Brenda Lee reacts to hearing “Rockin’around the Christmas Tree” hit No. 1

He watches: “Rockin’around the Christmas Tree” tops the music charts for the first time

Music legend Brenda Lee turns 79 on December 11, and she’ll have a lot to celebrate: Her classic song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, 65 years after its release. .

“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is now the third holiday song in history to top the Billboard Hot 100, joining Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and The Chipmunks’ “The Chipmunk Song” with David Civil.

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“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, written by Johnny Marks, was released in 1958, but only reached the chart in 1960, peaking at No. 14 that year. In 2019 and 2022, it rose to second place.

Billboard posted an Instagram video of Lee’s reaction to the No. 1 ranking on Monday.

Lee’s song set another new record: the longest wait between a song’s release and it reaching number one on the chart. Carey previously held the record for 25 years between the release of her hit song in 1994 and its rise to the top of the chart in 2019.

Lee is also the oldest woman ever to reach No. 1 on the chart, surpassing Cher, who was 52 when “Believe” topped the Hot 100. Lee was 13 when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the “Christmas Tree”.

This is Lee’s third Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song, following “I’m Sorry” and “I Want to Be Wanted” in the 1960s. In the 1960s, she had 46 Hot 100 hits, the most by any female artist.

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And this isn’t the only holiday song to make it into this week’s top 10. Carey’s song ranked second, Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” ranked third, and Wham!’s “Last Christmas” ranked third. In fifth place, and Burl Ives. “A Holly Jolly Christmas” is #6 and “The Best Time of the Year” by Andy Williams is #10.