Brenda Lee’s classic holiday hit, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” continues to achieve remarkable success, 66 years after its 1958 release. Recorded when Lee was just 13 years old, her memories of the session are faint—she recalls festive decorations in the studio and the air conditioning set to mimic a winter chill in warm Nashville.
Despite its age, the song has surged in popularity, even surpassing Mariah Carey’s seasonal favorite, “All I Want for Christmas is You,” to top the Billboard chart last December. This achievement made Brenda Lee, then 78, the oldest woman ever to claim a Billboard No. 1 hit. She broke her own record after her birthday the following week. The song also set another milestone: a 65-year gap between its release and reaching No. 1.
Regarding her enduring success, Lee shared with the Associated Press:
“It is a good song. It’s a song that anybody can sing… I never thought in my life that a Christmas song would be my legacy. But I’ll take it.”
This year, Kendrick Lamar might stand in her way of repeating the feat, but her holiday classic remains a timeless favorite, cherished by generations.
