There’s a lot of folks out there that think practically all Christmas songs suck, but you know what? That simply isn’t true. Granted, it’s almost impossible to make a Christmas song that isn’t at least marginally corny and/or eyeroll-inducing (which is often kind of the point), but you know what helps on that front? Soul. That’s right, if a Christmas song happens to have some authentic soul sprinkled in, that helps make it all the more legit. A good example of that is “Merry Christmas Baby”, a classic tune popularized by the legendary Otis Redding back in the 60s. And Bruce Springsteen has helped keep the spirit of that song alive and well over the years, as evidenced by this fantastically jovial performance with Conan O’Brien back in 2002. The celebratory and communal vibes here are too infectious to be denied, as The Boss belts out the tune with his patented brand of E-Street soul that would no doubt make the late great Mr. Redding proud. There’s even an appearance from Santa himself towards the end of the performance, who dishes out presents (including a coveted George Foreman Grill for Conan), which just helps accentuate all the cheerful holiday vibes on display. Dig it:
