At Long Last, Love: An Interview with Darlene Love

Although Darlene Love is normally associated with Christmas thanks to her big hit “Christmas Baby Please Come Home,” and a fan-favorite Christmas tour she’s done for more than 20 years, this year, the legendary singer will be celebrating a different holiday on stage — she’ll spend February 14 at Wolf Trap’s The Barns.

“It’s going to be really fun, I’ve never been to Virginia to sing before,” Love says. “It’s somewhere new to me, and I always get joy going to places I’ve never performed before. It will be such a joy to go and sing for fans I’ve never played for.”

Discovered by the great Phil Spector in 1962, Love delivered lead vocals for a catalogue of hits, including “He’s A Rebel,” “The Boy I’m Gonna Marry,” “Wait ‘Til My Bobby Gets Home” and “He’s Sure the Boy I Love.” Many of the songs will be part of her Wolf Trap set.

“This is my first show since my Christmas shows, so I revamped what I normally do and put a lot of love songs in the concert,” Love said. “I always do my ‘golden oldies’ because I know a lot of fans come to hear those. And I do those in their entirety. I hate going to shows to see a favorite artist and they sing a favorite song, but they only do a line or two and move to something else.”

Don’t expect to hear her Christmas tunes though. The singer shares that if she did those all the time, they wouldn’t be special come December. Love says she’s thrilled to be performing on Valentine’s Day and hopes to see many couples enjoying a night of romance at the concert.

“It’s an old cliché, but I think all of us need more love,” she says. “If there was more love in the world for one another, the kindness would change this world for the better. That’s my hope, belief and prayer. When people say, ‘I love you,’ and not just on Valentine’s Day, it makes a big difference in people’s lives. I know it does for me and I try to bring more love to the audience.”

Over Love’s career, she’s worked with everyone from Elvis Presley to Dionne Warwick to the Beach Boys, and Rolling Stone Magazine named her one of the 100 greatest singers of all time. She’s also a member of the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2011.

But it’s not just her hits Love is known for; she’s also appeared on Broadway in shows like “Grease,” “Hairspray” and “Carrie,” and she’s beloved for playing Trish Murtaugh, wife of Danny Glover’s character, in the four “Lethal Weapon” movies.

At the age of 81, Love doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

“Every day God gives me, I feel this is a great day; that’s how I look at life,” she says. “If 2023 hasn’t been that good for you, come out to my show and I guarantee you, you will have a new lease on life and leave with the spirit of love.”

Darlene Love plays Wolf Trap at 8 p.m., Tuesday, February 14. Tickets start at $59 and can be purchased here. 

The Barns at Wolf Trap: 1635 Trap Rd. Vienna, VA; wolftrap.org // wolf_trap

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Keith Loria

A theatre buff and huge music fan, Keith Loria is a D.C.-based award-winning journalist who has been writing about the arts for more than 20 years. He started his career with the Associated Press and has written for Soap Opera Digest, Playbill and Music Review. He looks forward to 2021 and the theaters reopening! He’s the proud father of two daughters, who often accompany him on his theater outings. Visit his website at keithloria.contently.com.