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==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.interscope.com/artist/ringtones/default.aspx?pid=2453&aid=599 Lady Gaga : Ringtones : Christmas Tree (Ringtone)] [[Interscope Records]]


{{Lady Gaga}}
{{Lady Gaga}}

Revision as of 05:39, 12 January 2010

"Christmas Tree"
Song

"Christmas Tree" is a download-only single by American pop singer-songwriter Lady Gaga, featuring vocals by French DJ and producer Space Cowboy. It is an electropop Christmas song written by Lady Gaga and Rob Fusari. The song was released on Interscope Records for Christmas on December 16, 2008, and was produced by Martin Kierszenbaum and Space Cowboy of Cherrytree Records, an imprint of Interscope.

In 2009, "Christmas Tree" was made free to download from Amazon.com as part of its "25 Days of Free" promotion. The song was also included in several Christmas compilation albums. It charted on the Canadian Hot 100 singles chart in January 2009 at number 79. The song received mixed reviews, attracting criticism for its overt sexual innuendo.

Background and composition

"Christmas Tree" is a Christmas music-themed song, featuring vocals from Lady Gaga and Space Cowboy.[5] It was written by Gaga and Rob Fusari,[6] and was produced by Martin Kierszenbaum and Space Cowboy.[7] Space Cowboy and Gaga were introduced in Los Angeles in 2007 by Martin Kierszenbaum of Gaga's label, Cherrytree Records, an imprint of Interscope Records.[5][8] Kierszenbaum recommended a collaboration between them after hearing Space Cowboy's single "My Egyptian Lover", released in January 2007 and featuring vocalist Nadia Oh.[9][10] The pair worked together to create "Christmas Tree" and "Starstruck", a song from some editions of Lady Gaga's then-current album The Fame, in studios along the West Coast of the United States.[5] Space Cowboy commented of working with Lady Gaga:

We figured out that we shared pretty much the same experiences; we’d been doing similar things on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Then I got invited to the studio to write some songs with Lady Gaga; we did “Starstruck”, we did a song called “Christmas Tree” She’s super-creative, she’s amazing — the best writer I’d ever seen, and best performer.

— Space Cowboy, A Space Cowboy Odyssey, interview with URB.[9]

Describing the song in episode 25 of her YouTube broadcast series Gaga-vision, Gaga said: ""Christmas Tree" is about the spirit of celebrating the most joyous holiday and I'll tell you why: because Christmas is the holiday that most makes boys and girls feel randy."[11] The song contains dance-pop and electropop music with synth beats[2][3][12] and features many sexual innuendos and metaphors.[13][14] Referenced in the song lyrics is producer Kierszenbaum's nickname of "Cherry Cherry Boom Boom".[5][7]

Release

"Christmas Tree" was released as a digital download song on December 16, 2008 on Interscope Records[1] while Gaga's first single "Just Dance", was charting.[15] The song was not included in Lady Gaga's album, The Fame. One year later, in December 2009, it was one of the songs free to download from Amazon.com as part of its "25 Days of Free" offer, whereby for the first twenty-five days in December a Christmas-themed song is made free to download from the website.[16] "Christmas Tree" was made available on December 6.[17] The song was included on several compilation albums: Canadian compilation album NOW! Christmas 4, part of the Now That's What I Call Music series,[13] Taiwanese compilation album Christmas 101[18] and the seasonal compilation album It's Christmas Time,[19][20] all released for Christmas 2009.

Critical response

"Christmas Tree"
A 14-second sample from "Christmas Tree", which repeats the lines "Light me up, put me on top/Let's fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la" and "The only place you'll wanna be/Is underneath my Christmas Tree".
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Christmas Tree" received mixed reviews from critics. "Christmas Tree" received a positive review from Alex Rawls of OffBeat Magazine as part of the "25 Days of Free" offer from Amazon.com. Joking that the arists of the more religious songs must be "praying" for Lady Gaga, Rawls described the song as "not so po-faced" as the five songs released before it was made available on December 6, 2009.[17] Estrella Adeyeri, the music editor of Nouse, gave the song a positive review, complimenting its "synth beats and numerous yuletide innuendos".[12] Ryan Brockington of the New York Post praised the song, describing it as a "favorite holiday jam" and a "subliminal lady parts pine-tree jingle".[14] A reviewer from PlanetOut described the song as "merry" and "naughty choice", praising its "dark decadence".[21] Gino dela Paz of The Philippine Star described the song as going from "zero to crazy"[22] and Diana Nabiruma of The Weekly Observer called the song "plain naughty and wacky".[23] Jason Lewis for Fast Forward Weekly called the song "charmingly ludicrous" and called it among "the best “new” holiday music out there".[24]

Molly Gamble of Marquette Tribune gave "Christmas Tree" a negative review, criticising the song's "poorly veiled metaphor" for sex and calling the song "shameless". She commented that "Christmas Tree" is not a song one can listen to in the presence of family and that it "makes Christmas feel dirty".[25] Katie Hasty and Melinda Newman of HitFix gave the song a very negative review, calling it "stupendously stupid and awful" and the "most terrible Christmas song ever in the whole wide world ever", criticising its obvious sexual metaphors.[26] Cassaundra Baber of Observer-Dispatch listed the song on list of "Horrible holiday hits", criticising it for being "sexualized" and calling it "not for the kids".[27]

The song was described as "porn-tastic" in a review for Now! Christmas 4 by Eye Weekly reviewer Chris Bilton, quoting the lyric "My Christmas tree is delicious". Bilton also called it one of few tracks on the album that make it a "worthy stocking stuffer".[13] Also in a review for Now! Christmas 4, Charlottetown Guardian reviewer Doug Gallant called "Christmas Tree" a "dreadful offering".[28] Beverley Lunney, a reviewer for Winnipeg Free Press, gave the song a negative review, commenting that listeners would be "offended" by the song's "truly unfestive metaphors" and called it one of a "sea of unbearable original tunes" on Now! Christmas 4.[29] Darryl Sterdan of Sudbury Star called the song "the only reason to buy" Now! Christmas 4 and recommended downloading it.[30] In a review of Now! Christmas 4, John Lucas of The Georgia Straight described the song as a "filthy electro banger" and "so blatantly about [sex] that you have to wonder how in the hell it got past the usually vigilant Now! gatekeepers", calling it the "single exception" to an otherwise bland album.[3] In a review for It's Christmas Time, Chester Chronicle reviewer Polly Weeks called the song something that "will keep teenagers happy".[20]

Chart performance

Due to high digital downloads, "Christmas Tree" entered the Canadian Hot 100 chart at number seventy-nine in the first week of January 2009, remaining on the chart for one week.[31]

Track listing

  • U.S. and Canadian iTunes single[4]
  1. "Christmas Tree" (featuring Space Cowboy) – 2:22

References

  1. ^ a b "Lady Gaga : Single : Christmas Tree". Lady Gaga's official website. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
  2. ^ a b "allmusic ((( Christmas Tree > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2009-12-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  3. ^ a b c Lucas, John (2009-12-18). "Now! Christmas 4 is the Charlie Browniest of all holiday albums". The Georgia Straight. Vancouver Free Press. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
  4. ^ a b "Christmas Tree (feat. Space Cowboy) - Single Lady GaGa". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2009-12-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  5. ^ a b c d Thiel, Mike. "Turn It Up!: Space Cowboy". The Scene Newspaper. Retrieved 2010-01-03. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "Lady Gaga - "Christmas Tree" BMI Repertoire". Broadcast Music Incorporated. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
  7. ^ a b "Discography of Martin Kierszenbaum". Cherry Cherry Boom Boom. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  8. ^ "Interview with Space Cowboy". The Music Box. 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  9. ^ a b Vazquez, Michael (2009-12-10). "A Space Cowboy Odyssey". URB. Retrieved 2010-01-03. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ McAlpine, Fraser (2007-01-16). "Space Cowboy ft. Nadia Oh - 'My Egyptian Lover'". BBC Radio 1. BBC. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  11. ^ Presenter: Lady Gaga (2008-12-09). "Lady Gaga - Transmission Gaga-vision - Episode 25". Transmission Gaga-vision. Episode 25. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  12. ^ a b Adeyeri, Estrella (2009-12-08). "Nouse Playlist". Nouse. University of York Students' Union. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  13. ^ a b c Bilton, Chris (2009-12-02). "The good, the bad and the secret military tribunal-worthy of holiday-themed music featuring Bob". Eye Weekly. Torstar. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
  14. ^ a b Brockington, Ryan (2009-12-17). "Fave five: Holiday hits". New York Post. News Corporation. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  15. ^ Lamb, Bill (2008-12-09). "Lady Gaga - "Christmas Tree"". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-11-22. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  16. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (2009-12-02). "Amazon gives away Gaga, Tori Amos MP3s in '25 Days of Free' promotion". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  17. ^ a b Rawls, Alex (2009-12-11). "Get What You Pay For?". OffBeat Magazine. OffBeat, Inc. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  18. ^ "Christmas 101". Last.fm. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
  19. ^ Reporter, BBC (2009-11-17). "Rolf and Quo plan Christmas song". BBC. BBC Online. Retrieved 2009-12-11. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  20. ^ a b Weeks, Polly (2009-12-21). "On the record: The best festive tunes". Chester Chronicle. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  21. ^ "Lady Gaga and Space Cowboy's Gift to You: "Christmas Tree"". PlanetOut.com. PlanetOut Inc. 2009-12-18. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
  22. ^ dela Paz, Gino (2009-12-19). "Have yourself a quirky little Christmas". The Philippine Star. PhilStar Daily, Inc. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  23. ^ Nabiruma, Diana (2009-12-23). "Who said Lady GaGa can't croon one for Christmas?". The Weekly Observer. James Tumusiime. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
  24. ^ Lewis, Jason (2009-12-24). "Making a playlist and checking it twice". Fast Forward Weekly. Great West Newspapers, LP. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
  25. ^ Gamble, Molly (2009-12-10). "Don't touch that Christmas song". Marquette Tribune. Marquette University Student Media. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
  26. ^ Hasty, Katie; Newman, Melinda (2009-12-09). "Best and worst new Christmas songs: Leighton Meester, Spongebob, Lady GaGa". HitFix. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  27. ^ Baber, Cassaundra (2009-12-24). "Horrible holiday hits". Observer-Dispatch. GateHouse Media. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
  28. ^ Gallant, Doug (2009-12-11). "The sounds of Christmas". Charlottetown Guardian. Transcontinental Media. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  29. ^ Staff Writer (2009-12-17). "Fa-la-la-la-la". Winnipeg Free Press. FP Canadian Newspapers. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  30. ^ Sterdan, Darryl (2009-12-05). "Mr. Snow-it-all" (PDF). Sudbury Star. Sun Media. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  31. ^ "Lady Gaga - Christmas Tree". αcharts. Music Square. Retrieved 2009-11-22. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
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