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Brenda LeeIf Charles Brown is the unofficial king of Christmas music, Brenda Lee has to be the unofficial queen. "Little Miss Dynamite" is one of the most successful female singers in history, and she recorded many Christmas sides including two albums and numerous singles. Only one, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," became a preeminent hit, but it was an irrepressible that song defined the golden age of Christmas rock more than any other - except maybe Bobby Helm's "Jingle Bell Rock," and Lee's is the better record, to boot.

Between the jaunty beat, the spicy guitar interjections, and Brenda's confident vocals, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" is a quasi-rockabilly masterpiece over-and-above its status as a Christmas classic. Brenda's bold declaration that "everyone's dancing merrily in the new old-fashioned way" exemplifies the very spirit of a rock 'n' roll Christmas - a kinetic, volatile, joyful blending of traditional and modern, sacred and profane, old and new.

Recorded in 1958 and written by Johnny Marks (who also penned "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer"), "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" finally hit the pop charts in 1960, when it leapt all the way to #14 - quite an accomplishment for a Christmas single, even in those days. The record ultimately charted - either on the Top 100 or the Christmas charts - for ten years running (1960-1969), and occasionally thereafter. During the Christmas season of 2023 - after digital streaming had changed how music was consumed and its popularity tabulated - "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" finally hit #1 on the Billboard charts, 65 years after its release.

Brenda LeeHowever, Brenda Lee's Christmas credentials don't stop there, nor is that where they began. She waxed her first Yuletide hit, "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus," as a prepubescent country star. But, more importantly, she released a full album, Merry Christmas From Brenda Lee, in 1964 consisting of new recordings plus "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree." Highlighted by the effervescent, girl group lament, "Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day," the album nevertheless signaled Brenda's move towards more adult sounds.

Merry Christmas is a fine album with lots of nostalgic appeal, but Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree: The Decca Christmas Recordings (1999) is even better. It compiles her complete Christmas recordings from 1956 through 1965, including the entirety of her 1964 LP plus the rare cajun romp, "Papa Noel," the original b-side of "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree." Sharply mastered, beautifully packaged, and fully annotated, I strongly recommend it! (It was later repackaged as The Best Of Brenda Lee: The Christmas Collection, part of Universal's enormous "20th Century Masters" series, and reissued on vinyl as A Rockin' Christmas With Brenda Lee.)

Beginning in the late 50's, Brenda Lee ruled the pop charts for over ten years, becoming the #1 female singer of the 1960's and later earning a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. In the early 1970's, she switched gears, returning to her country roots and ultimately entering Nashville's Hall Of Fame, too. During this long, last phase of her career, she recorded another Christmas album, A Brenda Lee Christmas (1991). Recommended only for Brenda Lee buffs, the album consists exclusively of country-tinged Christmas standards, including a new version of her greatest hit - by now a Christmas standard itself. [top of page]

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • The Angel And The Little Blue Bell (1964)
  • Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day (1964) Top 100 Song
  • I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus (1956)
  • Papa Noel (1958)
  • Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (1958) Top 100 Song
  • Strawberry Snow (1964)
  • This Time Of The Year (1964)

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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