Mistletoe (Justin Bieber song)

"Mistletoe"
Single by Justin Bieber
from the album Under the Mistletoe
Released	October 17, 2011
Format	CD single
Recorded	2011
Genre	Christmas, pop, R&B
Length	3:02
Label	Island, RBMG
Writer(s)	Nasri, Adam Messinger, Justin Bieber
Producer	The Messengers
Justin Bieber singles chronology
"Next 2 You" (2011) "Mistletoe" (2011)

"Mistletoe" is the first single by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber from his second studio album, Under the Mistletoe (2011). The track was written and produced by the duo Nasri and Adam Messinger (aka The Messengers).^[1][2] It was released on 17 October, 2011. It sold 164,000 the first week putting it at number 5 on digital.^[3]

Background

In an interview with MTV News, Bieber said, "I'm really excited. [The song is] really catchy. I know all my fans are going to love it. It's something that I feel like they're going to be singing every Christmas."^[4] Bieber first premiered the song live on the My World Tour on October 6, 2011 at Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.^[5] During the performance, Bieber confirmed that the song would be released on iTunes worldwide on October 17, 2011.^[5]

Composition

"Mistletoe" is a Christmas song that is sonically derived from the pop and R&B genres, while making use of reggae elements.^[6] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Mistletoe" is set in common time with a "bounce" tempo of 80 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of A minor with Bieber's vocal range spanning from the low-note of E₃ to the high-note of E₆.^[7] According to many reviewers, the song's production and Bieber's delivery bears much similarity to Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours."^[6] Bill Lamb of About.com went as far as to call the song "'I'm Yours' goes Christmas."^[8] A Rolling Stone writer commented that "The song basically sounds like a laid-back Jack Johnson number with a bit of overdubbed sleigh bells."

The song presents the maturation of Bieber's voice, with RJ Cubarrubia of Billboard writing that he sounded "smooth and intimate."^[6] Lamb said "This track marks a distinct move toward a more adult sound on the part of 17 year old Justin Bieber."^[8] The song, which includes subtle "Christmas flourishes" in the background arrangement,^[8] opens up with jingle bells before an instrumental of guitar and bongos come in.^[5]

Critical reception

RJ Cubarrubia of Billboard first complimented the song, saying that "the stripped-down sound allows the young superstar to showcase how much he and his voice have grown," and that the chorus sounds "warm and fuzzy."^[6] However he said "Bieber's breezy crooning and flat lyrics make 'Mistletoe' come off like an uninspiring, Jason Mraz-esque holiday track."^[6] Cubarrubia commended Bieber for attempting to inject his charisma in such a track, but said "he's still far from the classic Christmas pop of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You"."^[6] Although he said the song may feel a bit calculated, Bill Lamb of About.com complimented the song's "acoustic Jason Mraz vibe, the subtle seasonal touches, and adult sound.^[8] Lamb predicted the song to be a likely seasonal hit for Bieber and commented, "The subtle wintry holiday chimes in the backing track make it obvious this is a seasonal release, but it will not be jarring when included on a standard pop playlist."^[8] Jarett Wieselman of The Insider.com said the song "is pretty damn good" and went on to say "it's gonna be the biggest song of 2011."^[9] Wieselman said "You can't deny the appeal of America's tween dream du jour dropping a track where he asks the listeners to 'kiss me underneath the mistletoe.' Well played young man, well played."^[9]

Music video

The music video for "Mistletoe" was directed by Roman White.^[4] The video marked the second time Bieber had worked with White on a music video, the first being "One Less Lonely Girl" (2009).^[4] It was also shot in Franklin, Tennessee, where the previous video was filmed.^[10] On recruiting White to shoot the video, Bieber explained, "[Roman] can tell a story really well, so we wanted to use him," Bieber explained. "He shot the 'One Less Lonely Girl' video, and I thought he did a great job; he shot the 'You Belong With Me' video with Taylor Swift, and he had a lot of great experience and a lot of great work." A teaser of the video was released on October 11, 2011. ^[4] The video itself premiered on October 18, 2011 at 7:54 PM, followed by a 30-minute interview with Bieber about the video, the album, and his holiday plans.^[10]

A Rolling Stone reviewer said "the clip is cheesy holiday joy, with the singer courting a cute chick in some idyllic small town decked out with tasteful white lights and a very light dusting of snow."^[11]

Live performances

"Mistletoe" was performed for the first time on October 5, 2011, during a concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.It was also performed in MTV Europe music awards.^[12] During the performance, Bieber confirmed the release date of the song as October 17, 2011.^[13]

Chart performance

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[14]	20
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[15]	65
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[16]	28
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)	9
Denmark (Tracklisten)[17]	9
France (SNEP)[18]	76
Ireland (IRMA)[19]	16
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[20]	21
New Zealand (RIANZ)[21]	11
Norway (VG-lista)[22]	2
Scotland (The Official Charts Company)[23]	24
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[24]	16
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25]	19
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[26]	49
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[27]	21
US Billboard Hot 100[28]	11

References

1. ^ Up for Discussion Jump to Forums (2009-09-14). "Track Review: Justin Bieber, 'Mistletoe'". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/new-releases/track-review-justin-bieber-mistletoe-1005429622.story#/new-releases/track-review-justin-bieber-mistletoe-1005429622.story. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
2. ^ "JUSTIN BIEBER’S “UNDER THE MISTLETOE”, HIS FIRST CHRISTMAS ALBUM, SET FOR NOV 1 RELEASE | Universal Music Canada". Universalmusic.ca. 2011-10-05. http://universalmusic.ca/justin-bieber-christmas-album/. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
3. ^ "Adele's '21' Hits 13th Week At No. 1 On Billboard 200; Casting Crowns Bow At No. 2". Billboard.biz. 2011-10-26. http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/adele-s-21-hits-13th-week-at-no-1-on-billboard-1005436282.story. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Vena, Jocelyn (2011-10-11). "Justin Bieber Gets Romantic In 'Mistletoe' Teaser". MTV News. MTV Networks (Viacom). http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1672339/justin-bieber-mistletoe-teaser.jhtml. Retrieved 2011-10-25. 
5. ^ ^{a b c} Vena, Jocelyn. "Justin Bieber Previews 'Mistletoe' On Tour". MTV News. MTV Networks (Viacom). http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1672082/justin-bieber-under-the-mistletoe-rio.jhtml. Retrieved 2011-10-25. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Cubarrubia, RJ (2011-10-24). "Track Review: Justin Bieber, 'Mistletoe'". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/new-releases/track-review-justin-bieber-mistletoe-1005429622.story#/new-releases/track-review-justin-bieber-mistletoe-1005429622.story. Retrieved 2011-10-25. 
7. ^ Messinger, Adam; Atweh, Nasri; Bieber, Justin (2011). "Justin Bieber – Mistletoe Sheet Music" (sheet music). Musicnotes.com. Universal Music Publishing Group. http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=mn0097700. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d e} Lamb, Bill. "Justin Bieber - "Mistletoe"". About.com. The New York Times Company. http://top40.about.com/od/justinbieber/gr/Justin-Bieber-Mistletoe.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
9. ^ ^{a b} "First Listen: Justin Bieber's 'Mistletoe'". The Insider.com. Buzzmedia Publishers. 2011-10-17. http://www.theinsider.com/tunes/45231_Justin_Bieber_s_Mistletoe_First_Listen/index.html. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
10. ^ ^{a b} Montgomery, James (2011-10-13). "Justin Bieber Brings 'Mistletoe' Video To MTV Tuesday!". MTV News. MTV Networks (Viacom). http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1672462/justin-bieber-mistletoe-preview-video.jhtml. Retrieved 2011-10-25. 
11. ^ "Video:'Mistletoe'". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/videos/new-and-hot/justin-bieber-mistletoe-20111019. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
12. ^ "Justin Bieber Mistletoe Lyrics Lyrics". Naplyrics.com. 2011-09-29. http://www.naplyrics.com/lyrics/justin-bieber/justin-bieber-mistletoe-2011/481579/mistletoe-lyrics.html. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
13. ^ "Data de lançamento de Mistletoe é alterada". JBieber.com. 2011-10-6. http://www.jbieber.com/noticias/under-the-mistletoe-album-natalino-de-justin-bieber-que-sera-lancado-no-proximo-mes-tera-versao-deluxe/. Retrieved 2011-10-7. 
14. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Justin Bieber – Mistletoe". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Hung Medien.
15. ^ "Justin Bieber – Mistletoe – Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien.
16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Justin Bieber – Mistletoe" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
17. ^ "Danishcharts.com – Justin Bieber – Mistletoe". Tracklisten. Hung Medien.
18. ^ "Lescharts.com – Justin Bieber – Mistletoe" (in French). Les classement single. Hung Medien.
19. ^ "Chart Track". Irish Singles Chart. Irish Recorded Music Association.
20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Justin Bieber – Mistletoe" (in Dutch). Mega Single Top 100. Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
21. ^ "Charts.org.nz – Justin Bieber – Mistletoe". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien.
22. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Justin Bieber – Mistletoe". VG-lista. Hung Medien.
23. ^ "Archive Chart". Scottish Singles Top 40. The Official Charts Company.
24. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Justin Bieber – Mistletoe" Canciones Top 50. Hung Medien.
25. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Justin Bieber – Mistletoe". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien.
26. ^ "Justin Bieber – Mistletoe – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien.
27. ^ "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart. The Official Charts Company.
28. ^ "Justin Bieber Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Justin Bieber. Prometheus Global Media.