{"id":2159181,"date":"2025-11-15T21:23:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T21:23:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2159181"},"modified":"2025-11-15T21:23:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T21:23:56","slug":"a-13-year-old-recorded-this-iconic-christmas-classic-and-its-charting-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/a-13-year-old-recorded-this-iconic-christmas-classic-and-its-charting-again\/","title":{"rendered":"A 13-Year-Old Recorded This Iconic Christmas Classic \u2014 and It\u2019s Charting Again"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Brenda Lee<\/strong> is back on the charts \u2014 67 years after she first stepped up to the microphone to sing one of the most enduring Christmas songs of all time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As the holiday season ramps up, \u201cRockin\u2019 Around the Christmas Tree\u201d has <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/charts.spotify.com\/charts\/view\/regional-global-weekly\/latest\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:re-entered Spotify\u2019s Weekly Top Songs Global chart;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">re-entered Spotify\u2019s Weekly Top Songs Global chart<\/a> at No. 120, continuing a now-annual tradition for the 1958 staple. The track has appeared and reappeared on Spotify\u2019s charts every winter since 2016, logging 53 total weeks and counting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Even wilder? Lee was just 13 years old when she recorded it.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">A 1958 Classic With a Remarkable Origin Story<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Written by<strong> Johnny Marks<\/strong> \u2014 who also penned \u201cRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer\u201d and \u201cA Holly Jolly Christmas\u201d \u2014 the song was crafted specifically with Lee in mind. In <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2019\/12\/09\/brenda-lee-story-behind-rockin-around-christmas-tree\/2631535001\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:a 2015 interview with The Tennessean;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">a 2015 interview with The Tennessean<\/a>, Lee recalled how Marks immediately championed her voice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After writing \u201cRockin\u2019,\u201d Marks told a publisher friend, \u201cI want Brenda Lee to do this song.\u201d Looking back, Lee wasn\u2019t entirely sure what sparked his conviction. \u201cI was only 12 [when approached], 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/james-taylor-77-brings-son-232100281.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:RELATED: James Taylor, 77, Brings Son Henry Onstage for Emotional Opry Debut;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">RELATED: James Taylor, 77, Brings Son Henry Onstage for Emotional Opry Debut<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The recording session itself felt like stepping inside a winter wonderland. \u201cWhen I walked into the studio, [producer Owen Bradley] had the lights way down low, the air conditioning was, I think, set on zero, and he had a Christmas tree and Christmas lights. I thought that was so special,\u201d she remembered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cIt was magic, and I think we all knew it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt took a few years to take off, but once it did, it really did.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">How Home Alone Helped Turn It Into a Holiday Staple<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While \u201cRockin\u2019\u201d was already a seasonal favorite, 1990\u2019s Home Alone sent it into the stratosphere. The film used the full song during one of its most famous scenes \u2014 when 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (<strong>Macaulay Culkin<\/strong>) stages a party at his house to get the Wet Bandits (<strong>Daniel Stern<\/strong> and <strong>Joe Pesci<\/strong>) to think people are home \u2014 helping introduce it to a generation that hadn\u2019t even been born when Lee scored her last non-holiday Top 10 hit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/iconic-90s-star-finally-gets-173658114.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:RELATED: Iconic \u201990s Star Finally Gets First R&amp;B No. 1 Nearly 25 Years After Tragic Death;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">RELATED: Iconic \u201990s Star Finally Gets First R&amp;B No. 1 Nearly 25 Years After Tragic Death<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201c(The movie) breathed new life into it, I think,\u201d Lee said. \u201cIt has just been a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Now 80 and turning 81 on December 11, Lee still includes \u201cRockin\u2019 Around the Christmas Tree\u201d in every setlist, no matter the month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She estimates she has performed it \u201cthousands and thousands\u201d of times. Even in August, audiences go wild. And for Lee, the magic has never worn off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThat\u2019s the magic of a good song,\u201d she explained. \u201cYou don\u2019t get tired of singing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>\ud83c\udfac\u00a0<\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/parade.com\/newsletters\/daily?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=top\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:SIGN UP for Parade\u2019s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news &amp; celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>SIGN UP for Parade\u2019s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news &amp; celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u00a0\ud83c\udfac<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><i>This story was originally reported by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/parade.com\/entertainment\/brenda-lee-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-reenters-spotify-charts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Parade;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Parade<\/a> on Nov 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/parade.com\/entertainment\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Entertainment;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Entertainment<\/a> section. Add Parade as a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=parade.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Preferred Source by clicking here.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brenda Lee is back on the charts \u2014 67 years after she first stepped up to the microphone to sing one of the most enduring Christmas songs of all time. As the holiday season ramps up, \u201cRockin\u2019 Around the Christmas Tree\u201d has re-entered Spotify\u2019s Weekly Top Songs Global chart at No. 120, continuing a now-annual [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2159182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[378272,405744,360198,413765,413764],"class_list":["post-2159181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-brenda-lee","tag-christmas-lights","tag-christmas-tree","tag-holly-jolly-christmas","tag-johnny-marks"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/A-13-Year-Old-Recorded-This-Iconic-Christmas-Classic-\u2014-and-Its.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2159181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2159181"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2159181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2159183,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2159181\/revisions\/2159183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2159182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2159181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2159181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2159181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}