Editing Brenda Lee (section)

== Career ==
{{BLP sources section|date=March 2023}}
===Child performer===
Lee's voice, face and stage presence won her wider attention from a young age. At age five, she won first place at her school's talent show contest, where she sang "[[Take Me Out to the Ball Game]]". Her performance received positive reviews, leading her to make regular appearances on local radio and television shows.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brenda Lee |url=https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/brenda-lee |access-date=December 3, 2023 |website=Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum |language=en |archive-date=December 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203094350/https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/brenda-lee |url-status=live }}</ref>

Her father died in 1953 (when she was 8 years old) in a construction accident and by the time she turned ten, she was the primary breadwinner of her family by singing at events and on local radio and television shows.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brenda Lee |url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/brenda-lee-b-1944/ |access-date=December 3, 2023 |website=New Georgia Encyclopedia |language=en-US |archive-date=December 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203094351/https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/brenda-lee-b-1944/ |url-status=live }}</ref> During that time, she appeared regularly on the country music show ''TV Ranch'' on [[WAGA-TV]] in Atlanta but she was so short, the host would lower a stand microphone as low as it would go and stand her up on a wooden crate to reach it. In 1955, Grayce Tarpley married Buell "Jay" Rainwater, who moved the family to [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]], Ohio, where he worked at the [[Jimmie Skinner]] Music Center. Lee performed with Skinner at the record store on two Saturday programs broadcast over Newport, Kentucky, radio station [[WNOP (AM)|WNOP]]. The family soon returned to Georgia but this time to [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta]] and Lee appeared on the show ''The Peach Blossom Special'' on [[WJAT|WJAT-AM]] in [[Swainsboro, Georgia|Swainsboro]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brenda Lee |url=https://www.classicbands.com/brendalee.html |access-date=December 3, 2023 |website=www.classicbands.com |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125043111/http://www.classicbands.com/brendalee.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===National exposure and stardom===
Lee's breakthrough came in February 1955, when she turned down $30 ($334 in 2022 value<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 19, 2008 |title=Consumer Price Index Data from 1913 to 2022 {{!}} US Inflation Calculator |url=https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/consumer-price-index-and-annual-percent-changes-from-1913-to-2008/ |access-date=November 28, 2022 |website=www.usinflationcalculator.com |language=en-US |archive-date=September 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922120528/https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/consumer-price-index-and-annual-percent-changes-from-1913-to-2008/ |url-status=live }}</ref>) to appear on a Swainsboro radio station in order to see [[Red Foley]] and a touring promotional unit of his ABC-TV program ''[[Ozark Jubilee]]'' in Augusta. An Augusta [[disc jockey]] persuaded Foley to hear her sing before the show. Foley did and agreed to let her perform "[[Jambalaya (On the Bayou)|Jambalaya]]" on stage that night, unrehearsed. Foley later recounted the moments following her introduction:

{{Pull quote|I still get cold chills thinking about the first time I heard that voice. One foot started patting rhythm as though she was stomping out a prairie fire but not another muscle in that little body even as much as twitched. And when she did that trick of breaking her voice, it jarred me out of my trance enough to realize I'd forgotten to get off the stage. There I stood, after 26 years of supposedly learning how to conduct myself in front of an audience, with my mouth open two miles wide and a glassy stare in my eyes.<ref>Jim Wesley, ''Radio Express'' (2011), p. 58.</ref>
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On March 31, 1955, the 10-year-old made her network debut on ''Ozark Jubilee'' in [[Springfield, Missouri]]. Although her five-year contract with the show was broken by a 1957 lawsuit brought by her mother and her manager,<ref>{{citation|first1=Brenda|last1=Lee|first2=Robert K.|last2=Oermann|first3=Julie|last3=Clay|title=Little Miss Dynamite: the Life and Times of Brenda Lee|publisher=Hyperion|year=2002|isbn=0-7868-8558-0|url=https://archive.org/details/littlemissdynami00bren}}</ref> she nevertheless made regular appearances on the program throughout its run.

Less than two months later, on July 30, 1956, [[Decca Records]] offered her a contract, and her first record was "Jambalaya", backed with "Bigelow 6-200". Lee's second single featured two novelty Christmas tunes: "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus", and "Christy Christmas". Though she turned 12 on December 11, 1956, both of the first two Decca singles credited her as "Little Brenda Lee (9 Years Old)".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sexton |first=Paul |date=July 30, 2023 |title=Brenda Lee's 'Jambalaya': Little Miss Dynamite Debuts On The Bayou |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/brenda-lee-jambalaya-song/ |access-date=December 3, 2023 |website=uDiscover Music |language=en-US |archive-date=December 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203143508/https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/brenda-lee-jambalaya-song/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Neither of the 1956 releases charted, but her first issue in 1957, "[[One Step at a Time (Brenda Lee song)|One Step at a Time]]", written by Hugh Ashley, became a hit in both the pop and country fields. Her next hit, "Dynamite", coming out of a 4-foot 9-inch frame, led to her lifelong nickname, Little Miss Dynamite.<ref name=Dynamite />

Lee first attracted attention performing in country music venues and shows; however, her label and management felt it best to market her exclusively as a pop artist, the result being that none of her best-known recordings from the 1960s were released to country radio, and despite her country sound, with top Nashville session people, she did not have another country hit until 1969 with "[[Johnny One Time]]".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.musicvf.com/song.php?title=Johnny+One+Time+by+Brenda+Lee&id=6877 | title=Johnny One Time (Song by Brenda Lee) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts }}</ref>

===Biggest successes: 1958–1966===
[[File:Brenda Lee - Cash Box 1960.jpg|thumb|Lee presented with a [[Music recording sales certification|Gold record]] for "I'm Sorry", cover of ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'', August 27, 1960]]
Lee achieved her biggest success on the [[Record chart|pop charts]] in the late 1950s through the mid-1960s with [[rockabilly]] and [[rock and roll]]-styled songs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brendalee.com/pages/biography.html |title=Brenda Lee: the Lady, the Legend|publisher=Brenda Lee Productions|access-date=April 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414094639/http://www.brendalee.com/pages/biography.html |archive-date=April 14, 2009}}</ref> Her biggest hits included "Jambalaya", "[[Sweet Nothin's]]" (No.&nbsp;4, written by country musician [[Ronnie Self]]), "I Want to Be Wanted" (No.&nbsp;1), "[[All Alone Am I]]" (No.&nbsp;3) and "[[Fool No. 1|Fool #1]]" (No.&nbsp;3). She had more hits with the more pop-based songs "[[That's All You Gotta Do]]" (No.&nbsp;6), "[[Emotions (Brenda Lee song)|Emotions]]" (No.&nbsp;7), "[[You Can Depend on Me (Louis Armstrong song)|You Can Depend on Me]]" (No.&nbsp;6), "[[Dum Dum (Brenda Lee song)|Dum Dum]]" (No.&nbsp;4), 1962's "[[Break It to Me Gently]]" (No.&nbsp;2), "[[Everybody Loves Me But You]]" (No.&nbsp;6), and "[[As Usual]]" (No.&nbsp;12). Lee's total of nine consecutive top 10 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits from "That's All You Gotta Do" in 1960 through "All Alone Am I" in 1962 set a record for a female solo artist that was not equaled until 1986 by [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]].{{Citation needed|date= January 2020}}

In 1958, when Lee was 13, producer [[Owen Bradley]] asked her to record a new song by [[Johnny Marks]], who had had success writing Christmas tunes for country singers, most notably "[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song)|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]" ([[Gene Autry]]) and "[[A Holly Jolly Christmas]]" ([[Burl Ives]]). Lee recorded the song "[[Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree]]" in July with a prominent twanging guitar part by [[Hank Garland]] and raucous sax soloing by Nashville icon [[Boots Randolph]]. Decca released it as a single that November, but it sold only 5,000 copies, and did not do much better when it was released again in 1959.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book|first=Joseph|last=Murrells|year=1978|title=The Book of Golden Discs|edition=2nd|publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/103 103]|isbn=0-214-20512-6|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/103}}</ref> However, over subsequent years, it eventually sold more than five million copies. Since 2017, the song has appeared at the end of each year on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, having spent (as of December 9, 2023) 54 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at number 1 in 2023.
[[File:Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Billboard ad 1960.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' ad for "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", November 21, 1960]] 
In 1960, Lee recorded her [[signature song]], "[[I'm Sorry (Brenda Lee song)|I'm Sorry]]". However, the record initially was withheld for months before its release due to concern that the 15-year-old Lee would not understand what she was singing about in the love song. The song became one of the biggest hits of 1960, reaching the #1 chart position in the U.S. and #12 in the U.K.<ref>{{Cite web |last=hanspostcard |date=December 2, 2019 |title=Billboard #1 Hits: #32: 'I'm Sorry'- Brenda Lee- July 18, 1960 |url=https://slicethelife.com/2019/12/02/billboard-1-hits-32-im-sorry-brenda-lee-july-18-1960/ |access-date=December 3, 2023 |website=slicethelife |language=en |archive-date=December 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203143508/https://slicethelife.com/2019/12/02/billboard-1-hits-32-im-sorry-brenda-lee-july-18-1960/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=tolsen |date=January 2, 2013 |title=Billboard Hot 100™ |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/ |access-date=December 3, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=December 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211227031046/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was her first gold single and was nominated for a [[Grammy Award]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/3rd-annual-grammy-awards |title=3rd Annual Grammy Awards |publisher=[[Grammy Awards]] |access-date=2024-06-18}}</ref> Even though it was not released as a country song, it was among the first big hits to use what was to become the [[Nashville sound]]&nbsp;– a string orchestra and [[legato]] harmonized background vocals. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was finally noticed in its third release a few months later, and sales snowballed; the song remains a perennial favorite each December and is the record with which she is most identified by contemporary audiences.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Molanphy |first=Chris |date=December 8, 2023 |title=Why Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" Is Finally No. 1 on the Billboard Charts |url=https://slate.com/culture/2023/12/brenda-lee-rockin-around-christmas-tree-billboard-100.html |access-date=June 28, 2024 |website=Slate}}</ref>

Her last top-ten single on the pop charts in the United States (besides the reappearance each November–December since 2017 of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree") was 1963's "[[Losing You (Brenda Lee song)|Losing You]]" (No.&nbsp;6). 

In 1964, "[[As Usual]]" reached No.&nbsp;12 in the US and No.&nbsp;5 in the UK and "[[Coming on Strong (song)|Coming on Strong]]" peaked at No.&nbsp;11 in the US.{{Citation needed|date= January 2020}} Also in 1964, "[[Is It True (Brenda Lee song)|Is It True]]" peaked at No.&nbsp;17 in both the US and the UK. Featuring [[Big Jim Sullivan]] (guitar), [[Jimmy Page]] (guitar), and [[Bobby Graham (musician)|Bobby Graham]] (drums), it was her only hit single recorded in [[London]], England, and was produced by [[Mickie Most]]. The slide guitar and background singers were overdubbed in Nashville. It was recorded at Decca Records' number two studio at their West Hampstead complex, as was the UK B-side, a version of Ray Charles' 1959 classic cut, "[[What'd I Say]]?" which was not released in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brenda Lee – Is It True / What'd I Say {{!}} Releases {{!}} Discogs |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/350095-Brenda-Lee-Is-It-True-Whatd-I-Say |access-date=June 28, 2024 |website=Discogs|date=1964 }}</ref> "Is It True" was composed by noted British songwriting team [[Ken Lewis (songwriter)|Ken Lewis]] and [[John Carter (English musician)|John Carter]], who were also members of UK hitmakers the [[The Ivy League (band)|Ivy League]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ivy League {{!}} Allmusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-ivy-league-mn0000069393 |access-date=June 28, 2024 |website=Allmusic}}</ref>

===International fame===
[[File:Brenda-Lee and Peter Denton.jpg|thumb|Brenda Lee at the Granada, [[Sutton, London|Sutton]], April 1962]]
Lee was popular in the [[United Kingdom]] from early in her career. She performed on British television in 1959, before she had achieved much pop recognition in the United States. Her first hit single in the United Kingdom was "[[Sweet Nothin's]]", which peaked at number four on the [[UK Singles Chart]] in the spring of 1960. She subsequently had a UK hit (in 1961) with "[[Let's Jump the Broomstick]]", a rockabilly number recorded in 1959, which had not charted in the United States, but reached No.&nbsp;12 in the UK.<ref name=Bernstein />

Lee had two top ten hits in the UK that were not released as singles in her native country: the first, "[[Speak to Me Pretty]]" peaked at No.&nbsp;3 in May 1962 and was her greatest hit in the UK by chart placing, swiftly followed by "[[Here Comes That Feeling]]", which reached No.&nbsp;5 in the summer of 1962. The latter was issued as the B-side to "[[Everybody Loves Me But You]]" in the United States (which peaked at No.&nbsp;6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100); however, "Here Comes That Feeling" also made an appearance in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at No.&nbsp;89, despite its B-side status in the US.{{Citation needed|date= January 2020}}

In 1962, while touring [[West Germany]], Lee appeared at the [[Star-Club]], [[Hamburg]], with the Beatles as the opening act.<ref name=Bernstein /> Lee also had big hits in the UK with "[[All Alone Am I]]" (No.&nbsp;7 in 1963) and "[[As Usual]]" (No.&nbsp;5 in 1964).{{Citation needed|date= January 2020}}

Lee first visited the United Kingdom for three days in April 1959 as a last-minute replacement on ''[[Oh Boy! (TV series)|Oh Boy!]]''. She first toured the UK in March and April 1962 with [[Gene Vincent]] and [[Sounds Incorporated]] (as her backing group), and she toured the country for a second time in March 1963, this time supported by [[the Bachelors]], [[Sounds Incorporated]], [[Tony Sheridan]], and [[Mike Berry (actor)|Mike Berry]].{{Citation needed|date= January 2020}}

Lee also toured in the [[Republic of Ireland]] in 1963 and appeared on the front cover of the Irish dancing and entertainment magazine ''Spotlight'' in April that year.{{Citation needed|date= January 2020}}

After appearing at the annual [[Royal Variety Performance]] before [[Queen Elizabeth II]] at the [[London Palladium]] on November 2, 1964, Lee toured the United Kingdom again in November and December 1964, supported by (amongst others) [[Manfred Mann]], [[Johnny Kidd & the Pirates]], [[the John Barry Seven]], [[Wayne Fontana]] & [[the Mindbenders]], [[Marty Wilde]], [[the Tornados]] and [[Heinz (singer)|Heinz Burt]].{{Citation needed|date= January 2020}}

=== 1970–1992 ===
[[File:Brenda Lee 1977.JPG|thumb|Lee in 1977]]
During the early 1970s, Lee re-established herself as a country music artist. In a 1996 [[memoir]], [[television producer]] Sam Lovullo stated that Lee's 1972 appearance on his [[variety show]] ''[[Hee Haw]]'' had been instrumental to her [[Comeback (publicity)|comeback]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lovullo |first1=Sam |last2=Eliot |first2=Marc |date=1996 |title=Life in the Kornfield: My 25 Years at ''Hee Haw'' |location=New York |publisher=The Berkley Publishing Group |isbn= 1-57297-028-6 |quote=Brenda Lee ... faded from the charts, until ''Hee Haw'' brought her back. Her appearance on our show was the key to reestablishing her career. |quote-page=126}}</ref> Lee earned a string of top ten hits in the United States on the country charts, the first of which was 1973's "[[Nobody Wins (Brenda Lee song)|Nobody Wins]]", which reached the top five that spring and became her last Top 100 pop hit, peaking at No.&nbsp;70. The follow-up, the [[Mark James (songwriter)|Mark James]] composition "[[Sunday Sunrise (song)|Sunday Sunrise]]", reached No.&nbsp;6 on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard magazine]]''{{'s}} Hot Country Singles chart that October. Other major hits included "[[Wrong Ideas]]" and "[[Big Four Poster Bed]]" (1974); and "Rock on Baby" and "[[She's My Rock|He's My Rock]]" (both 1975).

After a few years of lesser hits, Lee began another run at the top ten with 1979's "[[Tell Me What It's Like]]". Two follow-ups also reached the Top 10 in 1980: "[[The Cowgirl and the Dandy]]" and "[[Broken Trust]]" (the latter featuring vocal backing by [[the Oak Ridge Boys]]). A 1982 album, ''[[The Winning Hand]]'', featuring Lee along with [[Dolly Parton]], [[Kris Kristofferson]] and [[Willie Nelson]], was a surprise hit, reaching the top ten on the U.S. country albums chart. Her last well-known hit was 1984's "[[Hallelujah, I Love Her So]]" in duet with [[George Jones]] (Lee sang this song individually before and released it in 1960 on ''[[This Is...Brenda]]''). In 1992, Lee recorded a duet ("You'll Never Know") with [[Willy DeVille]] on his album ''[[Loup Garou (album)|Loup Garou]]''.<ref name="digitaljournal.com">{{Cite news|url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/entertainment/music/brenda-lee-announces-signing-with-webster-public-relations/article/490083|title=Brenda Lee announces signing with Webster Public Relations|date=April 11, 2017|access-date=April 21, 2017|archive-date=April 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422033910/http://www.digitaljournal.com/entertainment/music/brenda-lee-announces-signing-with-webster-public-relations/article/490083|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2000–2016: Autobiography and Country Music Hall of Fame ===
Lee's autobiography, ''Little Miss Dynamite: The Life and Times of Brenda Lee'', was published by Hyperion in 2002 ({{ISBN|0-7868-6644-6}}).<ref name="Dynamite" />

Lee's most recent album release was a gospel collection in 2007. She no longer tours and rarely performs. Since the millennium, she has been involved with her work for the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]]. On October 4, 2000, Lee inducted fellow country music legends [[Faron Young]] and [[Charley Pride]] into the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum|Country Music Hall of Fame]].{{Citation needed|date= January 2020}} Lee is often called upon to announce the annual inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame and then officially present them with their membership medallions at a special ceremony every year. The most recent inductees announced by Lee were [[Randy Travis]], [[Charlie Daniels]] and [[Fred Foster]] in 2016.<ref name="digitaljournal.com" />

=== 2019–present: "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" 65th anniversary ===
Since ''Billboard'' modified its recurrent rules in 2012, Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" has regularly returned to the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] since 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Molanphy |first=Chris |date=December 20, 2019 |title=Why Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' Is Finally No. 1 |language=en-US |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/culture/2019/12/mariah-carey-christmas-number-1-billboard-hot-100.html |access-date=December 2, 2023 |issn=1091-2339 |archive-date=December 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206022145/https://slate.com/culture/2019/12/mariah-carey-christmas-number-1-billboard-hot-100.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On the Hot 100 chart dated December 21, 2019, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" reached a new peak of #3 in the United States with 37.1 million streams and 5,000 digital sales sold.<ref name="musiclover">{{Cite web |title=Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' Hits No. 3 on Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8546458/brenda-lee-juice-wrld-tones-and-i-burl-ives-hot-100-top-10 |access-date=December 16, 2019 |website=Billboard.com |archive-date=March 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318131756/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8546458/brenda-lee-juice-wrld-tones-and-i-burl-ives-hot-100-top-10 |url-status=live }}</ref> The following week it moved up to #2,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=Top 100 Songs &#124; Billboard Hot 100 Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100 |website=Billboard.com |access-date=January 5, 2020 |archive-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027024922/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100 |url-status=live }}</ref> where it remained for a second week.<ref name="auto" /> From 2019 to 2022, the song has re-peaked at #2, blocked from the top position by [[Mariah Carey]]'s "[[All I Want for Christmas Is You]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Unterberger |first=Andrew |date=November 29, 2023 |title=Is It Finally Brenda Lee's Year to Be 'Rockin'{{-'}} Atop the Hot 100? |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/brenda-lee-rockin-around-christmas-mariah-no-1-1235515850/ |access-date=December 2, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=December 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202123610/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/brenda-lee-rockin-around-christmas-mariah-no-1-1235515850/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In November 2023, to celebrate the song's 65th anniversary, Lee released a music video featuring her lip-synching to the original recording at a house party with [[Tanya Tucker]] and [[Trisha Yearwood]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hollabaugh |first=Lorie |date=November 6, 2023 |title=Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree' Celebrates Milestone With New Video |url=https://musicrow.com/2023/11/brenda-lees-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-celebrates-milestone-with-new-video/ |access-date=November 12, 2023 |website=MusicRow.com |language=en-US |archive-date=November 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112182402/https://musicrow.com/2023/11/brenda-lees-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-celebrates-milestone-with-new-video/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Lee has also joined social media platform [[TikTok]] to promote the song, where she posts videos reminiscing about her song's history and success.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murray |first=Conor |title=Will Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree' Finally Dethrone Mariah Carey On The Charts? |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/12/01/will-brenda-lees-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-finally-dethrone-mariah-carey-on-the-charts/ |access-date=December 2, 2023 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=December 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202170510/https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/12/01/will-brenda-lees-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-finally-dethrone-mariah-carey-on-the-charts/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart dated December 9, 2023, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" topped the Hot 100 for the first time in the United States becoming Lee's third #1 hit and first since her 1960 single, "[[I Want to Be Wanted]]". At 78, Lee became the oldest female artist and oldest artist overall to top the Hot 100, feats formerly held by [[Cher]] and [[Louis Armstrong]], respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://themessenger.com/entertainment/brenda-lee-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-billboard-hot-100-record |title=Brenda Lee Hits No. 1 on the Hot 100, Becoming the Oldest Artist to Ever Top the Chart |work=TheMessengerEntertainment| access-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204212529/https://themessenger.com/entertainment/brenda-lee-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-billboard-hot-100-record |url-status=dead }}</ref> The week following, she held the number one spot, which also meant she surpassed her own age record, having turned 79 during the week ending December 16, 2023.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Trust |first1=Gary |title=Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' Leads Billboard Hot 100 for Second Week |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/brenda-lee-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-number-one-hot-100-second-week-1235550742/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 11, 2023 |date=December 11, 2023}}</ref> Following two few weeks off number one, on the week ending January 6, 2024, she returned to number one for an additional week.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/brenda-lee-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-hot-100-number-one-third-week-1235574397/|title=Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' Jingles Back to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100|last=Trust|first=Gary|magazine=Billboard|date=January 2, 2024|access-date=January 3, 2024}}</ref>

A Lee approved AI-generated Spanish language version "Noche Buena y Navidad" appeared on October 25, 2024.<ref>{{cite news |title=Universal Music to Release AI-Powered Spanish Version of Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/universal-music-release-ai-powered-131109179.html |work=Yahoo Finance |agency=Reuters |date=October 25, 2024 |access-date=October 25, 2024 |author=Harshita Mary Varghese}}</ref>

In December 2024, [[Spotify]] revealed that "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is among the Top 10 most streamed holiday songs of all time, <ref>{{Cite web |last=Barbuti |first=Angela |date=2024-12-21 |title=Exclusive {{!}} Spotify's Top 10 most-streamed holiday tracks of all time revealed |url=https://nypost.com/2024/12/21/entertainment/spotifys-top-10-most-streamed-holiday-tracks-of-all-time-revealed/ |access-date=2024-12-25 |language=en-US}}</ref> reaching more than a billion downloads.<ref>{{Citation |title=Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree |date=1964-10-19 |url=https://open.spotify.com/track/2EjXfH91m7f8HiJN1yQg97 |access-date=2024-12-25 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Brenda Lee Reacts to 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' Breaking 1 Billion Streams Days Before Her 80th Birthday (Exclusive) |url=https://people.com/brenda-lee-reacts-to-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-breaking-1-billion-streams-exclusive-8759504 |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=People.com |language=en}}</ref> The [[Recording Industry Association of America]] also certified "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"  that month for 7× Platinum for US sales of 7 million copies of the digital single.<ref>Gold & Platinum – Brenda Lee". ''Recording Industry Association of America''. December 9, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2024</ref>

Also in December 2024, Lee was honored at the [[Tennessee State Capitol]], where the song was named the Official Holiday Song of Tennessee. Legislation recognizing the song in this way was filed by Tennessee House of Representative member [[Jason Powell]] in December 2023. It passed the state legislature and was signed into law by Governor [[Bill Lee (Tennessee politician)|Bill Lee]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vissman |first=Donna |date=2024-12-15 |title=Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree is Named State of Tennessee Holiday Song |url=https://wilsoncountysource.com/brenda-lee-s-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-is-named-state-of-tennessee-holiday-song/ |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=Wilson County Source |language=en}}</ref>