"Christmas Tree Farm" is a Christmas song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, and produced by Swift and Jimmy Napes. The song was released as a stand-alone single on December 6, 2019, along with its music video on the same day. Opening with a ballad-like intro, "Christmas Tree Farm" has been described as a cheery uptempopop song with lush orchestral elements and romantic lyrics. "Christmas Tree Farm" debuted in the charts of several territories, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Hungary, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Scotland. The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised Swift's songwriting. The song's music video is a compilation of home videos that capture Swift's childhood days from the Christmas tree farm she grew up on; the video features herself, her brother Austin Swift, and her parents Andrea and Scott Swift.
Background
Swift wrote, recorded, and released the song in six days. She wrote the song during Thanksgiving weekend, December 1, 2019, the Sunday before its release, then recorded it the next day with Napes. The day after that, a group of choral singers provided the finishing touches. The song was announced on Good Morning America on December 5, 2019, and released at midnight the next day, along with an accompanying music video made from home videos.
Composition
"Christmas Tree Farm" is an uptempo pop song, written solely by Swift produced by Swift and Jimmy Napes. The song runs for a duration of three minutes and forty-eight seconds. The song has two parts. The intro starts at a slower more ballad-like tempo and goes through a series of time signatures in, and. After this, the main part of the song begins and takes on the uptempo swing feel in common time. Swift performs it in the key of G major with her vocals ranging between D to G.
Music video
The music video was directed and produced by Swift. The Christmas tree farm in the song title, on the cover art, and in the video is Pine Ridge Farm located in Cumru Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, a place where Swift grew up as a child before moving to nearby Wyomissing, Pennsylvania and later Hendersonville, Tennessee. The video, which consists of home videos from Swift's childhood, features Swift, her brother Austin, and her parents Andrea and Scott. A lyric video for the song was released alongside the song and the music video on December 6, 2019. On December 23, a video about the making of the song was released. As of January 2020, the music video has amassed more than 10 million views on YouTube.
Critical reception
"Christmas Tree Farm" received positive reviews upon release. Varietys Chris Willman labelled the song as "homey and hearth-y" with a production "lushly orchestrated for maximum holiday glee". Alyssa Bailey of Elle described the song as an "infectious and personal pop holiday track" with lyrics that are "personal, jolly and romantic". Writing for Elite Daily, Michel Mendez complimented Swift's songwriting, stating "Swift is one heck of a songwriter" and that the lyrics to this song "will make anyone feel nostalgic for holidays spent at home with family". Describing the song as "romantic, nostalgic", Eric Hegedus of New York Post, opined that the "breezy tune" serves as a "cheery love letter" to a "soul mate who brings a sense of yearning to her heart".
Commercial performance
"Christmas Tree Farm" debuted at number two on the BillboardDigital Songs chart and at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Swift's nineteenth entry of the year on the chart and extending her record as the female artist with the most Hot 100 entries in 2019. It also debuted at number 10 and peaked at number three on the BillboardAdult Contemporary chart. The song was streamed on Spotify 1,189,073 times globally in its first day of release, giving Swift the biggest Christmas song debut on the platform.
