The new PBS American Masters documentary Brenda Lee: Still Rockin’ premiered just in time for her 80th birthday, and nearly seven decades after the release of her holiday hit “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.” The 51-minute film features interviews with Brenda and friends Keith Urban, Pat Benatar, Tanya Tucker, and Trisha Yearwood,
Although Brenda’s Christmas song was not an instant success, she is best known for the track, overthrowing her famous number ones “I’m Sorry,” and “I Want To Be Wanted.” About three decades later, “Rockin’” became a holiday staple thanks to the movie Home Alone.
Brenda Lee shares the inspiration behind ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’
Brenda revealed in the documentary that she was only 12 when she recorded “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” which was written by Johnny Marks. Interestingly, Johnny did not believe in Christmas, and as a curious pre-teen, Brenda asked him why.
Johnny narrated how he was on the beach in New York when he lay down and woke up to pine trees swinging back and forth in his view. The phrase, which would later become the song’s title, matched the scenario, and he made music out of it.
Brenda Lee is shocked at the success of ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’
Brenda recalled getting a phone call about her song reemerging in the ‘90s as Home Alone hit the screens. In 2019, “Rockin’” took the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and kept its streak for the next three years, only to finally climb to number one last year.
She released a music video for the classic in collaboration with Tucker and Yearwood, reintroducing it to the nostalgic and the new generation alike. Reports say Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” may be taking a backseat as the Christmas anthem with the re-emergence of “Rockin’.”