Music history was made this week when 78-year-old Brenda Lee topped Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart of the nation's most popular songs with "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," a record she released 65 years ago. With this achievement, Lee becomes the oldest artist ever to top the Hot 100. Her song breaks the records for longest time after its original release and longest time since its Hot 100 debut to reach the top of the charts..
Written by Johnny Marks and produced by Owen Bradley, the song first entered the Hot 100 at #64 on December 12, 1960, following four Top 10 singles that Lee placed on the chart in the previous 12 months. Her Christmas song peaked at #14 two weeks later. Following changes in the formula by which the Hot 100 is tabulated, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" re-entered the Hot 100 in December 2019 and has returned in each subsequent holiday season. Lee was 15 years old when she recorded the tune.
This is only the third holiday song in Billboard history to top the Hot 100. The first was "The Chipmunk Song," by The Chipmunks with David Seville, in 1958. The second was Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which spent combined total of 12 weeks at #1 during 2019-22.
This song is Lee's third #1 hit on the Hot 100. The first, "I'm Sorry," which became her signature song, spent three weeks in the top position beginning July 18, 1960. It was followed by "I Want to Be Wanted," which made it to #1 three months later, during the same week I was born.
The first official music video of the song was recorded only this year to coincide with the 65th anniversary of its initial release. The video features cameo appearances by Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood.
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