Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' hits No. 1 on US Hot 100 chart after 65 years

Brenda Lee's iconic holiday song, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," has achieved an unprecedented milestone by reaching the No. 1 spot on the US Hot 100 chart, 65 years after its initial release in 1958.

Penned by Johnny Marks, known for other Christmas classics such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas," the track was recorded when Brenda Lee was just 13. Although it initially struggled to gain traction, the song climbed to the US Top 20 in 1960, riding on the success of Lee's burgeoning pop career.

The song found a new lease on life in 1990 when it was prominently featured in the film Home Alone. However, it wasn't until 2014, with the rise of streaming services, that "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" made a resurgence, consistently charting in the US each subsequent holiday season.

In achieving this No. 1 position, Brenda Lee, at 78, has become the oldest artist to top the US Hot 100 chart, surpassing a record held by Louis Armstrong since 1964. Notably, the 65-year gap between the song's release and its recent chart-topping success sets a new record, breaking Mariah Carey's 2019 achievement with "All I Want For Christmas Is You."

The song's enduring popularity also places Brenda Lee in the spotlight for breaking Carey's record for the longest span between an artist's first and most recent No. 1 single, with an impressive 32-year gap. Additionally, Lee surpasses Cher's 24-year gap between two No. 1 singles.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Brenda Lee expressed her surprise at "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" becoming her signature song, overshadowing her other chart-topping hits like "I'm Sorry" and "I Want to Be Wanted."

While the UK charts traditionally feature explicitly Christmas-themed songs for the festive No. 1 spot, Lee's hit is only the third seasonal song to achieve this status in the US, joining the ranks of Mariah Carey's classic and The Chipmunk Song.

In the UK, the song reached its highest position last year at No. 4 and currently holds the No. 14 spot. It notably jumped to No. 6 in the midweek chart, where nine out of the Top 10 singles are Christmas-themed. The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" is expected to take the No. 1 spot this week following the death of Shane MacGowan.