Darlene Love Calls Nighttime TV Return for Christmas Performance ‘Unbelievable’: ‘What I Need and What I Want’ (Exclusive)

After over six decades in the music industry, Darlene Love knows exactly "what I need and what I want."

That's why the singer exclusively tells PEOPLE her decision to return to nighttime TV via The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Dec. 18 to perform a special rendition of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" with her "wonderful" longtime collaborator Steven Van Zandt is an "unbelievable" development.

The "All Alone on Christmas" vocalist last performed her Christmas classic on late-night TV in 2015 when she appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman for her final performance on the program after 28 consecutive years. For the following nine years, she took her talents to The View each holiday season to the delight of millions of viewers. Now, she is looking ahead to the future by referencing her past.

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"When I did The View, they wanted me to sing with other people ... not just sing the song by myself, but sing it with other people," Love recalls, saying that creative direction "started limiting me, the whole song. And then people didn't like that."

Despite this, Love maintains there was "no animosity" involved in leaving The View, while lamenting "I think it's funny ... with me, people don't think I'm supposed to move on."

"I was not unhappy. I mean, I love all the ladies. As a matter of fact, me and Whoopi [Goldberg] are very good friends. It was just a time, I think, just to make that decision," she shares. "You don't want nobody making any kind of decisions for your career. I've done it now for 60 years, so I ought to know."

And who better to bring her back into the world of nighttime TV than Fallon, whom Love says has openly professed his affinity for her and her music.

"The reason how I got to do this show, I was doing my Christmas show at The View," Love says, "Well, Jimmy Fallon was their guest that year I did The View and then I said, 'Jimmy Fallon ... oh my God, I love him.' And he stuck his head out the door, he said, 'Is that Darlene Love out there? How come you haven't done my show?' I went, 'What? I'm doing your show right now.' And that's how it started."

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Ultimately, Love shares that "the time just seemed right to do it ... it hasn't been anything to do with really one particular thing," while reflecting on the staying power that "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" has after all these years.

"This record just ... it has this fame, power. Most people don't really realize that this record was recorded in 1961," she shares. "We were amazed at ourselves how wonderful it came out. We had no idea, though, that it was going to be around 60 years later. It's as big today as it was when it was just released."

Catch Love and Van Zandt's legendary return to late night for the holidays on the season finale of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Dec. 18 at 11:35 ET on NBC.

Read the original article on People