Darlene Love Didn’t Recognize Cher’s Voice When She Called for Duet: She Said, ‘It’s Cher, Bitch!’ (Exclusive)

Darlene Love came full circle when she recorded a duet of her hit “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” for Cher’s new holiday album, 60 years after Cher sang backup for Love on the original 1963 song. But it took her a second to realize who was calling when she answered the call!

He talks to PEOPLE after performing his signature song on ViewLove tells PEOPLE she didn’t recognize Cher’s voice when the Oscar winner called her.

“She called and said, ‘Hi, doll,’ because most people who know me have been calling me ‘doll,’ for a long time. And she said, ‘This is Cher,'” Love, 82, recalled. “And I said, ‘Who?’ ”

Of course, Cher – who is known for her deadpan sense of humor – had the best answer. “She said, ‘That’s Cher, bitch!’ ” laughs Love. “I said, ‘Ohhhh hey! How are you?” ”

Everything went smoothly from then on, Love went into the studio to lay down vocals over the summer. “They said they had to finish the album by the end of July in order to release it,” explains Love. “And here I am, celebrating Christmas in July!”

Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” first appeared on the 1963 holiday compilation album.A Christmas present for you from Phil Spector. Despite not charting when first released, the song has achieved commercial success over the years. chart at number 7 on Board Hot 100 in 2022.

A number of artists have recorded their own versions, including Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé, Leon Lewis, Foo Fighters, Jon Bon Jovi and Love’s personal favourite, U2. But the Cher cover has a special place in Love’s heart.

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“I didn’t know her as Cher then, I knew her as a little 17-year-old named Cherilyn,” Love says. “Sonny Bono brought her into the studio because Phil would always pull people in while we were recording and get them to contribute. And she’d never been in front of a microphone before, but Phil heard she could sing so he put her in front of the microphone and she started play background vocals.”

“The problem was that her voice was so distinctive and strong that Phil kept pushing her away from the microphone,” Love remembers. “I said, ‘Phil, leave her alone and let her sing! She’ll be in the next room in a minute if you keep asking her to move like that!’ ”

Darlene Love on November 30, 2023 in New York.

Jason Mendez/Getty

The loving comment brought her and Cher closer that day and during their recording session, so much so that 60 years later Cher insisted she would not record her album Christmas unless Love joined her for “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”

“It was just enough for me,” says Love. – She told me that and I almost passed out.

Cher, in fact, told the story in one episode The Kelly Clarkson Show which aired on Friday. “I wasn’t going to do it unless she wanted to sing it with me, otherwise it wouldn’t be right,” Cher, 77, said.

Darlene Love Reveals Her Favorite Cover of ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’: It’s Totally Different’ (Exclusive)

The two sang the song live together A special Christmas at Rockefeller CenterNBC special that aired on November 29th. In addition, Love performed the song once a year on television every year — the first time in 29 years Letterman and since 2015 View.

“I really liked coming View every year,” Love tells PEOPLE backstage at the ABC show Thursday. “I was so loyal to David Letterman because he really relaunched my career by bringing me back every year, so I would purposely not perform it anywhere else so I could make it special. And the last time he said to me, ‘I hope somebody takes this ‘ — because it was a lot of fun working there. It was important to maintain that tradition as long as we could and someone, a little bird, heard him and we passed it on to View.”

Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sonny Hostin, Steven Van Zandt, Darlene Love, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines and Ana Navarro on ‘The View’ Friday.

Lou Rocco/ABC

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As for Cher, she enjoyed watching the legendary singer tour with her album. “It’s funny, she told me she was only going to do one or two things to promote this album, but I see her everywhere — New York, London, Germany… she hasn’t stopped yet! Work harder than ever! ‘

“He’s just like Bruce Springsteen. I told him I’d like to go on the road with him, but he goes out for a few weeks and stays away for two years,” jokes the Love Boss who recently presented her with a platinum record for her Christmas hit. “I won’t work for three years or three hours. So no, it won’t work.”

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Source: HIS Education