Even with a whole new spate of fun, sexy Christmas songs from pop stars like Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and more, sometimes you just can’t beat the classics. And if the state of the world or the fact that the snow just won’t come has you feeling a little less than festive, this particular classic may be the perfect antidote to raise your spirits.
For 28 years, the legendary Darlene Love—formerly of The Blossoms—sang her holiday hit “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on the last episode of David Letterman’s Late Show every year. Unfortunately, this tradition came to an effective end in 2015 when the show went off-air. While Love has sung the song on The View since losing the Letterman gig, there’s still nothing quite like getting the original band back together. That’s exactly what happened this year, as Love reunited with Letterman and Paul Shaffer for yet another rousing rendition of the song. (While watching the old friends catch up is delightful, if you want to skip right to the song, Darlene starts singing around six minutes into the video.)
Love originally sang “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” for Phil Spector’s 1963 compilation, A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector. It was the only original song on the album—the rest was made up of covers by groups like The Crystals and The Ronettes. Love also appeared a few more times on the record, belting out tunes including “White Christmas,” “A Marshmallow World,” and “Winter Wonderland.” Since 1963, many other groups have returned the favor and covered Love’s song, including Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé, U2, and an expectedly mellow version by Death Cab For Cutie.