Darlene Love retirement talk? At 85, she is eyeing a residency
Darlene Love tells Rolling Stone she is weighing less travel, a residency, a documentary and a bigger Christmas show.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Darlene Love retirement chatter is not coming from Darlene Love. The singer, who turns 85 on Sunday, told Rolling Stone she is still planning new work, though she may change how she performs live.
In an interview with Rolling Stone's Andy Greene published July 26, Love said she would like to try a residency built around a more intimate format: her voice, a piano and a small group of backing singers. She named New York's Carlyle hotel as one idea that has come up, and said she has long pictured a Las Vegas run in a smaller room.
The point, she told Rolling Stone, would be to let audiences focus on the singing and the stories. Love compared the idea to Bruce Springsteen's Broadway show, where he mixed music with memories, and said she could spend serious time talking about the Phil Spector songs and the 1963 Christmas album.
Is Darlene Love retiring?
No retirement announcement has been made. Rolling Stone reported that Love has several Darlene Love: Love for the Holidays performances scheduled for November and December, while 2027 remains undecided.
Love said the amount of future travel will depend on her and her husband. She told Rolling Stone she wants more time with family, and recalled that her husband encouraged her to leave the Broadway musical Hairspray in 2008 after nearly three years in the show.
Love splits her time among upstate New York, California and Jamaica, where her husband is from, according to Rolling Stone. She described her family time in California as relaxed and full of laughter, a break from performance mode.
What is Darlene Love planning next?
Love is also moving ahead with a documentary about her life, Rolling Stone reported. The project has been discussed for years and is now underway, though Love has not identified the director attached to it.
She said earlier documentary attempts began before the pandemic but stalled after keeping her tied up for long stretches. Love also told Rolling Stone it can be difficult to get friends to take part because of their schedules.
The film would have plenty to cover. Love's catalog includes “He's a Rebel,” “Today I Met the Boy I'm Gonna Marry” and the holiday staple “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” Rolling Stone noted that she has been making music since the Eisenhower administration.
Her history with Phil Spector remains part of that story. Rolling Stone described their relationship as troubled and noted a legal fight between them, while Love said she has learned to hold both the difficult history and the music's legacy in view.
Where does Bruce Springsteen fit in?
Springsteen remains one of Love's major admirers, according to Rolling Stone, and the two have appeared together many times. Love joined him in April at the American Music Honors, where she sang “That's What Friends Are For” with Dionne Warwick.
Rolling Stone also reported that Love appeared in June at “The Songs That Shaped Us” concerts, performing “River Deep, Mountain High.” She told the magazine that when she first encountered Springsteen, she knew him by his nickname, “The Boss,” before she knew his name.
Love still has another holiday dream on the list: a large Christmas production in a 5,000-seat theater. She told Rolling Stone she would like to make it with Paul Shaffer and Marc Shaiman, and believes she could bring other performers into the show.
This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.