Introduction
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” a classic Christmas tune, was crafted by Johnny Marks and immortalized by Brenda Lee in 1958. As of the song’s 50th anniversary in 2008, Lee’s rendition had amassed over 15 million worldwide copies sold, ranking as the fourth-highest in digital downloads among Christmas singles. The Grammys acknowledged its timeless appeal in 2019 by inducting Lee’s recording into the esteemed Grammy Hall of Fame. Surprisingly, in November 2023, a music video for the song, featuring the 78-year-old Lee lip-syncing to her 13-year-old voice, was released. Subsequently, in December 2023, the song not only ascended to the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart but also etched Lee’s name in history as the oldest artist ever to achieve this feat at the age of 78. Lee broke her own record a week later, topping the chart again at the age of 79. This achievement also set records for the longest time span between an original release and reaching No. 1 on the Hot 100 (65 years) and the lengthiest gap between number-one singles by an artist: 63 years, one month, and two weeks.
Original Recording by Brenda Lee
Johnny Marks, renowned for “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” penned “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Despite her young age of 13, Lee, with her mature voice, recorded the song. In a 2019 interview, Lee reflected on how Marks selected her for the recording, stating, “I was only 12 [sic], and I had not had a lot of success in records, but for some reason he heard me and wanted me to do it. And I did.”
The rockabilly track features a stellar lineup of musicians, including Hank Garland and Harold Bradley on guitar, Floyd Cramer on piano, Boots Randolph on tenor saxophone, Bob Moore on double bass, and Buddy Harman, a seasoned session player, on drums. The song is composed in the key of A-flat major.
Video
Lyrics
Rockin’ around the Christmas treeAt the Christmas party hopMistletoe hung where you can seeEvery couple tries to stopRockin’ around the Christmas treeLet the Christmas spirit ringLater we’ll have some pumpkin pieAnd we’ll do some carolingYou will get a sentimental feeling when you hearVoices singing, let’s be jollyDeck the halls with boughs of hollyRockin’ around the Christmas treeHave a happy holidayEveryone dancin’ merrilyIn the new old-fashioned wayYou will get a sentimental feeling when you hearVoices singing, let’s be jollyDeck the halls with boughs of hollyRockin’ around the Christmas treeHave a happy holidayEveryone dancin’ merrilyIn the new old-fashioned way