Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is a holiday staple. Every year, the classic song soundtracks parties, drives around town to see lights, and other holiday events. Last year, the song broke several records when it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks. This year, the honorary Queen of Christmas is celebrating another major milestone with the song.
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Yesterday (December 10), “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” broke 1 billion streams on Spotify. It is the only holiday song by a female country artist to reach the streaming milestone. Additionally, the recently received its seventh Platinum certification from the RIAA. That made it the second-highest certified holiday song behind Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Lee spoke to People about her iconic song’s latest milestone in a recent interview.
Brenda Lee on “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” Reaching 1 Billion Streams
“I was dumbfounded,” Brenda Lee said about her holiday hit reaching 1 billion streams. “I can’t even think that high, much less say it,” she added.
Lee has spent much of her life in the spotlight, landing her first hit when she was just 12 years old. “I always somehow knew that’s what I was going to do because I loved it so much,” she said of her long career. “I mean, I would have done it for nothing! I would have sang no matter what. But I never dreamed that my legacy would be a Christmas song,” she added.
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” hit 1 billion streams at the perfect time. Today is Lee’s 80th birthday. As a result, she’ll be able to celebrate the new career milestone along with her new personal milestone. “I think the label is having a birthday party for me,” she said of how she plans to celebrate. “I’m looking forward to that. They say there’ll be some surprises. I can’t wait,” she added.
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” holds the record for the longest run to No. 1 on the Hot 100. Lee released it in 1958 and it topped the charts in 2023, 65 years later.
Featured Image by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMHOF
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