During The Tonight Show last night, host Jimmy Fallon premiered his new Christmas song “It Was A…(Masked Christmas)” featuring Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion.
Fallon premiered the song on the late-night talk show ahead of its midnight release on streaming platforms along with a music video directed by Dan Opsal. Opsal has previously worked with Fallon and his guest celebrities on comedic music videos for the Tonight Show, like 2014’s “Breakdance Conversation” with Brad Pitt.
Fallon introduced the video with a story about how the collaboration pushed the passion project forward. “I’ve never written a song where I go like, ‘We got something,’” the comedian shared, “I go, ‘That’s funny,’ or whatever. But this one, I go, ‘This is something.’”
Fallon reached out to Ariana Grande, who recorded the backing track. And at Grande’s suggestion, they asked Megan Thee Stallion to record a verse. It was the rapper who first broached the idea of going all out with a music video.
“It Was A…” satirizes our attempts at holiday traditions during the pandemic with lyrics about vaccines, Zoom, and hand sanitizer.
It was a masked Christmas
We hopped on a Zoom
I can only get WiFi in my laundry room
But it’s Christmas time
We’ll be in line for a booster
In the video, Fallon and Grande drink eggnog and sing to each other from a distance while Fallon fills time playing chess with a golden retriever. Megan Thee Stallion dawns a nurse costume during her appearance, rapping about the return to some normalcy this year.
Fallon’s past Christmas-themed musical pursuits include a collaboration with John Rich on “Drunk On Christmas” in 2010, as well as a 2017 cover of “Wonderful Christmas Time” with Paul McCartney and The Tonight Show’s house band The Roots.
You can stream “It Was A…(Masked Christmas)” now.