Darlene Love performed “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in December 2024, bringing her signature holiday song back to late-night television after its long association with David Letterman’s Christmas broadcasts. The performance connects a 1963 recording to a tradition that continued across generations of late-night TV.
What did Darlene Love sing on Fallon?
Love performed “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in December 2024. Contemporary coverage described the appearance as the song’s return to a late-night Christmas tradition after the Letterman era. Yahoo Entertainment’s report covered the 2024 appearance; it does not establish that this was Love’s first time performing on Fallon.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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Phil Spector - A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector | $10.39 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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The Sound Of Love: The Very Best Of Darlene Love | $12.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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It's Christmas, Of Course | $15.27 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Introducing Darlene Love | $13.89 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Christmas | $10.89 | Buy on Amazon |
How the song became a Christmas classic
Phil Spector conceived “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” with songwriters Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, and Love recorded it for A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. The album was released on November 22, 1963. The Associated Press reported that it came out on the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and took years to find a broad audience. The AP’s account of the album and Love’s reflections places the recording in that history.
For Love, the song’s appeal is not limited to a romantic separation. In an interview published December 5, 2025, she said its words can apply to a lover, a sister who is lost, or someone who has died. Its longing can therefore carry different meanings for listeners, even as the recording remains firmly tied to Christmas.
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From Letterman’s Christmas tradition to Fallon
Love’s holiday appearances became a familiar feature of David Letterman’s late-night programs. CBS News reported on her final Christmas performance on The Late Show in 2014. A decade later, the December 2024 Fallon performance brought the song back to a late-night holiday broadcast, extending the tradition without being part of Letterman’s show. CBS News covered the 2014 performance, while Yahoo Entertainment covered the Fallon appearance.
Love has also reflected on how widely the recording continues to be heard at Christmastime. In the AP interview, she said, “It just feels funny that my song is in that many places at Christmastime.”
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Where to hear Love’s original recording
Love’s original version appears on A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. That album is the source for the 1963 recording; the 2024 Fallon performance is a later live television rendition. The available coverage confirms the recording and performance, but does not establish current availability or edition details for a particular CD or vinyl release.
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