John Legend and his family are getting into the holiday spirit a little early this year.
The 40-year-old EGOT winner dropped a new version of the classic song “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” on Thursday.
While John provides the lead vocals on the track, his wife, Chrissy Teigen, and his daughter, Luna Simone Stephens, make some sweet cameos.
The song opens up with John wishing Luna a “happy Christmas,” and Chrissy sending the same celebratory message to their son Miles Theodore Stephens.
“Happy Christmas, Daddy and Mommy,” Luna replies.
The song also features harmonies by the children’s choir of The Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center—a nonprofit organization that provides at-risk youth with performing arts instruction to help them build self-esteem, develop civic responsibility and achieve academic success.
The song appears on John’s album A Legendary Christmas: The Deluxe Edition. The “All of Me” artist opens up about recording the tune in a video for Amazon Music.
“I loved recording, ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” he says in the clip. “It was such an inspiring recording session. I got to include my wife and my daughter We all came together to sing a really beautiful song that needs to be heard.”
As fans will recall, the original hit, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” was released in 1971 by John & Yoko/The Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir.
“What’s interesting about ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over),’ is it was written when the war wasn’t over,” the “Love Me Now” star continues. “We were still fighting in Vietnam. There were so many protesters in the streets. John Lennon and Yoko Ono were speaking to that angst, to that fear, to that desire for peace among so many people and a hope that the war would be over but it wasn’t over at the time.”
He then suggests its message still resonates today.
“So, I think it’s a good message for us right now that, whatever we’re fighting for, we want the fight to be won,” he says. “We want there to be justice. We want to accomplish all these things, but this song reminds us that there’s still work to do and hopefully it will inspire people to keep working.”
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Fans can listen to the tune via Amazon Music.
Happy holidays!
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