Brenda Lee is making up for lost time, enjoying “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” getting time at the top of the charts. 65 years separate the song’s first release and it reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time. As if to offset this wait time, the holiday track is now enjoying its second week in a row at the top!
79-year-old Lee is still rocking around the Christmas tree, having just released an updated music video for the song. Her fans have also kept her in the headlines with a friendly competition with the Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey, who was nothing but congratulatory when Lee’s track finally got its due.
Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” gets a second week atop the Billboard Hot 100
The thing about the Hot 100, there are only so many holiday songs that make it to the very top of that esteemed weekly listing. Typically, it’s been Carey’s seat with “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” This new second-week trend isn’t just an anomaly for Lee’s career but also for music as a whole.
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The latest chart listing arrived just in time for Lee’s th birthday on December 11. The power of this moment was not lost on Lee, who issued a celebratory statement.
“A second week at No. 1 – this is so surreal!” she gushed. “As I celebrate this with my fans and everyone who has supported me over the years, I really wish I could celebrate with Johnny Marks, who wrote the song, and Owen Bradley, who brilliantly produced ‘Rockin’.”
The power to keep in rockin’
#RockinAroundtheChristmasTree is spending its 2nd week at No. 1 on the @Billboard #Hot100 charts! Let's go, Brenda! 🎄 pic.twitter.com/mYRtuV6EZl
— Brenda Lee (@BrendaLeeMusic_) December 11, 2023
Songwriter Johnny Marks boasted quite the list of credits. Specializing in Christmas songs, he also penned “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” and “Silver and Gold.” Marks was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1981 and died in 1985 at the age of 75.
As for Owen Bradley, he had worked with Bill Porter, Chet Atkins, Bob Ferguson, and others, and is considered one of the forefathers of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sound, particularly for country and rockability. He died in ’98 when he was 82.
However, their work lives on through their music, which remains as timeless as ever. Lee noted, “The song has truly stood the test of time, and I am so grateful that this has become my signature song. As I always say, Keep on Rockin’!”
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