When Salon connects with Brenda Lee, by sheer coincidence it’s mere hours after the music legend learned some incredible news: Her festive 1958 single “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” had just ascended to No. 1 on Billboard’s Holiday 100 chart for the first time.
When it’s noted she must be excited, Lee immediately responds: “You just don't even know. It's just the most amazing thing to me.” She’s then quick to give credit to many people involved in making the tune a success. “It's all because of the work of my label. There's been a lot of work, trust me, that's gone into this,” she says. “And the writer and the musicians and just everybody. It’s a magical time.”
Her performance channels the effervescence of youth — and the excitement of the holidays.
Of course, you can certainly say the same thing about “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Written by Johnny Marks — a seasonal songwriting superstar who also wrote festive tunes like "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and “Holly Jolly Christmas” — and produced by Owen Bradley, the tune is among the first major Christmas songs of the rock ‘n’ roll era.
Given its swinging guitar riffs, a loose-limbed dance groove and an upbeat sax solo, it's an ideal theme song for a hopping holiday party. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” features a who’s-who of Nashville session players — including guitarists Harold Bradley and Hank Garland; bassist Bob Moore; pianist Floyd Cramer; drummer Buddy Harman; and saxophonist Homer "Boots" Randolph. Backing vocals come from one of Nashville’s legendary vocal groups, the Anita Kerr Singers.
Lee, meanwhile, was just 13 years old when she recorded the song. Her performance channels the effervescence of youth — and the excitement of the holidays. That jubilance hasn’t wavered over time. Earlier this week, Lee joined Keith Urban and Vince Gill at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena to perform a suitably celebratory version of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” during the All For The Hall event. Living up to her nickname Little Miss Dynamite, Lee commanded the stage, belting out her signature song with jolly aplomb.
Salon talked to Lee about what she remembered recording the song, filming a music video this year for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (“They just said, ‘Do what you want to do. Have fun.’ That's what we did.”) and the long-term impact of the song.
I want to talk about what you remember most about recording the song. When you look back now and see the musicians on there, it’s a who's-who of Nashville session players. What are your most striking memories of it?
The Quonset Hut [recording studio] on 16th Avenue South is where I cut all my stuff. And it was in the heat of summer, of course, when you record your Christmas stuff, where it can come out at Christmas.
But my precious, precious producer Owen Bradley — I walk in the studio, he must have had the air conditioning down to zero. He had a big Christmas tree. It was all decked out in Christmas lights and everything. And it was just a magical time.
I was going to say — when it is so warm like that, it can be hard to get into a festive mood. Did you do anything before you came into the studio to get yourself mentally prepared?
No — to me, it was just going to be another session of a song that I loved. But when I walked in and everything was Christmassy, it was just magical.
So how did this session go? Was the song cut in a couple of takes? How did it unfold?
No, it was cut in one take.
Wow.
One rehearsal with the band, and one take.
As a vocalist and musician, what did you learn from being able to collaborate with that high caliber of musicians when you were so young and early in your career?
"It came through, as good songs do, and now it's one of the songs that I have to sing every time I sing anywhere."
I don't think you think about that at the time, because you are young. But I was blessed to work with the best of the best for a long, long time. And I learned from the best from those musicians from Owen Bradley. The Anita Kerr singers, Brenton Banks and his strings. Grady Martin, Hank Garland, Floyd Cramer, Buddy Harmon, Ray Edenton — oh, good Lord, I could just go on and on and on.
It is true that when you work with artists like that, it’s just another session. You don't realize until years later what you've picked up from them — or that when you get used to a certain caliber of musicians, it does very instinctually make you better.
Oh, it does. It absolutely does. And then the songs that Owen got for me were just unbelievable. That somebody would trust a child, which is what I was, with their life's work — I just got the best of the best.
And Owen really knew what suited your voice and your personality. That really stands out when you look at everything.
You hit it on the head right there. He sure did. He knew all of his artists like that. Patsy Cline, Burl Ives — the list goes on and on. But Owen knew his people. And there's a little sprinkling of Owen Magic in everything you hear from the folks that he recorded.
A Rockin' Christmas With Brenda Lee (Universal Music Group)It was so interesting to me when I learned that you cut “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and that it didn't become a hit until a couple years later, when you had additional pop hits. Was that frustrating at all for you?
I don't remember being frustrated. I might have been a little disappointed, because we all loved the song so much. And we wanted it to do really good. And when it just didn't for a minute, we thought, “Oh, lordy, lordy.” But it came through, as good songs do, and now it's one of the songs that I have to sing every time I sing anywhere.
[Laughs.] There are worse songs to have in your catalogue where you’re like, “OK, I need to sing that again.” I mean, because it's such a joyous song. It’s one of those songs that’s pure joy and happiness.
It is! It's a happy song.
As a vocalist, is there any difference between cutting a Christmas song versus cutting a song that's not for the holidays? Do you have to put anything special into it?
I never did. I just always sang the way I sang, and it came out the way it did. And they either liked it or they didn’t. [Laughs.]
And it’s good not to overthink it either. Sometimes if you put too much effort into it, people think you're trying too hard. That’s another great thing about “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” — it sounds effortless. There isn't any strain to it. As we talked about, there’s joy to it — and it's very sincere and genuine.
Yeah. And I think one of Owen’s secrets, when we went into the studio, is we didn't do a song over and over and over and over. We usually got it in the second take, if not the first.
It is true that when you labor over something, sometimes your first take is the best.
It is, even with flaws. It turns out to be the best one.
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” was in “Home Alone,” which I think is one of the first instances that introduced the song to new generations. What other places has the song been that you think helped it resonate with other people?
I think “Home Alone” pretty much did it. I got a call one night, and they said, “Brenda, have you seen that new movie, ‘Home Alone’?” And I said, “No.” They said “Well, your song’s all over it!” I said, “Which one?” [And they said] “‘Rockin’”!”
I went to the theater and saw it and I was so joyous because I love the songwriter, I love this song. Of course I loved all my buds that played on it. I was just so proud.
Trisha Yearwood and Brenda Lee in "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Alexa King Stone)What are some other interesting or unexpected places that you've heard the song pop up over the years?
Oh gosh. Overseas is real fun, when you when you go to someplace like Japan. Especially when I first started going over there in the 1960s, and you hear “Rockin’” when the cold weather hits, it's like, “Oh my goodness.”
Owen Bradley used to say, a good song is everything. If it's good, it's everything — and you'll hear it.
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When you hear the song in public, do you tell people, like “That's me!”? I would be so proud if I were you.
Well, you know what, this is gonna sound trite maybe — but it always amazes me that it's me. I hear it and I go, “Oh, they’re playing ‘Rockin’’!” [Laughs.’
The song is popular on TikTok as well with kids, as the intro is perfect for very short videos. Is there anything else that you want to do with the song that you haven't yet? Are there any other places that you'd love to see the song?
I’d love to see it everywhere. I'm selfish. Just get it everywhere. [Smiles.] Because I think it's such a great song. It's a happy song. The lyrics are good. And there's really nothing you can complain about — like, some of the songs that come out today you might not want your kids to hear. Or you might not want to hear it yourself. But it’s just fresh. It’s as fresh as the day I cut it.
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