Brenda Lee, the 79-year-old music legend, has made history by topping the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with her holiday classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”. This achievement is remarkable as the song tops the chart for the first time a week earlier, 65 years after its release.
The song, first recorded and released in 1958, debuted on the Hot 100 at No. 64 in December 1960. It peaked at No. 14 two weeks later. Over the years, it has become a beloved holiday classic, reaching No. 2 in each of the last four holiday seasons. However, it was unable to surpass Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” until now.
The rise of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” to the top spot is attributed to a mix of very 21st-century factors—streaming, video, and playlisting. The single drew 34.9 million streams (up 69%), 20.7 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 35%), and sold 3,000 downloads (up 39%) in the Nov. 24-30 tracking week. It also re-entered Digital Song Sales at No. 12, having reached a No. 4 high.
In achieving this feat, Lee sets several new Hot 100 milestones. Taking six and a half decades to reach No. 1 makes “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” the slowest-climbing chart-topper ever. Brenda Lee becomes the oldest living person to score a No. 1 song in America. This surpasses previous record-holders Cher, who topped the chart with “Believe” in 1999 at age 52, and Louis Armstrong, who was 62 when his take on “Hello, Dolly” hit No. 1 in 1964.
This is not Lee’s first No. 1 song. In late 1960, as a teen idol, she topped the chart with “I Want to Be Wanted”. The 63 years between “Wanted” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” give Lee the longest gap between career chart-toppers. This beats (more than doubling) Cher, who went 25 years between “Dark Lady” and “Believe”.
Interestingly, Lee is the Hot 100’s first-ever septuagenarian chart-topper, but with a song she recorded at age 13. This unprecedented achievement reveals something magical about how the charts work and defies normal pop logic. It’s a testament to the timeless appeal of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and the enduring legacy of Brenda Lee. As we continue to rock around our Christmas trees this holiday season, we do so to the tune of a historic chart-topper.
Relevant articles:
– Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ Leads Billboard Hot 100 for Second Week
