Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” premiered this year and is the number one single this holiday season, succeeding Mariah Carey’s 1994 classic “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
Lee, 78, once known as Little Miss Dynamite, topped the Billboard Hot 100 list with her Christmas song on Monday, shattering many records.
The vocalist was only 13 years old when the 1958 holiday classic was recorded.
Prior to the announcement, the 78-year-old had been honoring “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” for 65 years. Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood appeared in the song’s premiere music video, which was released earlier this month. She will also appear on NBC’s Christmas at the Opry.
With its current position, Lee’s favorite Christmas song becomes only the third holiday song to reach number one on the Billboard charts.
When the song reached number one, it set a record for the longest delay between the release of a single and its highest position. It also broke the record for the greatest period of time between consecutive No. 1 songs by a single artist.
At over 80 years old, Lee also broke the record for the oldest individual to top the Billboard list.
“This is just so special—I can’t believe ‘Rockin’ is still at No. 1 65 years later!” Lee noted in a news statement. “We are grateful to the UMG/UMe team for their tireless efforts this year to commemorate the song’s anniversary.” Above all, I’d want to thank the fans who never stop listening.
“The song was released when I was a young adolescent, and it is one of the greatest blessings I have ever received to know that it has and continues to resonate with many generations.” Merry Christmas and continue to rock!
Brenda Lee, you deserve it! It’s about time your well-known holiday song got you some attention.