Dead or Alive "Blue Christmas 2000" (2000) and U2 "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" (1987)

Episode 136:  Dead or Alive "Blue Christmas 2000" (2000) and U2 "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" (1987)

Another year is coming to a close, and with the end of the year comes the holiday season. And with the holiday season comes Christmas songs, of course! So once again, Brian and Sarah close out the year by  choosing a couple of songs to talk about, before they turn their full attention to holiday preparations and celebrations.  And although the titles of both songs may look familiar, only one of them is a cover version.

The first selection is "Blue Christmas 2000" by Dead or Alive. It's been quite a while since Brian and Sarah have talked about this band, so they're both eager to have a discussion about more than just the selected song. In fact, they go all the way back to 1988 to discuss the album Nude for a bit--which gives Brian the opportunity to tell a story from his freshman year in college that never fails to amuse and delight Sarah. The hosts go on to discuss the band's success in Japan; yet another version of this song (that still isn't the one you're thinking of); a synth voice whose name Sarah says sounds like a TV show; and, almost unbelievably, a recently-released new Dead or Alive album.

The second song chosen for this episode is U2's version of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." As this song was recorded and released in 1987, this selection ties in neatly (almost like a bow on top of a package!) with the four episodes released earlier this year, where Brian and Sarah, along with Tom Austin-Morgan of the podcast Banned Biographies (and now of the band Sham 69 as well!), discussed U2's iconic 1987 album The Joshua Tree.  

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" was recorded by U2 for inclusion on the charity album A Very Special Christmas, so Brian searched through his archives and found his notes from 2018, when he and Sarah discussed several other songs from that album. He reminds us about the history of the album, the charity it supports, and the success it has had both on the charts and as a fundraising vehicle.

And, since this selection is actually a cover version, the hosts take some time to discuss the original version of the song and its interesting history of being in the public's awareness, which includes not only a discussion about Darlene Love, but also a late-night talk show host. Additionally, Brian shares some very recent--and rather exciting-- chart information for the song.

After the two song discussions, Brian and Sarah decide to share their top 10 favorite Christmas songs recorded by artists they've talked about on the podcast. How many of their favorites are on your list as well?

Watch the videos discussed here:

U2 - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Darlene Love 2014 performance

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