Christmas Tree (Lady Gaga song)
Encyclopedia
"Christmas Tree" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga
. It was released on December 16, 2008 for digital download
. It was written by Gaga and Rob Fusari
and produced by Martin Kierszenbaum
and Space Cowboy
. It also features guest vocals from Space Cowboy. Musically, "Christmas Tree" is a Christmas
song that uses influences of dance-pop
and electropop. It samples the classic Christmas song "Deck the Halls", as well as briefly using the lyrics "Rum pum pum pum" from the Christmas song "The Little Drummer Boy" in its intro. Lyrically, the song uses sexual innuendo
s and metaphors.
The song received mixed reviews from music critics, with some commending its creativity and individuality from other Christmas songs and others criticizing its sexual innuendos and deeming it "not for the family". Due to strong digital sells, it reached number 79 on the Canadian Hot 100
in January 2009. It also reached number 18 on the Japanese
RIAJ Digital Track Chart
and number 23 on the Billboard
Holiday/Seasonal Digital Songs chart in late 2010.
In December 2009, it was available for free download on Amazon
as apart of their "25 Days of Free" promotion. It has been included in several Christmas compilation album
s, including Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4
.
. It was written by Gaga and Rob Fusari
, and was produced by Martin Kierszenbaum
and Space Cowboy. Space Cowboy and Gaga were introduced in Los Angeles
by Martin Kierszenbaum, the head of Gaga's label, Cherrytree Records
, an imprint of Interscope Records
. Kierszenbaum recommended a collaboration between them after hearing Space Cowboy's single "My Egyptian Lover
", released in January 2007 and featuring vocalist Nadia Oh
. Kierszenbaum contacted Space Cowboy during Christmas 2007 and Space Cowboy first spoke to Gaga by phone on New Year's Eve, "[getting] along so well right away" talking about sequins, disco balls, Prince
, David Bowie
and body paint. The pair worked together in Los Angeles to create "Christmas Tree" and "Starstruck", a song from some editions of Lady Gaga's then-current album The Fame
. Space Cowboy commented of working with Lady Gaga:
s and metaphors. Lyrically, the song is "lewdly celebratory" with lines such as "Light me up put me on top/ Let's fa-la-la-la-la-, la-la, la, la". In an analysis by Stelios Phili of the Washington Square News
, Phili jokes that the meaning of the song is closer to the original version of "Deck the Halls", a Welsh folk song called "Nos Galan" (Welsh for "New Year's Eve") traditionally sung at New Year's Eve, than the English Christmas version. He cites the original first line, "Cold is the man who can't love", and says that Gaga "seeks not to warn against becoming a cold, loveless man, but to prevent that fate by way of some hot lovin'".
The song contains dance-pop
and electropop music with synthesizer
s and a "pounding, grind-worthy beat". Space Cowboy described the song as "futuristic". Referenced in the song lyrics is producer Kierszenbaum's nickname of "Cherry Cherry Boom Boom". 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."
-only single on December 16, 2008 on Interscope Records
while Gaga's first single "Just Dance", was charting. It was made available as an MP3
from Amazon.com
and iTunes
. The song was not included in 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. "Christmas Tree" was made available on December 6. The song was included on several compilation album
s: Canadian compilation album NOW! Christmas 4, Taiwanese compilation album Christmas 101 and the seasonal compilation album It's Christmas Time, all released for Christmas 2009. It was also included in the compilation albums Merry Xmas! and Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4
, part of the Now That's What I Call Music series of compilation albums, both released for Christmas 2010. "Christmas Tree" was also included on The Singles, a box set of CD singles released exclusively in Japan in December 2010. It is on the ninth and last CD, which also includes the three live tracks from The Cherrytree Sessions.
gave a positive review as part of the "25 Days of Free" offer from Amazon.com. Joking that the artists 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. Estrella Adeyeri, the music editor of Nouse
, gave the song a positive review, complimenting its "synth beats and numerous yuletide innuendos". 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". A reviewer from gay.com
described the song as "merry" and a "naughty choice", praising its "dark decadence". Gino dela Paz of The Philippine Star
described the song as going from "zero to crazy" and Diana Nabiruma of The Weekly Observer
called the song "plain naughty and wacky". Jason Lewis for Fast Forward Weekly called the song "charmingly ludicrous" and called it among "the best “new” holiday music out there". Chad Bullock of MTV
included "Christmas Tree" in a list of "excellent" new Christmas music, describing it as "non-traditional and vaguely sexual".
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". 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. 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".
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". Also in a review for Now! Christmas 4, Charlottetown Guardian
reviewer Doug Gallant called "Christmas Tree" a "dreadful offering". 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. Darryl Sterdan of the Ottawa Sun
called the song "the only reason to buy" Now! Christmas 4 and recommended downloading it. 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. In a review for It's Christmas Time, Chester Chronicle
reviewer Polly Weeks called the song something that "will keep teenagers happy". In a review for Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4, J Matthew Cobb of HiFi Magazine called "Christmas Tree" part of a "good list" of new material and described it as "naughty, but nice", and in a review for Merry Xmas!, Adrian I of Music-News.com praised the song.
chart at number seventy-nine in the first week of January 2009, remaining on the chart for one week. In November 2010, "Christmas Tree" charted on the RIAJ Digital Track Chart
of Japan, entering at position eighteen, its peak. The song then dropped to positions 51, 74, 81 and 100 before leaving the chart. Also in November 2010, "Christmas Tree" charted on the Billboard
Holiday/Seasonal Digital Songs chart
in the US, peaking at position 23. In December 2010, it was also ranked at number 23 on the "Hot 100 Holiday Christmas Songs" by Billboard, based on sales and airplay over the winter period as calculated by Nielsen SoundScan
and Nielson BDS
.
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
. It was released on December 16, 2008 for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
. It was written by Gaga and Rob Fusari
Rob Fusari
Rob Fusari is a record producer and songwriter, possibly best known for his work with American recording artist Lady Gaga.-Early life:Born and raised in Livingston, New Jersey, Fusari began studying classical piano at age eight, and became so skilled as a pianist, that he started performing in...
and produced by Martin Kierszenbaum
Martin Kierszenbaum
Martin Kierszenbaum is a graduate of the University of Michigan and head of A&R at Interscope Records and president of Interscope's subsidiary imprint Cherrytree Records...
and Space Cowboy
Space Cowboy
Space Cowboy may refer to any of the following:* "Space Cowboy" , from the album Banaroo's World* Space Cowboy, song from the Jonzun Crew album Lost in Space...
. It also features guest vocals from Space Cowboy. Musically, "Christmas Tree" is a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
song that uses influences of dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
and electropop. It samples the classic Christmas song "Deck the Halls", as well as briefly using the lyrics "Rum pum pum pum" from the Christmas song "The Little Drummer Boy" in its intro. Lyrically, the song uses sexual innuendo
Innuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
s and metaphors.
The song received mixed reviews from music critics, with some commending its creativity and individuality from other Christmas songs and others criticizing its sexual innuendos and deeming it "not for the family". Due to strong digital sells, it reached number 79 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
in January 2009. It also reached number 18 on the Japanese
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
RIAJ Digital Track Chart
RIAJ Digital Track Chart
The is chart ranks the best selling digital singles in Japan, provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan since April 2009. The chart measures cellphone downloads ....
and number 23 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Holiday/Seasonal Digital Songs chart in late 2010.
In December 2009, it was available for free download on Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
as apart of their "25 Days of Free" promotion. It has been included in several Christmas compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s, including Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4
Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4
Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4 is a 2010 double album from the Now That's What I Call Music! series in the United States. It was released on October 12, 2010, and peaked at No...
.
Background
"Christmas Tree" is a Christmas music-themed song, featuring vocals from Lady Gaga and Space CowboySpace Cowboy (musician)
Nick Dresti , better known by his stage name Space Cowboy, is a DJ and twice Grammy Award nominated producer, who was born in Paris and raised in England.-Biography:...
. It was written by Gaga and Rob Fusari
Rob Fusari
Rob Fusari is a record producer and songwriter, possibly best known for his work with American recording artist Lady Gaga.-Early life:Born and raised in Livingston, New Jersey, Fusari began studying classical piano at age eight, and became so skilled as a pianist, that he started performing in...
, and was produced by Martin Kierszenbaum
Martin Kierszenbaum
Martin Kierszenbaum is a graduate of the University of Michigan and head of A&R at Interscope Records and president of Interscope's subsidiary imprint Cherrytree Records...
and Space Cowboy. Space Cowboy and Gaga were introduced in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
by Martin Kierszenbaum, the head of Gaga's label, Cherrytree Records
Cherrytree Records
Cherrytree Records is an American record label and is an imprint of Interscope Records.-History:Cherrytree Records was founded in 2005 by Martin Kierszenbaum, being German for cherry tree...
, an imprint of Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
. Kierszenbaum recommended a collaboration between them after hearing Space Cowboy's single "My Egyptian Lover
My Egyptian Lover
"My Egyptian Lover" is the lead single from Space Cowboy's third studio album, Digital Rock . It features British singer Nadia Oh and has been playlisted on BBC Radio 1, Kiss and Galaxy FM, with support from DJ Scott Mills, who made it his "Record of the Week". "My Egyptian Lover" is also included...
", released in January 2007 and featuring vocalist Nadia Oh
Nadia Oh
Nadia Oh is an English singer, rapper and producer. She was featured on Space Cowboy's 2007 single "My Egyptian Lover".-Hot Like Wow:Oh's debut album Hot Like Wow was produced by Space Cowboy and released in the United Kingdom on 13 April 2008 by Tiger Trax Records, with songs featured on the...
. Kierszenbaum contacted Space Cowboy during Christmas 2007 and Space Cowboy first spoke to Gaga by phone on New Year's Eve, "[getting] along so well right away" talking about sequins, disco balls, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and body paint. The pair worked together in Los Angeles to create "Christmas Tree" and "Starstruck", a song from some editions of Lady Gaga's then-current album The Fame
The Fame
The Fame is the debut studio album by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released on August 19, 2008 through Interscope Records. After joining Kon Live Distribution and Cherrytree Records in 2008, Gaga began working on the album with different producers, primarily RedOne, Martin...
. Space Cowboy commented of working with Lady Gaga:
Composition
"Christmas Tree" is a version of the traditional Christmas song "Deck the Halls", with the same melody but with lyrics changed to be sexually suggestive, with many sexual innuendoInnuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
s and metaphors. Lyrically, the song is "lewdly celebratory" with lines such as "Light me up put me on top/ Let's fa-la-la-la-la-, la-la, la, la". In an analysis by Stelios Phili of the Washington Square News
Washington Square News
The Washington Square News is the daily student newspaper of New York University and serves the NYU, Greenwich Village, and East Village communities. The paper, better known as WSN, has a circulation of 10,000 and an estimated 65,000 readers online...
, Phili jokes that the meaning of the song is closer to the original version of "Deck the Halls", a Welsh folk song called "Nos Galan" (Welsh for "New Year's Eve") traditionally sung at New Year's Eve, than the English Christmas version. He cites the original first line, "Cold is the man who can't love", and says that Gaga "seeks not to warn against becoming a cold, loveless man, but to prevent that fate by way of some hot lovin'".
The song contains dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
and electropop music with synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s and a "pounding, grind-worthy beat". Space Cowboy described the song as "futuristic". Referenced in the song lyrics is producer Kierszenbaum's nickname of "Cherry Cherry Boom Boom". Describing the song in episode 25 of her YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
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."
Release
"Christmas Tree" was released as a digital downloadMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
-only single on December 16, 2008 on Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
while Gaga's first single "Just Dance", was charting. It was made available as an MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
from Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
and iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. The song was not included in 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. "Christmas Tree" was made available on December 6. The song was included on several compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s: Canadian compilation album NOW! Christmas 4, Taiwanese compilation album Christmas 101 and the seasonal compilation album It's Christmas Time, all released for Christmas 2009. It was also included in the compilation albums Merry Xmas! and Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4
Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4
Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4 is a 2010 double album from the Now That's What I Call Music! series in the United States. It was released on October 12, 2010, and peaked at No...
, part of the Now That's What I Call Music series of compilation albums, both released for Christmas 2010. "Christmas Tree" was also included on The Singles, a box set of CD singles released exclusively in Japan in December 2010. It is on the ninth and last CD, which also includes the three live tracks from The Cherrytree Sessions.
Critical reception
"Christmas Tree" received mixed reviews from critics. Alex Rawls of OffBeatOffBeat (magazine)
OffBeat is a monthly music magazine in New Orleans, Louisiana first published in 1988. It mainly focuses on the music scene of New Orleans and Louisiana. It covers wide range of local music including R&B, blues, brass bands, jazz, cajun music, zydeco, to rock....
gave a positive review as part of the "25 Days of Free" offer from Amazon.com. Joking that the artists 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. Estrella Adeyeri, the music editor of Nouse
Nouse
Nouse is a student newspaper and website at the University of York. It is the oldest registered society of, and funded by the University of York Students' Union. Founded in 1964 by student Nigel Fountain, some twenty years before its rival York Vision...
, gave the song a positive review, complimenting its "synth beats and numerous yuletide innuendos". Ryan Brockington of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
praised the song, describing it as a "favorite holiday jam" and a "subliminal lady parts
Vagina
The vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
pine-tree jingle". A reviewer from gay.com
Gay.com
gay.com is a chat, personals, and social networking website catering to the LGBT community. The site is a digital brand of Here Media Inc. In addition to community features, the site features LGBT-related news and features. As of September 2005, San Jose Mercury News ranked gay.com as the most...
described the song as "merry" and a "naughty choice", praising its "dark decadence". Gino dela Paz of The Philippine Star
The Philippine Star
The Philippine Star is a daily English-language broadsheet newspaper based in Manila and circulated nationwide in the Philippines. Owned and published by PhilSTAR Daily, Inc, it was founded on July 28, 1986 by veteran journalists Max Soliven, Betty Go-Belmonte and Art Borjal...
described the song as going from "zero to crazy" and Diana Nabiruma of The Weekly Observer
The Weekly Observer
The Weekly Observer is a weekly newspaper based in Hemingway, SC that covers the areas of Hemingway, Johnsonville, Pamplico and Williamsburg County. The paper, now owned by Media General, has been published since 1981. The newspaper features editorial content including columns by correspondents and...
called the song "plain naughty and wacky". Jason Lewis for Fast Forward Weekly called the song "charmingly ludicrous" and called it among "the best “new” holiday music out there". Chad Bullock of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
included "Christmas Tree" in a list of "excellent" new Christmas music, describing it as "non-traditional and vaguely sexual".
Molly Gamble of Marquette Tribune
Marquette Tribune
The Marquette Tribune is the official student newspaper of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.-External links:*...
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". 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. Cassaundra Baber of Observer-Dispatch
Observer-Dispatch
The Observer-Dispatch is the major newspaper for Oneida County, Herkimer County, and parts of Madison County, and also services the greater Central New York area. Based in Utica, New York, the publication is owned by GateHouse Media.-History:...
listed the song on list of "Horrible holiday hits", criticising it for being "sexualized" and calling it "not for the kids".
The song was described as "porn
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
-tastic" in a review for Now! Christmas 4 by Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The following week, Torstar launched a successor publication, The Grid.-...
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". Also in a review for Now! Christmas 4, Charlottetown Guardian
Charlottetown Guardian
The Guardian is a daily newspaper in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.The paper was originally launched in the 1870s as The Presbyterian and Evangelical Protestant Union, owned by Presbyterian minister Stephen G. Lawson...
reviewer Doug Gallant called "Christmas Tree" a "dreadful offering". Beverley Lunney, a reviewer for Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
, 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. Darryl Sterdan of the Ottawa Sun
Ottawa Sun
The Ottawa Sun is a daily tabloid newspaper in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is published by Sun Media. It was first published in the early 1980s as the Ottawa Sunday Herald, until it was acquired by Toronto Sun Publishing Corporation in 1988....
called the song "the only reason to buy" Now! Christmas 4 and recommended downloading it. In a review of Now! Christmas 4, John Lucas of The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by the Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp...
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. In a review for It's Christmas Time, Chester Chronicle
Chester Chronicle
The Chester Chronicle is a UK local weekly newspaper for the Chester and Cheshire area, first established in the 18th century. It is one of the UK's best-selling newspapers, published every Thursday.-Structure:It has a number of different editions:...
reviewer Polly Weeks called the song something that "will keep teenagers happy". In a review for Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4, J Matthew Cobb of HiFi Magazine called "Christmas Tree" part of a "good list" of new material and described it as "naughty, but nice", and in a review for Merry Xmas!, Adrian I of Music-News.com praised the song.
Chart performance
Due to high digital downloads, "Christmas Tree" entered the Canadian Hot 100Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
chart at number seventy-nine in the first week of January 2009, remaining on the chart for one week. In November 2010, "Christmas Tree" charted on the RIAJ Digital Track Chart
RIAJ Digital Track Chart
The is chart ranks the best selling digital singles in Japan, provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan since April 2009. The chart measures cellphone downloads ....
of Japan, entering at position eighteen, its peak. The song then dropped to positions 51, 74, 81 and 100 before leaving the chart. Also in November 2010, "Christmas Tree" charted on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Holiday/Seasonal Digital Songs chart
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
in the US, peaking at position 23. In December 2010, it was also ranked at number 23 on the "Hot 100 Holiday Christmas Songs" by Billboard, based on sales and airplay over the winter period as calculated by Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
and Nielson BDS
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, better known as BDS, is a service that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs based on the number of spins and detections...
.
Charts
| Chart (2008–10) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
79 |
| Japan RIAJ Digital Track Chart RIAJ Digital Track Chart The is chart ranks the best selling digital singles in Japan, provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan since April 2009. The chart measures cellphone downloads .... |
18 |
| US United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Holiday/Seasonal Digital Songs Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... |
23 |
External links
- Lady Gaga : Single : Christmas Tree Interscope RecordsInterscope RecordsInterscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...