Mariah Carey Wiki
Advertisement
This page is associated with the 1990s
 
This page is associated with Merry Christmas Era

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) is the fourth track from Mariah's first holiday album "Merry Christmas." It was released on November 1, 1994 through Columbia Records.[1] The song is a cover of the popular Christmas tune which was originally sang by Darlene Love and released in 1963.[2]

Background[]

The simple premise of the song centers around a woman’s wishing that her loved one would come home for the holidays, and could be the sentiment of anyone from a teenager pining for a boyfriend who has moved away, to a wife waiting for her husband to return from combat, to countless other scenarios.[3]

Critical reception[]

In Chris Nickson's biography of Mariah he described the song as "playful." [4] He also stated:

The latter, written by the Spector-Barry-Greenwich team, first saw light on Phil Spector’s Christmas Album in 1963, when it was sung by Darlene Love. Mariah obviously loved the song, and while she and Walter didn’t try to reproduce Spector’s trademark “wall of sound” technique, they did have fun with the style.

– Chris Nickson in Mariah Carey Revisited: The Unauthorized Biography[5]

In an article about the song, Chris Moore states "Carey’s version may be the penultimate one in the ears of the digital generation. Few vocalists can match Love’s emotion and power on this song, even today, but Carey is certainly one of them."[3]

Live performances[]

Mariah's first released live performance of the song was in 2008 during CBS's GRAMMY Nominations concert.[6][7] In 2021, the song was performed during Mariah Carey's The Magic Continues Apple TV Special.

The song served a part of the setlist for Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You: A Night of Joy and Festivity, Merry Christmas to All!, Merry Christmas One and All!, and Mariah Carey's Christmas Time tours.

Video[]

Lyrics[]

[Intro]

Oh, oh
Yeah, yeah, oh, oh
Ooh, yeah, yeah

[Chorus]
(Christmas) The snow's coming down
(Christmas) I'm watching it fall
(Christmas) Lots of people around
(Christmas) Baby, please come home
(Christmas) The church bells in town
(Christmas) Are ringing in song
(Christmas) Full of happy sounds
(Christmas) Baby, please come home

[Verse 1]
(Ah) They're singing "Deck The Halls"
(Ah) But it's not like Christmas at all
(Ah) 'Cause I remember when you were here
(Ah) And all the fun we had last year

[Chorus]
(Christmas) Pretty lights on the tree
(Christmas) I'm watching them shine
(Christmas) You should be here with me
(Christmas) Baby, please come home

[Instrumental Bridge]

[Verse 1]
(Ah) They're singing "Deck The Halls"
(Ah) But it's not like Christmas at all
(Ah) 'Cause I remember when you were here
(Ah) And all the fun we had last year

[Chorus]
(Christmas) If there was a way
(Christmas) I'd hold back this tear
(Christmas) But it's Christmas day

[Outro]
(Please) Please
(Please) Please
(Please) Please (Please) Please (Please, please)
Baby, please come home (Christmas)
Baby, please come home (Christmas)
Baby, please come home (Christmas)
Baby, please come home (Christmas)
Oh, yeah, yeah (Christmas)
Woo (Christmas)
Woo (Christmas)

Oh, yeah (Christmas)

Trivia[]

  • The original singer's version of the song was released on November 22, 1963 which was the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. [3]
  • Mariah did not perform this song live until 2008

References[]

Advertisement