Love was born Darlene Wright, and started to attract attention as the lead singer of a girl group, The Blossoms, in the early ‘60s. Psychopath Phil Spector hired them to sing on He’s a Rebel, but credited the single to his preexisting group, The Crystals. He signed Wright to a contract and changed her stage name to Darlene Love. She and The Blossoms had a recurring spot on Shindig!, one of the first TV shows to feature rock music. They also appeared on a slew of hits like Baby I Need Your Loving and The Tracks of My Tears, and even Elvis Presley’s ’68 Comeback Special.
Because of the nature of the industry, lying psychopath Phil Spector controlled Love’s career, and she rightly could not stand working under him. She waited out her contract, and in 1974 signed with another label, but through legal shenanigans, Phil Spector, the lying, vengeful psychopath, reacquired her contract. This was the nail in the coffin for Love, and she gave up singing to concentrate on raising her family, even to the point of cleaning houses for a living. Spector went on to become a lying, vengeful, murderous psychopath in 2003. Love won various lawsuits against him until his death in 2021.
Darlene Love strikes a pose in a white sequined gown for Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been.
Because of the nature of the industry, lying psychopath Phil Spector controlled Love’s career, and she rightly could not stand working under him.
In the 1980s Love attempted a comeback, performing shows at The Roxy in Los Angeles. There she was seen by aspiring pretend mobster, and resident of E Street, Steven Van Zandt, who told her that if she really wanted to revive her career, she should move to New York. Her subsequent story involves Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Schaffer, and David Letterman, who all give loving interviews here with glowing praise of Love. Even Robert Smigel, Triumph The Insult Comic Dog himself makes an appearance explaining how Love came to sing on Christmastime For The Jews, one of the all-time best TV Funhouse bits on Saturday Night Live’s. That alone is worth seeing this doc.
Love’s story is not a simple narrative. She’s had ups and downs in marriages, and even in her relationships with her kids. Her family is interviewed here, and they aren’t shy about the toll her absences and musical aspirations took on them, including two of her sons serving time in prison. But it is in all the ups and downs that the doc finds life. It is a window into some of the most significant parts of the greater story of rock and roll. Sometimes you’re in the right place at the right time. Sometimes you’re not. Sometimes assholes, sexism, or misogyny hold you back. Sometimes you didn’t hit the zeitgeist. Sometimes your striving for fame goes too far. Sometimes people will find you for your talent. Sometimes it is who you know. But above all, the throughline is that this is a story of perseverance.
Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been features plenty of interviews with celebrities who have touched on or were influenced by Love’s career. But the highlight is Love herself, who, at 85, I’m not convinced, didn’t make a deal with the devil to preserve her youthful spirit, looks, and voice. She’s an incredible character and storyteller, and the interviews and historical footage are intercut with her singing some of her greatest hits today with a band in the studio. This is a document people will be watching for decades. Be one of the first to see it. What a thrill.
Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been won the People’s Choice Documentary Award at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
"…director Barry Avrich has told it with the style, panache, and depth that it deserves. "
