Tag: David Letterman

Darlene Love’s Final Letterman Performance of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”

Darlene Love Baby Please Come Home
Chimesfreedom has previously noted that Darlene Love‘s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is among our favorite Christmas songs and favorite pop songs of all time. So, with David Letterman retiring, we will miss Love’s annual appearance on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman to sing the song written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich, and Jeff Barry.

Unfortunately, Love has stated that out of respect for Letterman, she will not take the annual tradition to another talk show. Fortunately for us, Friday night we got one more massive performance of the song, which started out as a tradition on Letterman’s NBC Late Night show back in 1986 when she was only accompanied by Paul Shaffer and a four-piece rock band. Check out the final Late Show performance of the song that originally appeared on the 1963 album A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.

Why did Love stay on top of the piano after the song? Love explained to the New York Times that she knew she would start crying if Letterman hugged her, so she remained on top of the piano knowing “Dave ain’t coming up here.” Even so, you see her holding back the tears after Letterman shakes her hand. Thanks to both Love and Letterman for a wonderful tradition.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Bob Seger on Letterman: “All the Roads”

    This week, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman to promote the new album Ride Out. Before performing, Seger sat down to talk about his career, including the origin of the name “the Silver Bullet Band” (hint: his manager made it up).

    After the talk, it was time to get down to some music. Seger and the band then performed “All the Roads” from the new album. In a previous post, we had noted that Seger had explained that “All the Roads” is about his career.

    Bob Seger and the band are currently on tour.

    What is your favorite Bob Seger song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Bob Dylan Sends Off Letterman With “The Night We Called It a Day”
  • Norm Macdonald’s Touching (and Funny) Tribute to Letterman
  • John Fogerty Rocks One More Time for Letterman
  • Darlene Love’s Final Letterman Performance of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
  • Stephen Colbert Announces Final Date for “The Colbert Report”
  • Bob Seger Performs New Song “All the Roads” — And a Long Lost Classic

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    Stephen Colbert Announces Final Date for “The Colbert Report”

    Colbert American Again

    This week on The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert announced that his final episode of The Colbert Report will be December 18, 2014. During the episode, he snuck in the information while promoting the new paperback version of his book, America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t.

    Of course, fans will still get to see Stephen Colbert when he takes over for David Letterman. But there will be no more “Colbert” the character, at least not on a regular basis.

    Regarding Colbert’s new gig, David Letterman has yet to announce his final day on Late Show With David Letterman. So, we will have to wait for the announcement of when we will get to see Colbert nightly again.

    Will you miss The Colbert Report? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • Darlene Love’s Final Letterman Performance of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
  • Bob Seger on Letterman: “All the Roads”

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    Conor Oberst on Letterman: “Hundreds of Ways”

    Conor Oberst Letterman

    This week, singer-songwriter Conor Oberst appeared on Late Show with David Letterman and performed “Hundreds of Ways.” The 34-year-old Oberst is backed up by the roots rock band Dawes on the catchy song with a bit of a country influence (even mentioning “Bakersfield”). The lyrics recount a vague personal journey, reminding the listener that life is not fair while presenting a more uplifting conclusion about getting through the day in the chorus. Check it out.

    But there are hundreds of ways
    To get through the days;
    There are hundreds of ways,
    Now you just find one.

    “Hundreds of Ways” is from Upside Down Mountain (2014), a solo album that Spin Magazine listed as one of the best CDs of the year so far. To listen to a recent full concert by Oberst and Dawes, head over to NPR, which has the audio for his July 27, 2014 performance with Dawes at the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island.

    What do you think of “Hundreds of Ways”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Ernie Kovacs and the Covair

    Ernie Kovacs DVD
    On January 13, 1962, groundbreaking comedian Ernie Kovacs died at the age of 42 in a car crash.  His Chevrolet Covair crashed into a telephone pole in Los Angeles, California.

    Some authorities surmised that he was lighting one of his trademark cigars when he lost control of his vehicle. His tombstone at Forest Lawn Cemetery is inscribed, “Ernie Kovacs 1919 – 1962 — Nothing In Moderation.”

    The unique style of comedy that Kovacs brought to television and several movies is often cited as inspiring a number of later classic shows.  You can see Kovacs in shows ranging from Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In to Saturday Night Live to children’s shows like Sesame Street. And anytime you see the madcap antics of late night TV hosts like David Letterman or Conan O’Brien, you are seeing a little bit of the visual and surreal humor of Kovacs.

    You may read more about the career of Ernie Kovacs on the Ernie Kovacs website, or you may watch an episode of The Ernie Kovacs Show from around 1962 below.

    The car that Kovacs was driving, the Chevrolet Corvair, would go on to further fame when Ralph Nader crusaded to reveal safety problems with the car.

    What is your favorite clip of Ernie Kovacs? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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