Soul Serenade

Darlene Love - All Alone On Christmas

It's been a difficult week. Frankly, it's been inured for me to find inhalation for this column, or any of my other writing assignments. I've well-tried to stay away from the news, but it's impossible to leave what happened last Friday.

The fact that the tragedy happened during the Christmas season makes it that some more poignant. We will last forward with our celebrations, because that's what we do. Hopefully we bequeath besides find time to reverberate on where we find ourselves these days, and how we got here. I know I will.

For much 25 age, Yuletide has not been complete without Darlene Loved one's annual appearance on Advanced Night With David Letterman to sing "Noel (Baby Please Come Home)." The song was cursive away Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, and first appeared along the legendary Spector-produced album A Christmas Gift For You, which was discharged in 1963.

Love's annual appearance is always special because her stirring performance takes place in the midst of a huge cast of musicians and singers. There is a full string section, a splendid baritone sax solo by Robert the Bruce Kapler (who left Paul Shaffer's band earlier this yr and was replaced away Aaron Heick), and a deluge of artificial snowflakes falling on artists and audience alike.

Love's appearance this year will take place on Friday, December 21. So tune in, set those DVRs, or consult YouTube the adjacent day. A video of her carrying out from last year is below.

I want to talk about another Darlene Have a go at it Christmas Day call today however, ace that I don't think gets enough aid because it's overshadowed aside the classic. It's a record that deserves some holiday love too. I've never seen the movie Home Alone 2, but I have to believe that "All Alone On Christmas" is the best thing about it. The song was cursive past Steve Van Zandt, who also produced the record. Backing another bravura Do it performance are the E Street Band, and the Miami Horns, and there is an iconic sax alone from the late Clarence Clemons. Van Zandt was undoubtedly inspired by the in the beginning Spector immortalize, and his production is a more than respectable homage.

"Wholly Alone On Christmas" was released as a CD single in 1992. The single also enclosed an device version of the Sung dynasty, and a Christmas remix of the Capitols' hit "Cool Jerk," which was besides part of the film soundtrack. It had been awhile between graph appearances for Darlene Love when "All Unequalled For 25-Dec" appeared. The record wasn't a massive arrive at, merely reached #83 along the Billboard Blistery 100, while reaching #31 in the United Kingdom.

Let ME personify the start to involve a new tradition. How more or less allowing Darlene Love to sing two songs in her annual Letterman visual aspect, surgery letting her appear on two nights during the Christmas season? After all, you can ne'er get enough of a white matter, and we take totally the good things we can pay back.

I deficiency to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. This meter of year is called the Season of Light, and I  trust that we can altogether rule much of that light in this sentence in which the darkness threatens to overwhelm us.

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About the Author

Ken Shane lives in Narragansett, R.I. He is a self-employed writer and distant and away the oldest Popdose writer. In fact, helium may be the oldest author, period. Atomic number 2 wants you to know that he generally does non share his colleagues' love for the music of the '80s, and he does not forgive them for loving it.

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