Last Christmas witnessed a remarkable milestone as Brenda Lee's 1958 holiday single "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" achieved the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time. At 78 years old, Lee became the oldest artist to reach this feat, and it took an astonishing 65 years from its initial release to reach the number one position!

Her Journey to Christmas Stardom

In 1970, Brenda Lee continued to make her mark. The 51-minute PBS American Masters documentary, "Brenda Lee: Still Rockin'", showcases her perennial holiday hit. Appearances by Keith Urban, Pat Benatar, Tanya Tucker, Trisha Yearwood, and Lee herself add to the charm. She recalls the origin of her signature song. "I recorded 'Rockin'' when I was just 12," she shares. "Johnny Marks wrote it. I questioned him, saying, 'Johnny, you don't even believe in Christmas!' And I asked him how he came up with it. He replied, 'I was lying on the beach in New York, and pine trees were on one side.' Then he said, 'I took a little nap, and when I woke up, I was facing the pine trees, and they were swaying like this [moves her hands back and forth].' And that's how 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' was born."The song didn't become an immediate hit, but Lee went on to become the most successful female star of the 1960s. She scored two number one hits, "I'm Sorry" and "I Want to Be Wanted," in the first year of the decade. During that Christmas as a major superstar, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" finally made it to the Hot 100, reaching number 14.In 2015, Brenda Lee still shone brightly. Rick Diamond/Getty captured her essence. But it wasn't until 30 years later that the song reemerged as a Christmas standard loved by multiple generations. Lee vividly remembers when it came back into our collective Christmas consciousness. "I got a call on the phone, and they said, 'Brenda! Brenda! There's a movie out. It's called Home Alone, and your song's all over it,'" she recalls in the documentary. "And I said, 'Which song? What are you talking about?' They said, 'Rockin',' it's all over it.' And from there, it took off."It once again became a holiday staple. In 2019, five years after Billboard amended its chart rules to allow older releases to re-chart on the Hot 100, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" went to number 2. The song repeated its runner-up position from 2020 to 2022 before finally topping the chart in 2023.Last year, Lee made her first-ever music video for "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," and Tucker and Yearwood joined her for some festive fun. Urban emphasizes in the documentary, "Brenda Lee is a part of families and has been a part of their life for their entire life. That's an extraordinary accomplishment with just one song…. There are certain perennial Christmas songs that stand the test of time, and Brenda's got one of them."Brenda Lee: Rockin' Around is now streaming on PBS as part of its American Masters series.