MICHAEL JACKSON AND THE STORY BEHIND “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE”

“It’s summer of 1973 and Ed Silvers, President of Warner Brothers Music, is losing his patience with me. He thinks I’m spending far too much time trying to get our songs cut at Motown. Although I secure songs in our catalog by some of their biggest artists, they’re only album cuts. Ed is convinced that I’ll never get a single released by Motown.

I know at this point that the only way I could have a chance for a hit and escape the wrath of Ed, is to get a cover by the Jackson 5 or little Michael. There was only one staff writer at Warner Brothers music who could write in a classic R+B style, George S. Clinton, Jr.

I go to the two producers who love George’s writing the most, Jerry Marcellino and Mel Larson, who just had big hits with 12 year old Michael on “Rockin’ Robin” and “Little Bitty Pretty One” (which was my suggestion). They tell me that “Ben”, from the movie of the same name, is racing up the charts and Berry Gordy wants each of his producers to start recording new sides with him.

I sit with Jerry and Mel and we talk about what kind of song they should record with Michael. I suggest a Christmas song, one so commercial that it could be the follow up single to, “Ben”. When I see their eyes light up, I tell them that George S. Clinton, Jr. and I have started such a song! When they ask to hear it, I tell them we were still working on it, when in fact we hadn’t even started! I can’t tell them the title, ’cause there isn’t any! I do tell them, however, that it’s a true story of how my girlfriend left me out in the cold like the last tree in a Christmas tree lot, which is left unsold on Christmas Eve. They freak out and say they had to have the finished song by Monday. I say, “No problem”

I call George, who knows nothing about any of this as soon as I get back to my office. He can’t believe I told them we’d have a finished song to them by Monday, when it’s Friday and we haven’t even started.

Saturday morning we meet at my office. It’s the middle of summer, about 90 degrees, but we have to get in a Christmas Mood. As I tell George about my break up with Diana last Christmas, then I start to throw Ivory Snowflakes around the room. Soon, we have the first verse and chorus.”

“Little Christmas Tree, looking sorta’ sad and lonely just like me

No one seems to care, they just went away and left him standing there…All alone on Christmas Eve!”

On Monday morning George does a piano voice demo, and I get it to Jerry and Mel that afternoon. They love it so much that they knock one of their own songs off the date and cut ours.

I’m almost in tears when I hear the finished record the following week with the news that it’s being considered for the follow-up to “Ben”, which had just hit number one! You can imagine how I feel a few weeks later when Berry Gordy, Jr. decides not put out any follow up to the Oscar nominated “Ben”, until the Academy Awards are given out…which is after Christmas! A few days later I come up with a plan and present it to Motown. I suggest that the company puts a double albums worth of previously recorded Christmas songs by each of their hit artists, along with “Little Christmas Tree”. The double album is called “A Motown Christmas”, which includes cuts by Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Diana Ross, and it’s released just in time for the holidays.”

“LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         George S. Clinton, Jr. and Artie Wayne

I watch the snowflakes fall
against my window plain
and wonder if you
are watching snowflakes too?
I take a walk downtown
to where you used to meet me
There’s joy everywhere
but all that waiting there is just a…

LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE
Looking sorta’ sad and lonely just like me
No one seems to care
They just went away and left it standing there
All alone on Christmas eve

I hear the Christmas bells
The happy people singing
The songs of the chill that only brings me tears
I sadly close my eyes
and say a little prayer you’ll be waiting there for me
I look but all I see is

LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE
Looking sorta’ sad and lonely just like me
No one seems to care
They just went away and left it standing there
All alone on Christmas eve

This is the season of love
(This is the season of love)
But I’m as sad as I can be
(sad as can be)
Why did you have to leave me
(Why did you leave me)
(Why did you leave me)

LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE
Looking sorta sad and lonely just like me
No one seems to care
They just went away and left it standing there
All alone on Christmas eve

Copyright 1973/2009 by Warner Brothers Music

NOW YOU CAN BUY “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE” BY MICHAEL JACKSON IN THE JACKSON FIVE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS ALBUM AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM

If you liked “THE STORY BEHIND “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE”, please feel free to share it with a friend…but if you loved it, please feel free to send it to your entire address book! MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH, HAPPY KWANZA…ENJOY TO THE WORLD!

From Artie Wayne On The Web https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/

Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne http://artiewayne.com

 

YOU CAN BUY MY BOOK, “I DID IT FOR A SONG” (AVAILABLE ONLINE ONLY FOR $9.99 BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO ARTIE WAYNE P.O. BOX 1105 , DESERT HOT  SPRINGS CALIFORNIA, 92240 OR THROUGH  PAYPAL TO MY E-MAIL ADDRESS artiewayne@gmail.com

TO READ SOME OF THE COMMENTS  CLICK  HERE

BACK TO ARTIE WAYNE ON THE WEB https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/