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Beloved American Christmas Jingle Tops Charts Decades After Its Release

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12 months ago

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The Christmas anthem of 1958, ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ by Brenda Lee, unexpectedly hit the No.1 spot on the charts last month, coinciding with the 65th anniversary of the song’s release. The unexpected news reportedly delighted Lee who at 79 years old now holds the distinction of being the oldest Billboard Top-100 chart-topping woman on record. She was only 13 years old when she recorded the song which has become a Christmas classic. The song has held the top rank for two consecutive weeks.

As reported by The American Tribune, Lee, perhaps best known for her hit song “I’m Sorry,” released a music video for the Christmas ballad and a new album of Christmas songs entitled A Rockin’ Christmas with Brenda Lee in November. She said in a statement at the time,

“I cannot believe that ‘Rockin’’ has hit No. 1 65 years after it was released, this is just so special! Thank you to the team at UMG/UMe who worked so hard to celebrate the song’s anniversary this year. But most importantly, thank you to the fans who keep listening.”

Lee added, “The song came out when I was a young teenager and now to know that it has resonated with multiple generations and continues to resonate — it is one of the best gifts I have ever received. Keep on Rockin’ and Merry Christmas!”

In an interview with Salon, the outlet asked Lee if she was excited by her song’s success, “You just don’t even know. It’s just the most amazing thing to me.” Lee then immediately credited the many people involved in her song’s journey. “It’s all because of the work of my label. There’s been a lot of work, trust me, that’s gone into this,” she added. “And the writer and the musicians and just everybody. It’s a magical time.”

Explaining the song’s longevity and popularity on platforms like TikTok, she told interviewers,

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“I’d love to see it everywhere. I’m selfish. Just get it everywhere. Because I think it’s such a great song. It’s a happy song. The lyrics are good. And there’s really nothing you can complain about — like, some of the songs that come out today you might not want your kids to hear. Or you might not want to hear it yourself. But it’s just fresh. It’s as fresh as the day I cut it.”

Lee offered a live performance of her smash hit on “Christmas at the Opry!” on NBC on the 7th appearing alongside performances from Mandy Barnett, The Gatlin Brothers, Steven Curtis Chapman, Louise Mandrell, Charlie McCoy, and Riders in the Sky. Two days prior she performed at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville for All For The Hall: A Benefit Concert for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum with Keith Urban and Vince Gill.

Fellow singer and songwriter Shania Twain gave tribute to Lee in a post to X on Friday with a video of her covering the classic song saying,

“Let’s Go Girls!  @BrendaLeeMusic_ is the oldest person to top the charts with a song she recorded 65 years ago! One gift of the digital music world is this absolute classic can have a brand new life and audience! This is a traditional Christmas staple for me to play and listen to!”

Lee responded, “You rocked it@ShaniaTwain!”



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