Singer Brenda Lee, 78, got emotional while reacting to the news that her classic Christmas song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” was at the top of the Billboard charts for the first time since its release 65 years ago.
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is the third holiday song in history to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, per Good Morning America. The other two holiday hits to earn that distinction are Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and “The Chipmunk Song” by The Chipmunks with David Seville.
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” was written by Johnny Marks and released in 1958. It debuted on the Billboard 100 in 1960 but only climbed to number 14 that year. The upbeat song also appeared on charts in 2019 and 2022 but couldn’t break the number two spot, the outlet noted.
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The singer was only 13 when she recorded the song, which has sold more than 25 million copies around the world and has the 4th most digital downloads of any Christmas single.
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Lee has also broken the record for the oldest recording artist to have a number one Billboard song, with the title previously going to Cher for having her hit single “Believe” topped the charts in 1999 when she was 52.
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” also broke the record for the longest gap between a song’s release and reaching the number one position. Previously, Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” had that distinction as there was a 25-year gap between the song’s release in 1994 and the song reaching Billboard’s top spot in 2019.
Lee recently released a music video for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” which helped spur its rise up the charts. The song has been used multiple times in movies and television, including in the 1990 hit comedy, “Home Alone.”
Lee said during a 2019 interview, “Somebody called me and said, ‘Have you seen the movie ‘Home Alone?’ You ought to, because they’ve got ‘Rockin’ really featured in it.’ That’s when it really took off with the youngsters. I knew it was special, but you never know what’s going to be a hit — if you did, we’d all have hits every day. It has been a wonderful gift.”