Brenda Lee had multiple pop and country hits between the late 1950s and early 1980s. Songs like “Big Four Poster Bed,” “Wrong Idea,” “Nobody Wins,” and several others landed in the top 10. However, none of her songs had the longevity of her history-making holiday single “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
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Lee released the song in 1958, and it has remained a holiday mainstay. In the 1990s, it appeared in one of the incredibly popular Home Alone films, introducing it to a massive audience. Additionally, radio stations have been working the rocking Yuletide tune into their holiday rotations for decades. More recently, it topped the Hot 100 chart after more than 60 years, making music history.
[RELATED: Brenda Lee Reflects on Her History-Making No. 1 Hit “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”]
The video above shows Lee belting the hit during a televised Christmas special in 1984, proving that she has been part of the nation’s holiday celebration for decades.
Brenda Lee Broke Multiple Chart Records
Brenda Lee was in her teens when she stepped into Owen Bradley’s Nashville studio in the summer of 1958. She knew she was recording a fun Christmas song. However, she likely had no idea that she was laying down a vocal track on a song that would become part of countless Christmas celebrations over the years. There was no way for her to know that the cultural touchstone would make music history more than 60 years later.
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” broke multiple chart records when it topped the Billboard Hot 100 in December 2023. It first appeared on the chart in 1958, 65 years before it reached the peak. As a result, it broke the record for longest run to No. 1. Additionally, it had been just over 63 years since Lee had a No. 1 single. This gave her the record for the longest gap between chart-toppers.
Brenda Lee was 78 years old when the song topped the chart, making her the eldest artist to reach No. 1. Two days after it reached the peak, Lee celebrated her 79th birthday. When the song retained the top spot for a second week, she broke her own record.
More importantly, long before it made chart history, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” was the soundtrack to millions of holiday memories.
Featured Image by David Redfern/Redferns
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