I Need You for Christmas

I Need You for Christmas is a 2009 Christmas song by Romanian female recording artist Inna. It was written by Play & Win, who also produced the song. The video premiered in late November 2009, in time for the Christmas and holiday season. An adjacent music video to the song was shot in AFI Palace Cotroceni and debuted in early December. It had became a less successful single in the Eastern Europe. It is one of the two Christmas songs that Inna brought out in December, 2009, along with her version to "O, ce veste minunată!" (a Romanian popular Christmas carol).

Background

"I Need you for Christmas" premiered on Inna's official website. It is a Christmas song. Lyrically, the song describes how Inna needs her lover for Christmas, she "doesen't need no presents, as she needs". In the second verse, she's saying "after that we're making a party", that describes the joyness of the Winter Holidays. She is also making recerences to the Christmas carol "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". The song's lyrics also feature Santa Claus, Christmas Eve and New Year. Musically, "I Need You Christmas" is a eurodance/europop song, that contain bells-like sounds, specific to this special period of the year. The song was written, mixed and produced by Play & Win (Inna's friends and producers) in their studio, in Constanţa. A sneak peek to the song premiered on Inna's official website, whilst the whole song debuted on her YouTube channel, on December 3, 2009. The song was released just as a promotional single in Romania and a radio single in Russia, but it is more likely to be released as a digital single in France or the UK, once with the 2011 Holidays Season.

Music Video

An accompanying music video for the song was shot on December 9, 2009 in the AFI Palace Cotroceni mall (located in the northern Bucharest) and it was directed by Tom Boxer. It was filmed in less than three hours in one only location. A promotional sneak peek called "Inna and Santa Claus!" premiered on Inna's official internet profiles on the same date with the shooting (December 9) and a day later a making-of to the video was broadcast by PRO TV.

The video opens with the image of AFI Palace Cotroceni mall decorated for the Christmas holidays with Christmas lights and Christmas trees embellishing the landscape. As the music starts off we are introduced to the characters. Inna is leading a human chain as they are ice skating on the Ice rink from the mall's first floor, making pirouettes and dancing to the music. A faux—Santa Claus (played by a fellow Romanian actor) enters the party and flirts with Inna. Inna's bichon frise Bobo also stars in the video, as being hold by Inna and playing. Meanwhile, Radu Bolfea, Marcel Botezan and Sebastian Barac (Play & Win) are pulling one-another in a shopping cart. The group led by Inna gets longer and longer as people gather around her, Including band Crazy Win (penned by Play & Win, whos soloist Sore became a star in Romania afterwards) and other friends. In the end they are all posing like for a Christmas card.

The video premiered on MTV on December 12, 2009. The same date the video debuted on her official YouTube channel and on Inna.ro. On YouTube, the video earned over 100,000 views in 2009 (due to the Season) and has gained over 2,000,000 views so far, as of November, 2011. The video features a few special effects. It was called "Christmas-partying and having fun at the mall".

Chart performance

"I Need You For Christmas" became a moderate airplay success, only peaking at number ninety-seven on the Romanian Top 100. In Russia, the song entered the TopHit Airplay Chart and peaked at number 146 on December 28, 2009. In the United Kingdom it was announced that it entered the top 200 extension at number one hundred ninety-eight. For the 2011-2012 season the song has re-entered the UK Singles Chart and the Romanian Top 100 at lower positions but it is expected to rise up.

Charts

References