Brenda Lee- “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, 1958
Label: Decca
Songwriter: Johnny Marks
Producer: Owen Bradley
By the time of the 1958 holiday season, and subsequently Brenda Lee’s fourteenth birthday, the young vocal powerhouse had already stirred some buzz-worthy attention within the music industry. With a twangy yet rock-tinged wallop that was powerful beyond her years, Lee had immediately established herself as a striking and surprising purveyor of the 50s rockabilly movement, with the potential to become a rare teenaged sensation in the country market. However, in true foreshadowing of the remarkable marathon-stamina that “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” would exhibit throughout the decades, notable chart success for both the song and Lee’s catalog in general would still be a few years away.
“Rockin'” was culled from the golden holiday pen of songwriter Johnny Marks, who had already written Christmas standards like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Holly Jolly Christmas” for Gene Autry and Burl Ives, respectively. A festive party anthem written in the style of the youthful spirit of the still-burgeoning rock & roll phenomenon, the track would have been a perfect fit for red-hot rock hit-makers like Elvis Presley, Little Richard, or Wanda Jackson. Marks instead was drawn to young Brenda’s magical pipes, and arranged for the song to be sent to Decca Records for the young starlet to record with esteemed Nashville producer, Owen Bradley.
While that decision would not elicit the immediate commercial success that Marks certainly envisioned for his song, it’s impossible now to imagine the song’s original incarnation being birthed under any other partnership than that of Lee and Bradley. Both the vocalist and producer would soon find their own stylistic identities facing the same crossroads that the implosion of rock & roll would befall upon the entire country music industry. Rockabilly would soon be giving way to the uptown, orchestral sounds of the Nashville Sound, and this track was recorded as the precipice of this sonic shift. In many ways, it stands as the final triumph of the 50s rockabilly craze.
And what a perfect sonic triumph it was, and remains six decades later. The record is positively stacked with some of the true ace musicians of the era. The instantly identifiable introduction features the golden vocal magic of the Anita Kerr Singers, whose lush backing voices were becoming increasingly inescapable as they permeated so many of the pop-leaning country records Nashville released to compete with the new rock market. At this point however, they had not overstayed their welcome and they play their part perfectly here. They iconically set the festive tone of the single, before rightfully relinquishing the spotlight to Lee’s fiery vocal and the legendary and electrifying musicians that match her every step of the way. Hank Garland and Bradley’s brother, Harold provide the track’s sizzling guitar licks. Floyd Cramer lends his signature piano touch, while bassist Bob Moore and drummer Buddy Harman provide the track with its thumping, shuffling heartbeat. And then there’s the blistering sax solo from the iconic Boots Randolph on the bridge that sends the tune into the stratosphere. Most impressive amongst all this greatness however remains Brenda Lee herself, and the commanding performance she turns in here. Listen to the crescendo at the song’s climax in particular. Her entertaining presence and ability as a bandleader were not skills she needed time and maturity to grow into; she possessed them naturally right out of the gate. You can’t tell if she’s thirteen or thirty here, and you don’t give a damn either. It’s a marvel of a performance, bar none.
Despite the special energy captured on the record, the single sputtered during its first two seasons in 1958 and 1959. By late 1960 however, Lee’s hit-making ability had finally caught up to her talent. With Owen Bradley at the helm, she had since amassed two No. 1 pop singles with “I’m Sorry” and “I Want To Be Wanted”. Not only had she established herself as a leading voice in the countrypolitan movement alongside legendary names like Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins and fellow-Bradley protege Patsy Cline, but she had firmly staked her claim as a formidable cross-over noisemaker as well. This success raised the profile of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” considerably that winter when it finally became the smash song it deserved to be, officially cementing its status as an annual favorite and inevitable holiday standard.
As with any successful Christmas single, “Rockin'” has enjoyed the recurrent attention, notoriety, and reinterpretation that has followed each and every December for the past sixty-three years. It has grown through the generations as one of the most popular and well-known Christmas hits of all time, and the ultimate cornerstone of Lee’s formidable catalog. Many talented artists have covered it through the decades, including Amy Grant, Kelly Clarkson, Jimmy Buffett, LeAnn Rimes, Justin Bieber, Kacey Musgraves, Alabama, Megan Trainor, and many more. None however will ever duplicate the special quality of the original.
Even more-so than the typical holiday standard, the song has enjoyed unique waves of resurgence and longevity. The first occurred in 1990 when the song was featured in a prominent scene in the blockbuster film, Home Alone. Today, the film and song are inseparable in the pop culture consciousness, an association that has continually reintroduced the track to new audiences. This annual popularity has now reached its fever pitch in the digital streaming era, as “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” finally reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the very first time earlier this month. In doing so, the song added a slew of impressive stats to Lee’s already-legendary resume, among them the oldest artist to ever top the Hot 100 at age 78, as well as claiming the longest gap between an original release date and topping the chart, at sixty-five years. This newest success for the song is yet another testament to the enduring power of a timeless record. In another sixty years from now, listeners will still be dancing merrily in the new old-fashioned way, and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” will undoubtedly sound as fresh and exciting as it still does today.
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