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Underneath the Tree
"Underneath the Tree" is a Christmas song by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her sixth studio album and first Christmas album, Wrapped in Red (2013). She co-wrote the track with its producer Greg Kurstin. Accompanied by various instrumental sounds, the song is given a Wall of Sound treatment, along with sleigh bells and bell chimes to create a Christmas atmosphere. "Underneath the Tree" was first released to Adult Contemporary radio stations on November 5, 2013, by RCA Records as the album's lead single.
"Underneath the Tree" has been praised by music critics, who considered it the main highlight of Wrapped in Red and recognized its potential to be a Christmas classic. They favorably compared it to Mariah Carey's 1994 Christmas song "All I Want for Christmas Is You". The track has reached number seven on the Billboard Global 200 in addition to the top ten in Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It has also charted within the top 20 in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Singapore, and Slovakia. In 2021, "Underneath the Tree" was named ASCAP's most popular Christmas song released in the 21st century.
Directed by English director Hamish Hamilton, the music video for the song has a live performance from the television special Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale at The Venetian Las Vegas. Apart from the television special, Clarkson has also performed it in various televised performances, such as Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and the American singing competition The Voice.
After recording tracks for her greatest hits compilation, Greatest Hits – Chapter One, Clarkson began discussing with her record label RCA Records about plans for her sixth studio album being a Christmas release in late 2012, during which she also began to write original Christmas material. Greg Kurstin, whom she had previously collaborated with, was approached by Clarkson to produce the album; and together, they co-wrote the tracks "Underneath the Tree" and "4 Carats". "Underneath the Tree" was produced by Kurstin, who also played most of the instruments, including a mellotron and a Chamberlin, to evoke a Phil Spector's Wall of Sound treatment—a sound that Billboard and HitFix noticed upon hearing the song. He also had Clarkson provide all the voices in it, including all its backing vocals. She recalled the experience as new, stating, "I've never had to do anything like this before—doing all my backup vocals, essentially being my own choir."
"Underneath the Tree" is an uptempo Christmas pop song written by Clarkson and Kurstin. It is one of the five original songs recorded for Wrapped in Red. According to the sheet notes at Musicnotes published by EMI Music Publishing, the song was written in the key of E♭ major, in which the vocal range spans from E♭4 to G5. Apart from the Wall of Sound, various other sounds, such as sleigh bells and bell chimes, are also prominently heard on the song, which features a bari saxophone solo on the bridge.
On October 18, 2013, Clarkson premiered "Underneath the Tree" on her Vevo channel. On November 5, 2013, RCA Records released it as a single on Adult Contemporary radio stations in the United States, while also planning to release it on Mainstream Pop stations. It was then released as a digital download in the United Kingdom on November 22, 2013, and in the United States on December 9, 2013. A digital EP containing remixes of the song was released internationally on December 17, 2013.
"Underneath the Tree" has received critical acclaim from various music critics on its release, praised its catchiness and festive arrangement. Billboard's Marisa Fox called it the album's "biggest surprise", and described it as an optimistic tune that has Clarkson powering through Darlene Love-style vocals. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times described it as a remarkably cheery single. In her review, Christina Vinson of Taste of Country remarked that the track "has everything a Christmas song could want: a jazzy, big band sound, saxophone and bells ringing, all bottled up in an optimistic and catchy holiday track" and said that Clarkson "shines", as her "strong vocals are needed to offset the snazzy production and chorus." In his review, Idolator's Carl Williott wrote that the song "sounds instantly familiar—sleigh bells, laments about a lonely Christmas day, a sax solo—but with a tightly coiled hook and Clarkson's transcendent voice, the whole thing is kind of invigorating." Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe called it a bouncy, cooing number tailor-made to soundtrack sleigh rides, and named it the best track on the album.
Critics also approvingly compared it to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (1994), a track that RCA chief executive Peter Edge described as the song's inspiration. Williot added that "Underneath the Tree" was "already practically a Christmas standard" one week after being released. Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV News remarked, "if we may be so bold, it is definitely on par with other impeccable Christmas originals—namely Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You"." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine noted the similar themes of both songs, and that "Underneath the Tree" is likely to become Clarkson's very own contemporary standard. Melinda Newman of HitFix wrote, "It's a finger-popping, bell-ringing pleaser that could achieve that rare feat of becoming a new Christmas standard. That hasn't happened since Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" in 1994." The Independent's Hugh Montgomery called "Underneath The Tree" a "winner on all fronts" for having "sass, jingle, and a sax solo".
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Underneath the Tree
"Underneath the Tree" is a Christmas song by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her sixth studio album and first Christmas album, Wrapped in Red (2013). She co-wrote the track with its producer Greg Kurstin. Accompanied by various instrumental sounds, the song is given a Wall of Sound treatment, along with sleigh bells and bell chimes to create a Christmas atmosphere. "Underneath the Tree" was first released to Adult Contemporary radio stations on November 5, 2013, by RCA Records as the album's lead single.
"Underneath the Tree" has been praised by music critics, who considered it the main highlight of Wrapped in Red and recognized its potential to be a Christmas classic. They favorably compared it to Mariah Carey's 1994 Christmas song "All I Want for Christmas Is You". The track has reached number seven on the Billboard Global 200 in addition to the top ten in Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It has also charted within the top 20 in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Singapore, and Slovakia. In 2021, "Underneath the Tree" was named ASCAP's most popular Christmas song released in the 21st century.
Directed by English director Hamish Hamilton, the music video for the song has a live performance from the television special Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale at The Venetian Las Vegas. Apart from the television special, Clarkson has also performed it in various televised performances, such as Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and the American singing competition The Voice.
After recording tracks for her greatest hits compilation, Greatest Hits – Chapter One, Clarkson began discussing with her record label RCA Records about plans for her sixth studio album being a Christmas release in late 2012, during which she also began to write original Christmas material. Greg Kurstin, whom she had previously collaborated with, was approached by Clarkson to produce the album; and together, they co-wrote the tracks "Underneath the Tree" and "4 Carats". "Underneath the Tree" was produced by Kurstin, who also played most of the instruments, including a mellotron and a Chamberlin, to evoke a Phil Spector's Wall of Sound treatment—a sound that Billboard and HitFix noticed upon hearing the song. He also had Clarkson provide all the voices in it, including all its backing vocals. She recalled the experience as new, stating, "I've never had to do anything like this before—doing all my backup vocals, essentially being my own choir."
"Underneath the Tree" is an uptempo Christmas pop song written by Clarkson and Kurstin. It is one of the five original songs recorded for Wrapped in Red. According to the sheet notes at Musicnotes published by EMI Music Publishing, the song was written in the key of E♭ major, in which the vocal range spans from E♭4 to G5. Apart from the Wall of Sound, various other sounds, such as sleigh bells and bell chimes, are also prominently heard on the song, which features a bari saxophone solo on the bridge.
On October 18, 2013, Clarkson premiered "Underneath the Tree" on her Vevo channel. On November 5, 2013, RCA Records released it as a single on Adult Contemporary radio stations in the United States, while also planning to release it on Mainstream Pop stations. It was then released as a digital download in the United Kingdom on November 22, 2013, and in the United States on December 9, 2013. A digital EP containing remixes of the song was released internationally on December 17, 2013.
"Underneath the Tree" has received critical acclaim from various music critics on its release, praised its catchiness and festive arrangement. Billboard's Marisa Fox called it the album's "biggest surprise", and described it as an optimistic tune that has Clarkson powering through Darlene Love-style vocals. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times described it as a remarkably cheery single. In her review, Christina Vinson of Taste of Country remarked that the track "has everything a Christmas song could want: a jazzy, big band sound, saxophone and bells ringing, all bottled up in an optimistic and catchy holiday track" and said that Clarkson "shines", as her "strong vocals are needed to offset the snazzy production and chorus." In his review, Idolator's Carl Williott wrote that the song "sounds instantly familiar—sleigh bells, laments about a lonely Christmas day, a sax solo—but with a tightly coiled hook and Clarkson's transcendent voice, the whole thing is kind of invigorating." Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe called it a bouncy, cooing number tailor-made to soundtrack sleigh rides, and named it the best track on the album.
Critics also approvingly compared it to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (1994), a track that RCA chief executive Peter Edge described as the song's inspiration. Williot added that "Underneath the Tree" was "already practically a Christmas standard" one week after being released. Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV News remarked, "if we may be so bold, it is definitely on par with other impeccable Christmas originals—namely Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You"." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine noted the similar themes of both songs, and that "Underneath the Tree" is likely to become Clarkson's very own contemporary standard. Melinda Newman of HitFix wrote, "It's a finger-popping, bell-ringing pleaser that could achieve that rare feat of becoming a new Christmas standard. That hasn't happened since Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" in 1994." The Independent's Hugh Montgomery called "Underneath The Tree" a "winner on all fronts" for having "sass, jingle, and a sax solo".