In 1996, Natalie Merchant appeared on David Letterman’s late-night show and delivered a strong performance of her song “Wonder.” Beyond that, it was a definitive ‘90s snapshot. For instance, it showcased the style of that decade. And said style was a welcome relief from the hideous looks that had plagued America since the mid-1960s.

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Merchant’s performance of “Wonder” on Letterman had everything a live song needs: a nice sound and a lead singer who looks like she’s enjoying being there. (According to comments on YouTube, her guitarist, Jennifer Turner, also delivered an outstanding performance.) That assessment might sound like a pretty simple one, but when you think about it, there are plenty of terrible live performances, particularly from artists who appear on late-night shows. Oftentimes they look rather uncomfortable—nervous—and it ends up destroying whatever song they sing. Not so with this one.

On top of looking comfortable, Merchant also looked good. Nice hair, nice dress, and nice overall look. Her band looked good too. It‘s a definitive ‘90s snapshot. In addition to being a reminder of the style back then, it’s a reminder of how that era was a welcome relief from all the years of anti-fashion that came before it.

In fact, 1996 was a defining year as far as fashion goes. By then, the holdover styles from the ‘80s (loud colors and big looks) were pretty much gone, and what you got was what you think of when you think of vintage 1990s. Merchant’s white tights, her guitarist’s and drummer’s jackets, and everyone’s hair in particular had a ‘90s look to them. Again, it was a welcome relief from what preceded it.

Starting in the mid-‘60s or so, when the Boomers came of age, fashion (along with everything else in America) started a nosedive. Think of the loud, garish colors and styles of clothing. And the awful hair. It became worse in the 1970s, when looking as unattractive as you possibly could seemed to be the order of the day. Think of the shaggy, unkempt hair (men and women), terrible facial hair of men . . . and women, tight clothing on men, bell-bottoms, and just generally slovenly appearance of everyone—even people who were supposedly wearing their best.

The 1980s started seeing somewhat of a rejection of hippie fashion. But that didn’t mean that things necessarily improved, style-wise. Big shoulders on suits for men. And big shoulders on dresses and blouses for women. And then there was the shapeless dresses and outfits for women, and the goofy, loud colors for men. (Women had goofy, loud colors of their own.) Tube socks pulled up to the knees, short and oddly colored shorts, and head bands and wrist bands. Just some awful looks. And who can forget the big hair and mullets—and, worse, rat tails.

As with every decade, some of the terrible looks of the ‘80s dribbled over to the ‘90s. But, again, by the mid-‘90s, almost all of that was gone. And what you got was what you see in this video. People started looking decent again. Indeed, some of what you see here wouldn’t look too out of place today if you made a few minor changes to the particular styles. In other words, the fashion of the ‘90s continues influencing fashion today.

So if someone ever asks you to show him something that is definitively ‘90s, Natalie Merchant’s performance of “Wonder” on Letterman in 1996 is a pretty good choice. Not just for the song, but for the reminder of how it ended the decades-long assault on style.