Brenda Lee.Photo:Alexa King Stone
Alexa King Stone
The festive rivalry between the two pop divas is a friendly one. When “Rockin’” hit No. 1 last year,Carey sent Lee congratulatory flowers. “I thought that was very sweet,” says Lee. “That was so nice of her.”
Her song’s status as a 1 billion streamer isn’t the only milestone Lee has to celebrate this holiday season. On Dec. 11, she’ll enter her eighth decade. “I think the label is having a birthday party for me and I’m looking forward to that,” she says. “They say there’ll be some surprises. I can’t wait!”
Lee has spent most of her 80 years making music. While she scored her first Billboard hit at age 12, she was singing long before that. “I always somehow knew that’s what I was going to do, because I loved it so much,” she says. “I mean, I would have done it for nothing! I would have sang no matter what. But I never dreamed that my legacy would be a Christmas song.”
Brenda Lee in 1960.Harry Hammond/V&A Images/Getty
Harry Hammond/V&A Images/Getty
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While “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” sold well throughout the ‘50s and early ‘60s, it wasn’t until 1990 that the song achieved its current standing as a cross-generational anthem. “Somebody called me one day and they said, ‘Brenda, have you seen that new movie?’ I said, ‘No, which one?’ And they said,‘Home Alone. Your song is all over it.’ And that’s really when it started.”
Despite the varying lyrics and visuals, Lee feels the heart of the song is the instrumental track recorded with the help of Nashville session giants like Hank Garland and Harold Bradley on guitar, Floyd Cramer on piano and Boots Randolph on saxophone. “It was almost like telepathy. We just knew what each one of us was supposed to do,” she says. “Some songs just have some magic to them, and I think that’s what ‘Rockin’’ has.”
Lee and her holiday hit will also be celebrated again on Dec. 16 at 10 p.m. E whenAmerican Masters - Brenda Lee: Rockin' Aroundpremieres on PBS. The documentary will explore Lee’s life and legacy, in addition to the roots of her classic song.
Like many of us, Lee can hardly believe that Christmastime is here again. “It seems to slip up on you before you know it!” she says with a laugh. In addition to hoping for some time to catch up on some books (“I’m a ferocious reader,” she says), she looks forward to catching up with loved ones, too.
“I’m kind of old fashioned,” Lee continues. “I like to have my family and all my friends come over. We celebrate and have a good time.” Everyone gathers around her “old fashioned” Christmas tree. “I always have a live, green tree. I like the smell of it. I have ornaments from the time my kids were little. We always put those on along with the new ones that we add every year.”
source: people.com
