Music

A short 65 years after its 1958 release, Brenda Lee‘s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” finally hits the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.

The Christmas classic, which rose to No. 2 each of the last four holiday seasons but was previously unable to unseat Mariah Carey’s beloved “All I Want for Christmas is You,” gets all the way to the Hot 100’s apex on the chart dated Dec. 9 — making Lee’s third career No. 1, after “I’m Sorry” and “I Want to Be Wanted” both reached pole position in 1960. It comes after a major promotional push from both Lee and her UMG Nashville label, including a new music video, a new holiday EP, and a whole lot of new Lee TikToks, all timed to the song’s 65th birthday celebration this year.

What was it that finally got the song over the top? And is the No. 1 spot now Lee’s to lose? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. After 65 years — and four years of finishing in the runner-up spot on the Hot 100 to “All I Want for Christmas Is You” every December — Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” finally claims the No. 1 spot this week. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the historical long-delayed triumph of “Rockin’” topping the Hot 100 in 2023?

Katie Atkinson: I’ll go with a 5, only because it was the most likely non-Mariah Christmas song to get to No. 1 next so it felt inevitable. But I also wouldn’t have been surprised if Mariah had just never ceded the top spot every December from here for years to come. But I love that this opens up the possibility of a revolving door of holidays hits that shift places in and out of the top spots every year. Justice for Bobby Helms!

Kyle Denis: 7. This is fun! It’s cool to see that “All I Want for Christmas Is You” really did a break a glass ceiling for the Hot 100 performance of holiday tracks in the streaming era.

Jason Lipshutz: A 10. As astonishing as it was when Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” finally reached No. 1 a few years ago, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” surpassing that season-defining juggernaut — even for one week — is even more shocking to me. I would have expected a newer Christmas song to become the next non-Mariah holiday single to top the Hot 100; instead, we have Brenda Lee’s 65-year-old standard getting over the hump. This is as improbable as chart feats get.

Taylor Mims: I would rate it a 7. December on the charts has become a lot more interesting since the Hot 100 rules changed to allow holiday music on the main popular chart. The holidays tend to be a slow time for the music industry, but with Mariah Carey and now Brenda Lee vying for those top spots, there’s certainly more to discuss. Carey has really made a holiday meal out of her Christmas song success, but to see a track like Lee’s standard reach the pinnacle is fun to watch and gives everyone an underdog to root for this year.  

Andrew Unterberger: At least a 9. Four years ago I would have assumed the race between “All I Want” and “Rockin” would prove essentially asymptotic, with Lee’s song always getting closer but never actually catching Carey’s. Last year was the first year it seemed like there was even a real chance that “Rockin’” would eventually capture the top spot — and I still would’ve assumed it was several years away at the nearest. This year… I’m still having a little trouble believing it, to be honest. Kudos to Lee and UMG for achieving the near-impossible.

2. Many factors went into this chart race — but most of all, do you think “Rockin’” finally getting past “All I Want” was more a matter of public sentimentality, promotion from Lee and her label, or just good timing?

Katie Atkinson: I’m going to go with timing here. There were some steps taken this year – like Lee releasing her first music video for the song in early November – but I think it really came down to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” being the most popular song in that first full Christmas week this year. Yes, Mariah has the recent track record, but Brenda Lee has a 30-year head start on Christmas nostalgia. There’s also the possibility of fa-la-la-fatigue (sorry) for “All I Want for Christmas.” I have no doubt it will go back to No. 1 at some point, but it’s nice to give Brenda her moment.

Kyle Denis: I think it’s a combination of good timing and promotion from Lee and her label. In terms of timing, we aren’t in the midst of an incredibly dominant weekslong run atop the Hot 100, so reaching the summit proved a bit more feasible. Between a new music video, her active TikTok presence, and a promo run that has included collaborations with Kelly Clarkson and Dolly Parton as well as upcoming live performances, Lee and her team were clearly gunning for that No. 1 – and they got it. 

Jason Lipshutz: I think the extra promotion from Lee pushed “Rockin’” to No. 1 this year, after years of running a competitive race but coming up short against “All I Want.” The song has always been a major holiday hit, but this year’s not-so-subtle campaign — including a long-overdue official music video and TikTok appearances from Lee — boosted “Rockin’” just enough to give it a shot at No. 1. Public sentimentality and timing was on its side, but without that promo push, I doubt we’re talking about it finally reaching the top spot.

Taylor Mims: “Rockin’” hitting the top spot seems primarily the work of really good promotion from Lee and her label. That’s not to say it isn’t a great song: It’s fantastic and has absolutely stood the test of time and millions have been and will be playing the song all month. But Lee and her team made a concerted effort to push this song over the threshold on this anniversary and with a star who is incredibly endearing. They got public sentimentality on their side, which is saying a lot considering how crowded the month is with holidays, shopping and general end-of-the-year stress. It shows that people are still interested in these personal profiles and good storytelling.

Andrew Unterberger: The promotion is probably the biggest factor, turning the race into something even non-obsessive Hot 100 watchers were aware of and making Lee’s hunt for the No. 1 one of the feel-good stories of the chart year. But you also can’t count out good old-fashioned playlisting, as Lee’s older holiday classic is privy to some coveted lean-back-listening territory that Carey’s modern standard is still deemed too new for. At this time of year, when a lot of folks are just reaching for the nearest, most-familiar and most-comforting set of Christmas songs available, that advantage is not to be overlooked.

3. Now that “Rockin’” has overtaken “All I Want” for one week, do you see it staying on top indefinitely, trading back and forth with “All I Want” week-to-week, or giving the top spot back up to “All I Want” and resuming its runner-up position?

Katie Atkinson: I see the two songs trading spots — and maybe even allowing for some other holiday favorites to slip in to No. 1 as well. I don’t think there would be anything that embodies the holiday season more than gifting a revolving door of legendary artists an unprecedented chart-topper decades into their careers or even after they’ve passed. Let’s shake it up!

Kyle Denis: I’m inclined to think it will probably concede the top spot to “All I Want” for a few weeks, but the points will be close. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a third holiday song sneak a week in at No. 1. 

Jason Lipshutz: Hard to say exactly — I’m still shocked that Brenda surpassed Mariah for a single week this year — but my guess would be that “All I Want” resumes its status as the biggest Christmas song on the charts and “Rockin’” dips back to No. 2. I respect Mariah Carey’s classic single as a culture-dominating holiday behemoth too much to entertain notions of “All I Want” staying in the runner-up spot, at least for the foreseeable future. While I’m very happy that Brenda Lee finally made it to No. 1, I suspect that this will be a one-week flare-up, and Mariah ascends to the top spot next week.

Taylor Mims: That all depends on how much work Lee and her team plan on putting in to this endeavor. “Rockin’” is officially a No. 1 Hot 100 hit, and I am not sure what a few more weeks at the top spot will mean for the track. I think it would take a lot more resources to keep pushing ahead of Carey and her well-oiled “Queen of Christmas” machine. As the month progresses, I also think it will be harder and harder to sustain attention on the subject and folks will go back to playing generic holiday music playlists. Without a PR push, I think it will go back to a close runner up position and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Andrew Unterberger: It seems like “Rockin’” might still have the advantage for this upcoming chart week, and with all this attention and momentum fully behind her, it seems possible that Lee might be able to hang on for the rest of the holiday season — though I certainly wouldn’t count out “All I Want” reclaiming the throne for a week or two. The bigger question will be who starts on top next year, and if it’ll be Carey’s time to turn up the anniversary-celebrating volume; next year will be the 30th birthday of “All I Want,” after all.

4. With “All I Want” finally proving deposable, do you think more artists and/or their labels will be getting actively involved in trying to power their holiday staples up the charts? If so, is there anything they can learn from the success of “Rockin’”?

Katie Atkinson: Absolutely, but it’s pretty hard to take lessons from the decades of legacy “Rockin’” brings to the table. I mean, in addition to everyone growing up with the song, whether purposely or passively, it also has major moments in holiday movies like Home Alone, so you’re going to get your Brenda fix somewhere in the season whether you’re trying or not. But I think just providing a glimmer of hope that it’s possible to (temporarily) dethrone the reigning Queen means other artists, veterans and rookies alike, should shoot their shot.

Kyle Denis: I think we’ll absolutely see more artists trying to fashion chart contenders outs of their holiday originals. From the success of “Rockin,’” artists should take note of the effectiveness of relentless promotion that’s strategically spaced out to maximize chart timing. In the tracking week that ultimately culminated in the “Rockin’” reaching No. 1, Lee provided “part two” of an exclusive BTS music video set tour with appearances from Trish Yearwood and Tanya Tucker, stopped by the Bobby Bones show and visited Talk Shop Live. And this all happened about four weeks after she debuted the track’s official music video, which featured a 78-year-old Lee lip-syncing to her 13-year-old voice! Content is king!

Jason Lipshutz: No — if “Rockin’” hitting No. 1 decades after its release demonstrates anything, it’s that the holiday-song market is darn near impossible to game, especially when it comes to new singles trying to make a dent in the stronghold of the long-running classics. “All I Want” may be perceived as slightly more fallible now than it was last week, but it’s not like a recent holiday song upended its chart run; “Rockin’” is a beloved, generations-spanning single, and those are impossible to replicate within the music industry.

Taylor Mims: Artists and labels will absolutely be coming for Carey’s throne. Lee and her team had a great plan, took their time executing it and triumphed (please, everyone go watch the beautiful video of Lee finding out “Rockin’” hit No. 1). There is now a blueprint for challenging Carey for that No. 1 spot over the holiday season and I think she has a lot of adversaries ahead. Do I think they will all succeed? No. Do I think the public will get tired of holiday chart competitions? Yes. But when something succeeds as well as Lee’s campaign did, there will be copycats.

Andrew Unterberger: In all honesty, I think there’s only one song that has anywhere near the juice to properly challenge either of these songs anytime soon: Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” which is another undeniable classic that also seems to grow in public esteem every year (particularly after frontman George Michael’s death during the 2016 holiday season). If the duo’s Sony label label wanted to follow the “Rockin’” blueprint and do a big promotional push in time for a major anniversary — the song’s 40th anniversary is next year, though they might be better off waiting for the 10th anniversary of Michael’s passing in 2026 — I think the door is at least slightly ajar.

5. Ignoring all chart-related concerns: on another scale from 1-10, how much would you say “Rockin’” still rocks 65 years after its release?

Katie Atkinson: It’s a 10 for me. It’s just so cute and fun, and I’ve somehow never gotten sick of it. I still can’t believe a 13-year-old sang this stone-cold classic.

Kyle Denis: 6. It’s aight.

Jason Lipshutz: An 8. It’s not my favorite Christmas song, as is not as enthralling as “All I Want,” but I always enjoy hearing it on a holiday playlist, on the radio or within a too-crowded shopping mall, and get immediately transported back to the holiday listening sessions of my childhood. You could even say that when I hear it, I get a sentimental feeling.

Taylor Mims: That’s an easy 10. “Rockin’” is one of the most upbeat and cheerful Christmas standards and it is impossible to get out of your head after you’ve heard it once. It is the potato chip of holiday music — you can’t listen to it just once. It’s got guitar, a raspy voice, a touch of brass and a whole lot of heart. Every year we start hearing it earlier and earlier (pre-Thanksgiving now) and it warms the spirits in the cold months. Undoubtedly, “Rockin’” has another 65 years in it.

Andrew Unterberger: A 7. It’s not quite in the top tier to me, but I never really mind hearing it — which, after 65 years of annual overplay (37 of which I’ve been alive for), is still fairly impressive.