivers a sensational audition and is upset when Marci passes her over in favor of Staci. Holly is depressed about being turned down, even after her sister suggests she start her own group.

Soon, though, Holly begins to see merit in the idea and decides to ask the manager of the local mall if she can perform at the local Christmas Eve celebration. The manager decides to hold auditions and a competition as a publicity stunt and agrees to let Holly’s group into the show. Holly recruits a group of her coworkers including her best friend, AJ, large and lovable Larry, and the shy HR manager, Bernie. They begin rehearsals in the company warehouse. After the second day of rehearsals, AJ says to Holly that he thinks they are doing well, but Holly thinks they need something more.

Later that evening, Holly skids off the road while driving home and crashes into a snowbank. While waiting on a tow truck, she seeks shelter in a nearby tavern and is shocked to discover her boss, the normally uptight and goal-oriented Nick, is a crowd favorite on the karaoke stage due to his energy and stage presence. He sings the song “Burning Love” and wows the crowd .

Holly records his performance and uses it to blackmail him into helping her turn the group into solid competition for the Snow Belles. At first, Nick tells that group that he will help, but no one is to know and that they should not consider him a member of the group, too. Eventually, he begins to warm to the group and even joins in performing during rehearsals.

It is during one of the last rehearsals where Staci who is hiding in the warehouse, videos the Mistle Tones with Nick singing along. The chemistry between Nick and Holly is more evident and obvious that they are attracted to one another. After the practice Holly invites Nick to join them for a drink at Dickens Tavern, where Holly first saw Nick perform Karaoke. At the bar, AJ, Larry, Bernie and Holly try to think of a name for the band. When she gets home she pulls out the mistletoe that she had removed from above Nick’s office door and comes up with the name the Mistle-Tones.

Having seen a video of the group’s performance, Marci begins to see Holly as a potential threat and offers her a spot in the Belles to ensure the Mistle-Tones won’t compete. Holly confides in Nick that she is considering the offer and begins to tell the others at their office Christmas party. Nick, however, interrupts her by singing “Winter Wonderland” and leading the group in an impromptu performance.

Afterwards, Nick tells Holly that the Mistle-Tones are her group and they need her. Holly is just so touched by what he says. She looks up at the mistletoe in the corner and kisses Nick for the first time. She then says that the band needs his help. He says that he is already helping them, and kisses Holly again. She says no what she meant is that the only way the Mistle-tones can win the event is if he sings with them. He says nothing would make him happier. He will sing with the group the following day. However, as Nick is watching Holly get into her car he receives a call from a company executive telling him that he has the promotion and they want him to take over the South Asian division and for him to get on a plane that evening.

The next night at the audition, the group observe some of the other acts competing while waiting for Nick to arrive. Holly tries to call Nick, but only gets his answering machine. She realizes that he won’t be joining them on stage. Larry volunteers to take over Nick’s part and they go on stage without him. The performance goes well but is upstaged by the arrival of the Belles mid-performance. The audience ignores the rest of the Mistle-Tones’ song and the Belles go on to win the audition.

Holly becomes despondent at the loss, but her father reminds her that her mother used to enjoy simply singing and that she used to end every show by singing onstage to Holly. After her father finishes their little talk, Holly receives a call from Nick. He tells her that he has been on a plane all night and that he is really sorry. He tells her that he was offered the promotion and that it was something he has always wanted. She wishes him the best then hangs up the phone. She goes into the family room where her father and sister Grace are watching a video of her mother singing to Holly when Holly was three years old.

The following week at the Christmas Eve show, Holly wishes the Belles a Merry Christmas. She stays for the entire show and then leaves. On the stairs she sees a mother talking to her daughter which brings up memories of the times shared with her own mother. When she gets to the bottom of the stairs she hears music and from a distance can see AJ, Larry and Bernie. She wonders what they are doing. As she gets closer she is excited by seeing her friends, but when the makeshift stage turns she sees Nick. He starts to sing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” then stops and walks down the steps towards Holly and asks her to sing with him. She is shocked that he is there. She tell him no that she doesn’t want to sing. Her sister Grace tells her to go on to sing. When Nick sees her hesitate he asks the crowd if they would like to hear Holly sing. The crowd cheers. Holly smiles half heartedly then asks Nick what he is doing there. He proceeds to tell her that he refused the promotion, thinking that it is something that he has always wanted but now he realizes what he really wants is Holly. She smiles and tells him that she is going to “make him work for this” and he says that’s okay because he’s a workaholic. He begs her to sing with him and she agrees, dueting with Nick as the town and the Snow Belles enjoy the show.

Cast

• Tia Mowry as Holly, the daughter of the founder of the Snow-Belles and an aspiring Snow-Belle herself and Nick’s love interest
• Tori Spelling as Marci, the leader of the Snow Belles
• Reginald VelJohnson as Holly’s dad
• Tammy Townsend as Grace, Holly’s sister
• Jonathan Patrick Moore as Nick, Holly’s workaholic boss and love interest who has a secret passion for music. When she finds this out, she enlists his help and he eventually ends up becoming the fifth and final member of the Mistle-Tones.
• Jason Rogel as Larry, the productions worker at Ridgefield International Resources, and the third member of the Mistle-Tones
• Megan Kathleen Duffy as Bernie, the HR manager for Ridgefield International Resources and the fourth member of the Mistle-Tones
• Andy Gala as AJ, Holly’s best friend and the second member of the Mistle-Tones
• Britani Bateman as Staci, the newest and most conniving member of the Snow-Belles
• Melanie Lewis-Yribar as Barb, an outspoken member of the Snow-Belles
• Sydney Sorenson as Amber, a member of the Snow-Belles
• Tanisha Lang as Jennifer, a member of the Snow-Belles

Reception

The Mistle-Tones premiered at the #1 spot across multiple demographics in its time slot, making it ABC Family’s third most watched original movie in the 25 Days of Christmas event among the younger female demographic. “The Mistle-Tones: (Sun., 8:00 – 10:00 p.m.) ranked as cable TV’s #1 telecast in the time slot for Adults 18–34 (765,000), Women 18–34 (603,000), Adults 18–49 (1.4 million), Women 18–49 (1.1 million), Viewers 12–34 (1.3 million), and Females 12–34 (1.08 million).” A total of 3.16 million viewers tuned into the premiere.

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