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

The two singers recorded "Christmas (Baby Here Comes Home)" together twice — 60 years apart

Darlene Love had a full-circle moment when she recored 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 track. But it took her a second to realize who was calling when she answered the call!

Speaking with PEOPLE after performing her signature song on The View, Love tells PEOPLE that she didn't recognize Cher's voice when the Oscar winner phoned her.

"She called she said, ‘Hi, Doll,' because most people who have known me a long time call me ‘Doll.' And she said, ‘This is Cher,' " Love, 82, recalls. "And I said, ‘Who?’ "

Of course, Cher — who is known for her blunt sense of humor — had the best response. "She's said, 'It's Cher, bitch!' " laughs Love. "I said, 'Ohhhh hey! How you doing?' "

Everything went smoothly from there on out, Love hitting the studio to lay down the vocals over the summer. "They said they had to be through with the album by the end of July so they could get it out," Love explains. "So there I was, 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 Gift for You from Phil Spector. Despite not charting on its initial release, the song has found commercial success over the years. charting at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2022.

Multiple artists have recored their own versions of it, including Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé, Leona Lewis, the Foo Fighters, Jon Bon Jovi and Love's personal favorite, U2. But the cover with Cher holds a special place in Love's heart.

Related: Cher Reacts to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Snub: 'I Wouldn't Be in It If They Gave Me a Million Dollars'

"I didn't know her as Cher back then, I knew her as this little 17-year-old named Cherilyn," says Love. "Sonny Bono had brought her into the studio, because Phil would always pull people in when we were recording and have them 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 mic and she started doing the background vocals."

"The problem was, her voice was so recognizable and strong that Phil kept pushing her back 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 back like that!' "

Love's comment bonded her and Cher that day and throughout their recording sessions, so much so that 60 years later, Cher insisted she wouldn't make her album Christmas unless Love joined her for "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."

"That, to me, just blew my mind," says Love. "She told me that and I almost fell out."

Cher, in fact, told the story on an episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show that aired Friday. "I wasn't going to do it unless she wanted to sing it with me, or else it couldn't be right," Cher, 77, said.

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

The two sang the song together live on Christmas in Rockefeller Center Special, the NBC special that aired on Nov. 29. Aside from that, Love has performed the song yearly on television each year — first over the course of 29 years on Letterman and, since 2015, on The View.

"I've just loved coming to The View every year," Love tells PEOPLE backstage at the ABC show on Thursday. "I was so loyal to David Letterman because he really reignited my career by bringing my back every year, so I deliberately wouldn't perform it anywhere else so I could make it special. And the last time, he said to me was, ‘I hope someone picks this up’ — because it was so much fun to do there. So to keep that tradition going as long as we can was important and somebody, a little bird, heard him and we brought it over to The View."

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As for Cher, she's been enjoying watching the legendary singer make the rounds 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! She's working harder than ever!'

"It's just like Bruce Springsteen. I told him I would love to go out on the road with him, but he goes out for a few weeks and he's out for two years," Love jokes of the Boss, who recently presented her with a platinum record for her Christmas hit. "I'm not doing no three years or no three hours shows. So no, that's not going to work."

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