Watch Darlene Love, David Letterman & Paul Shaffer Revive Christmas Tradition After 9 Years

One of late-night television’s greatest traditions was Darlene Love singing her 1963 single, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” on Letterman. The ritual ended when David Letterman retired as host of The Late Show in 2015. Love recently reunited with Dave and Late Show bandleader Paul Shaffer to discuss the tradition and to perform “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” one more time for a video posted on Letterman’s YouTube.

Darlene Love first belted out “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” accompanied by Paul Shaffer, bassist Will Lee, guitarist Sid McGinnis and drummer Anton Fig on the December 16, 1986 episode of Late Night With David Letterman. “It’s just the four of us and my band, singing and playing,” Shaffer told Variety Fair on the initial performance. “[We’re] singing the background ourselves and playing ourselves, but somehow, when she started to sing, there was the Wall of Sound. It was there just among the four of us.”

When David Letterman moved to CBS he brought Love back to perform what he calls his favorite holiday song. Darlene Love appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman every year from 1994 through 2014 with the exception of 2007 due to a writer’s strike. “Year after year, we’ve tried to do different things,” Shaffer added. “We had a naval choir once, we had a children’s choir, we had gospel. But the best thing to do, I find, is to just get the best people we can, and let Darlene wail and that’s what I’m looking for.”

Barbara Gaines was an executive producer of The Late Show and makes frequent appearances on the Letterman YouTube channel. Love’s reunion with Dave and Paul Shaffer was presented as the Barbara Gaines Holiday Show. Darlene reflected on the long-standing tradition and the first time she sang the song on Letterman. Dave and Paul also shared memories of Love’s visits. Additionally, Shaffer showed off his Cher impression.

Darlene Love was joined by Paul Shaffer on piano and three backing vocalists for her “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” performance on the Letterman YouTube channel. Watch the full reunion below along with a supercut compiling all of Love’s Letterman appearances: