"Under the Mistletoe" is a duet by American singers Kelly Clarkson and Brett Eldredge. It was written by Clarkson and Aben Eubanks, who co-produced it with Jesse Shatkin. "Under the Mistletoe" was first issued by Atlantic Records on October 28, 2020. The song is also included on Clarkson's second Christmas album, When Christmas Comes Around... (2021).
Composition and reception "Under the Mistletoe" is a Christmas pop song written by Clarkson and Aben Eubanks, who produced the track with longtime collaborator Jesse Shatkin. Clarkson invited Eldredge to record the song with her, saying that she was "impressed by his classic sound on his Christmas record so it was a perfect match." Eldredge immediately accepted the invitation, and remarked, "I was blown away by the soul and joy that it brought into my life the moment I heard it."
Reviewing the track for Vulture, Rebecca Alter opined that the song may not be the best Clarkson Christmas song, but that it was "very good as well, going for that throwback, A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector sound that most Christmas songs have if they want to signal that they're "Christmas!"". George Griffiths of the Official Charts Company opined that the track "packs enough pep to take you all the way through to the big day." In 2024 Billboard ranked the song 18th on the "Best New Christmas Songs of the 21st Century" list.
Music video The accompanying music video premiered on December 10, 2020, and was directed by Jay Martin. The video is a cartoon animated by Ingenuity Studios.
Personnel Credits adapted from Spotify metadata.
Vocals – Kelly Clarkson Vocals – Brett Eldredge Drums – Aaron Redfield Engineer, guitar, keyboards, producer – Aben Eubanks Engineer – Andy Taub Masterer – Chris Gehringer Ukulele – Erick Serna Trombone – Jeffery Miller Bass, keyboards, engineer, producer, additional and drum programming – Jesse Shatkin Engineer – John Hanes Baritone saxophone – Katty Rodriguez Brass arrangement, trumpet – Keyon Harrold Tenor saxophone – Marcus Strickland Additional engineer, strings programming – Sam Dent Assistant engineer – Sam Wahl Mixer – Serban Ghenea
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "Under the Mistletoe" Chart (2020–2022) Peakposition Ireland (IRMA) 58 US Holiday 100 (Billboard) 34 US Rolling Stone Top 100 45
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for "Under the Mistletoe" Chart (2021) Position US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 46 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) 96
Release history + Release history for "Under the Mistletoe" Region Date Format Label Catalog number Various October 28, 2020 Digital download Atlantic USAT22006597
See also Wrapped in Red Glow "Christmas Eve"
References