It’s that time of year again.
If you’re like me and you hate Christmas music…well, we’ll get through it together.
But if you’re one of those people who started listening to Christmas music on November 1, chances are you’ve already heard this song a few times. (No, I’m not talking about the Mariah Carey song, because everybody’s already heard that one a million times too).
“Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” remains one of the most popular songs of the holiday season, despite the fact that it was released way back in 1958. It got a boost in popularity with a whole new audience back in the ’90s when the song was featured in Home Alone, and it’s been a staple of holiday playlists ever since.
Written by Johnny Marks, who also penned holiday classics like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Holly Jolly Christmas,” the song was recorded by Brenda Lee and actually didn’t do very well on the charts when it was first released. But when Lee began to break out as a star a few years, the song eventually debuted on the Billboard charts and made it as high as #14 in 1960.
But the internet is shocked to learn that Brenda Lee was only 13 years old when she recorded the holiday staple.
Lee herself says that she has no idea why she was asked to record the song, and if you listen to it (like everyone’s done hundreds of times by now) you definitely wouldn’t guess that it was a teenager singing it.
So once people finally realized that it wasn’t a 60-something year old lady but actually a 13-year old little girl singing the song they’ve heard every holiday season, it has some people shook.
I refuse to believe Brenda Lee was only 13 when she made that song
— Kat (@KathlynnDeHaan) November 24, 2023
brenda lee was 13 when she recorded Rockin Around the Christmas Tree?????????
— 𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖊 ☆🇵🇸 (@estusreputation) November 21, 2023
Can't get over the fact that Brenda Lee aka singer for "Rockin Around The Christmas Tree" was a 13-year-old girl instead of a woman in her 30s
— Jose Martinez (@JoseLMartinez01) November 23, 2023
U now the song ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ by Brenda Lee? Well I was today years old when I found out she was only 13 years old when she recorded it! 🤯 x
— ✩ 𝐿𝒾𝓃𝒹𝓈𝒶𝓎 ✩ (@MissLala_L) November 26, 2023
@brookemonk_♬ Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
@justbri_always #stitch with @Joe Mele #greenscreen #musictiktok #rockingaroundthechristmastree #christmasmusic #musictok #christmas ♬ Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
@yuh.ness like WHAT?!?!? #brendalee #brendaleerockinaround #rockinaroundthechristmastree #christmas #christmasmusic ♬ Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
@mariannenafsu Can’t believe it ib: @vanessa #brendalee #rockinaroundthechristmastree #homealone ♬ Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
To be fair, she definitely sounded older than she was on the recording. And she actually sounds pretty much the same today as she did back when she first recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” 65 years ago.
