Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
Single by Brenda Lee
from the album Merry Christmas from Brenda Lee
B-side"Papa Noël"
ReleasedNovember 24, 1958 (US),
December 1962 (UK)
RecordedOctober 19, 1958
StudioOwen Bradley Film and Recording Studio, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre
Length2:02
LabelDecca 9-30776
Songwriter(s)Johnny Marks
Producer(s)Owen Bradley
Brenda Lee singles chronology
"Rock-a-Bye Baby Blues"
(1957)
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
(1958)
"I Want to Be Wanted (Per Tutta La Vita)"
(1960)
Music video
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" on YouTube

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958; it has since been recorded by numerous other music artists. By the song's 50th anniversary in 2008, Lee's original version had sold over 15 million copies around the world with the 4th most digital downloads sold of any Christmas single. In 2019, Lee's recording of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In November 2023, Lee released a music video for the song, and in December 2023 the song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking Lee's third number-one single and making Lee the oldest artist ever to top the Hot 100 at age 78, later breaking the record once again one week later at the age of 79. The song also set the record for the longest period of time between an original release and its topping the Hot 100 (65 years), as well as the longest time between number-one singles by an artist: 63 years, one month and two weeks.

Original recording by Brenda Lee

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was written by Johnny Marks, who had previously penned "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "A Holly Jolly Christmas". In spite of her adult voice, Lee recorded the song when she was only 13 years old. In a 2019 interview with The Tennessean, Lee recalled that she had no knowledge as to why Marks wanted her specifically to sing it: "I was only 12 [sic], 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."

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is a rockabilly song. The recording features Hank Garland and Harold Bradley on guitar, Floyd Cramer on piano, Boots Randolph on tenor saxophone, Bob Moore on double bass, and veteran session player Buddy Harman on drums. The song is written in the key of A-flat major.

Billboard advertisement, November 21 1960

An instrumental version of the song appears as background music in the 1964 television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which exclusively featured music written by Johnny Marks. It can be heard in the scene where Rudolph first arrives at the Reindeer Games and meets another reindeer named Fireball. A fully sung version of the song would later appear in Rankin/Bass's 1979 sequel Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July. The song was also used in the 1990 film Home Alone during a scene when Kevin McCallister pretends that there is a holiday party taking place in his house, and discourages the burglars from robbing it. The song was also featured in The Christmas Special episode of Regular Show in 2012.[citation needed] The song was also used in D-TV set to the Disney cartoons, Pluto's Christmas Tree and Mickey's Christmas Carol.

On November 3, 2023, Lee released a music video for the song, consisting of the 78-year-old Lee lip synching to the original recording of her 13-year-old voice at a party that includes Trisha Yearwood and fellow former teenage country music star Tanya Tucker.

Chart performance and sales

Although Decca released the single in both 1958 and again in 1959, it did not sell well until Lee became a popular star in 1960. That Christmas holiday season, Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" placed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time, eventually peaking at No. 14. It continued to sell well during subsequent holiday seasons, peaking as high as No. 3 on Billboard's Christmas Singles chart in December 1965. Lee said, "It was magic, and I think we all knew it. It took a few years to take off, but once it did, it really did."

The song experienced a large resurgence in popularity due to its use in the film Home Alone in 1990. Lee recalled, "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."

Lee's 1958 recording still receives a great deal of airplay, as radio station formats ranging from top 40 to adult contemporary to country music to oldies to even adult standards have played this version. It has since turned into a perennial holiday favorite, and due to rule changes in 2014 has returned annually to the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching No. 2 in the 2019 holiday season and returning to that runner-up position each of the following three years (for a total of nine nonconsecutive weeks at No. 2). In December 2023, the song finally reached No. 1. By attaining the Hot 100's top spot 65 years after its original release, the song broke the record for the longest amount of time for a single to make the number-one position. It was also only the third time in the over six-decade history of the Hot 100 chart that a Christmas/holiday song reached No. 1 (following "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" by David Seville and The Chipmunks in December 1958, and "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey in December 2019). With the achievement and her celebrating her 79th birthday at the same time, Lee also became the senior-most recording artist to top the Hot 100 chart, surpassing Louis Armstrong, who was 62 years old when "Hello, Dolly!" led the chart in early May 1964. Among female recording artists, Lee also passed the previous record held by Cher, who was 52 years old when "Believe" ruled the Hot 100 chart in March 1999. Making even more history, Lee set a new record for the longest break between number-one singles on the Hot 100 chart: 63 years, one month, and two weeks between "I Want to Be Wanted" making No. 1 on the week ending October 24, 1960, and the ascent of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" to the top.

Year Chart debut/re-entry
date
Peak chart
position
Ref.
1960 December 12 14
1961 December 11 50
1962 December 15 59
2014 January 4 50
2015 December 26 30
2016 December 24 27
2017 December 23 30
2018 December 8 9
2019 December 7 2
2020 November 28 2
2021 December 4 2
2022 November 26 2
2023 December 2 1

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" reached over one million in digital downloads by 2016 according to Nielsen SoundScan, making it fifth on the list of all-time best-selling Christmas/holiday digital singles in SoundScan history. The song has sold 1,170,000 copies in the United States as of December 2019. On November 3, 2023, the Recording Industry Association of America certified "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" 5× Platinum for US sales of 5 million copies of the digital single.

On the official UK Singles Chart, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" peaked at No. 6 when it was released in the United Kingdom in 1962. In 2013, due to downloads, it became one of a number of songs to re-enter the UK Singles Chart near Christmastime each holiday season. The single peaked at No. 63 on Sunday, December 15, 2013. Then in 2017, it reached No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart, its highest chart position since 1963. On the week ending January 5, 2023, the song reached No. 4, peaking two places higher than its original release 61 years prior.

Track listing

Side A

Side B

  • "Papa Noël" (Roy Botkin) – 2:25

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) Platinum 90,000
Germany (BVMI) Gold 250,000
Italy (FIMI) Platinum 100,000
New Zealand (RMNZ) 2× Platinum 60,000
Portugal (AFP) Platinum 10,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE) Gold 25,000
United Kingdom (BPI) 3× Platinum 1,800,000
United States (RIAA) 5× Platinum 5,000,000
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece) Platinum 2,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Kim Wilde and Mel Smith version

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
Single by Comic Relief presents Mel & Kim
B-side"Deck the Blooming Halls"
ReleasedNovember 23, 1987
GenreChristmas, Comedy
Length3:38
LabelTen
Songwriter(s)Johnny Marks
Producer(s)Stuart Colman
Kim Wilde singles chronology
"Say You Really Want Me"
(1987)
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
(1987)
"Hey Mister Heartache"
(1988)
Music video
Mel & Kim
"Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree"
on YouTube

A version of the song by Kim Wilde and Mel Smith (credited as "Mel & Kim" as a parody of then-popular sister act Mel and Kim), featuring Pete Thomas, reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart during the Christmas season 1987. The track was recorded to raise funds for Comic Relief.

Its accompanying video featured the two hosting a Christmas party with guests including The Mekon and an appearance from Smith's comedy partner Griff Rhys Jones, carol singers played by the band Curiosity Killed the Cat and Spitting Image puppets of Bette Midler and Tina Turner. Rolf Harris song Two Little Boys (the Christmas number one single of 1969) was referred to in the song lyrics and at this point a photo of him was shown in the video - however, since Harris was disgraced for sexual offence crimes, this reference has been cropped out of airplay.

Charts

Chart (1987–2023) Peak
position
Denmark (Tracklisten) 16
Ireland (IRMA) 4
Norway (VG-lista) 9
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) 35
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan) 20
UK Singles (OCC) 3

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) 2× Platinum 180,000
United Kingdom (BPI) Silver 250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Kacey Musgraves and Camila Cabello version

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
Song by Kacey Musgraves featuring Camila Cabello
from the album The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show
ReleasedNovember 28, 2019
GenreCountry
Length2:04
LabelMCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)Johnny Marks
Producer(s)

American country singer Kacey Musgraves released a cover version of the song featuring Cuban-born American pop singer Camila Cabello as a track on her soundtrack album The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show on November 28, 2019.

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2020–2021) Peak
position
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) 37
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard) 13
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) 20
US Holiday 100 (Billboard) 97

Justin Bieber version

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
Single by Justin Bieber
ReleasedNovember 12, 2020 (promotional release)
October 29, 2021 (official release)
Length2:12
LabelDef Jam Recordings
Songwriter(s)Johnny Marks
Justin Bieber singles chronology
"Ghost"
(2021)
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
(2021)
"Lonely Christmas"
(2021)
Alternative cover
Cover art for the promotional single release

Canadian singer Justin Bieber released a cover version of the song as a promotional single on November 12, 2020, exclusively on Amazon Music. On October 29, 2021, the song was released on streaming platforms worldwide as an official single.

Background

Talking about the cover, Bieber said: "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" has always been one of my favourite songs to celebrate the holidays and I'm excited to team up with Amazon Music to share my own version, with my fans. I'm so thankful to be able to spend the season with loved ones, and to also use this opportunity to give back to LIFT, Inner-City Arts and Alexandria House: three incredible organizations that I've supported in the past. I hope my fans join me in reaching out to the communities and organizations they care about, to help spread joy to those who need it most."

Commercial performance

On December 25, 2020, the song entered the top 20, arriving at #8. The following week, on January 1, 2021, it further climbed to #4, its peak position.

Charts

Chart (2020–2021) Peak
position
Canada AC (Billboard) 33
Croatia (HRT) 18
Global 200 (Billboard) 66
Italy (FIMI) 36
UK Singles (OCC) 4
US Billboard Hot 100 61
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 14
US Holiday 100 (Billboard) 40

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI) Gold 50,000
United Kingdom (BPI) Silver 200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other recordings

Many artists have recorded the song. The most prominent are:


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