How Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ hit No. 1, 65 years after its initial release

Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is officially the most popular song in the U.S. more than half of a century after it was first released. The 79-year-old artist dethroned Mariah Carey’s perennial holiday season chart-topper, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart — and held the position for a second week in a row.

Buzzy recent releases typically dominate the music publication’s weekly list, which uses sales numbers, streaming data and radio play to calculate the most popular songs in the country. So, what is a 65-year-old Christmas classic doing in the top spot?

“Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” has been a staple in holiday movies and on radio stations for decades during the festive season, but on the 65th anniversary of its release, its singer took the spotlight. Lee released the 1958 song’s first official video, which features cameos from country music legends Trisha Yearwood and Tanya Tucker, on Nov. 3.

Lee also joined TikTok in September, where she has shared clips from the music video — one of which garnered 15 million views. In other posts, while decked out in sparkly red Christmas regalia, she spilled little-known details about the song, like how she recorded the vocals when she was just 13, and how she never expected “Rockin’” to become her signature tune. Lee also speaks directly to her fans, whom she calls “Brendanators” and embraces a grandmotherly persona. She has tapped into TikTok’s affinity for older, comforting creators who remind them of their loved ones at the most family-centric time of year.

Jason Lipshutz, the executive director of music at Billboard, told Yahoo Entertainment that Lee has consistently held the No. 2 spot during the holiday season, but the promotional push from her team is what finally set her apart.

He said the media buzz surrounding her first week at No. 1 likely helped her remain on top for a second week. This marks Lee’s third Hot 100 No. 1 hit, and her first since 1960, according to Billboard.

“Brenda Lee doesn’t really have anything to prove. She’s great. I think people were eager to respond to her label pulling out all the stops for her,” he explained. “Then, from all this promo she’s doing, we started seeing her on top of holiday playlists made by Amazon and Spotify, and that helps get those streaming numbers up.”

Since Billboard tweaked its Hot 100 calculation formula in 2018, giving more weight to streaming numbers over sales, older Christmas songs like Carey’s 1994 smash hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Bobby Helms’s 1957 classic “Jingle Bell Rock” and Wham!’s 1984 tune “Last Christmas” have soared to the top of the charts each holiday season (and just as quickly recede come January). Before 2018, fans would have to repurchase a song every year to significantly impact the charts. Now, all they have to do is stream.

Lipshutz also explained that having an older artist go viral on a platform like TikTok introduced Lee to a new generation and tapped into the sentimentality of the holiday season.

“I would guess that most of Lee’s listeners aren’t plugged in to the idea of a ‘chart showdown’ between her and Mariah,” he said. “They just see a nice story about a veteran artist and have these fond feelings for a sweet holiday song.”

Lipshutz said he wouldn’t be surprised if other artists follow the Brenda Lee playbook, releasing music videos and joining TikTok to promote their work. Unfortunately, many of the artists at the top of the charts this year, like Helms and George Michael, aren’t alive to see their songs’ newfound success, though their estates and record companies are benefiting.

Of course, new classics get minted all the time. Lipshutz predicted that Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” have chances of someday hitting No. 1 — but it will probably take a decade or two.

“People really long for the familiar during the holiday season, so the longer they’re in the Christmas music canon, the better shot they’ll have at creeping up the chart,” Lipshutz said. “Mariah [Carey] has been seen for years as this unstoppable Christmas music force, but now that she’s had a classic overtake her, it’ll be interesting to see what other songs start jockeying for the lead like ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.’”