Brenda Lee, 79, reflects on being the oldest person to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart and surpassing Mariah Carey with her holiday classic Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree

She recorded the perennially popular Christmas song Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree when she was just 13 years old.

And Brenda Lee, now 79, reflected on the song's long-lasting popularity in a new interview People on Thursday.

Although her song has been in constant rotation on radio and streaming services every year since its release in 1958, 2023 marked a milestone: It reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

This toppled Mariah Carey's hugely popular All I Want For Christmas Is You, which has claimed a spot at the top of the charts in recent years.

Lee, who was 78 when her song made history, 65 years after recording Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree as the oldest person to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, described the “surreal” feeling she had when her song was made a stunning turnout. on the charts, while also sharing how Mariah Carey reacted to being outdone.

When asked to describe the moment she learned her song had hit number one, Lee replied, “Oh, good lord. It was so surreal!

“I still don't believe it,” she continued. “Even though I know the song is great and written by a great man, after all these years it's just surreal.”

The song was written by Johnny Marks, best known for a slew of popular Christmas songs including Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Holly Jolly Christmas and Silver And Gold, among other classics.

When the interviewer noted that her song had reached number two on the charts several times, but was also hampered by Carey's number, Lee sounded as if she was not concerned about the competition.

'You know, I don't think in those terms. I'm one of those weird artists who wants everyone to do well, because if everyone does well, we'll all do well!' she said. “But 'Rockin'' is close to my heart, and I hoped it would do well, as it always does. There's plenty of room for all of us.'

She also noted that Carey had not congratulated her on reaching number one, although it turns out the hitmaker was already planning something as Lee received a bouquet and card from Carey shortly after the interview.

She sent some beautiful white chrysanthemums and lilies and wrote, “Dear Ms. Brenda, congratulations on your historic #1. Merry Christmas. Love, Maria.”

As for why Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree ultimately hit number one in 2023, Lee believed it was because her record company gave it an extra push this year.

“It's been a joint effort from all of us and it's just been a lot of fun,” she said. 'A bit like the music days of old.'

A new music video also brought the song back into the public consciousness.

The clip featured Lee in the late 1970s, lip-syncing to herself at the age of 13, while she was joined in the video by Trisha Yearwood and Tanya Tucker.

“They are two of my best friends,” she said of the country music veterans. 'We asked them to do that and said, 'Okay, we'll turn on the cameras. You all do what you want to do!” There was no script and no direction, but I think it turned out well.'

Lee, who lives in Nashville, also added that several musicians who live in the city had sent her congratulations.

“Nashville is the kind of town where we feel like if one artist does well, we all do well. So we're all rooting for each other,” she explained. “It's like, 'They like me!' They really like me!” [Laughs] My record company is filled with a lot of hip, on-the-go young people. They worked really hard and it was just a lot of fun.”

She also revealed that her good friend Dolly Parton had also congratulated her recently.

'Dolly and I, we talk a lot. I'll tell you what: she's amazing. I've known Dolly since we were both 17 or 18 years old,” she recalls. 'We go back very, very far. Her husband and my husband went to school together. It's a good relationship.'

Lee also admitted that she never expected Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree to be such a big part of her legacy when she recorded it.

“I knew it was a great song and I was happy to get it, but I never thought it would be my signature song. Never,” she said.

When asked why that song became an annual hit while her other Christmas songs weren't as beloved, she suggested it was because Rockin' is so “catchy.”

“You know, it's easy to learn, it's easy to sing, and it's just contagious,” she said.

Reflecting on the past, she talked about how she had to record the original song in the sweltering summer heat, even though her producer turned up the air conditioning to cool things down enough.

She also revealed that her family wasn't “financially stable” when she was growing up, so Christmas was never a lavish affair for her, but was instead about family gatherings to celebrate together.

Although she is best known for her Christmas song, Lee had many hits in the burgeoning rock and roll genre in her heyday, and a string of hits in the 1960s helped her connect with artists such as The Beatles and Elvis.

“I go way back with the Beatles,” she recalled. 'I worked with them in their early years when I toured England all the time.

She added that she “just went to Ringo's show.”

“He did a concert here at the Musicians Hall of Fame and we reminisced for a while. It was a lot of fun,” she said. “But we were all learning during that time. It was often by the seat of our pants, but we had fun. We also played in Germany, at the Star Club.'

She added that it was “sweet” to hear that John Lennon once said her voice defined the sound of rock 'n' roll.

Lee said she considered herself “good friends” with fellow rocker Elvis.

'I loved Elvis. He was a good guy. I wish he was still here,” she said. “He certainly changed our industry, and I think we all miss him. One thing I can say about Elvis is that I don't think there was an entertainer who knew him and was jealous of him. We all loved him. We all appreciated him, and we all miss him.”

She expressed similar sentiments about the Nashville musicians she surrounded herself with, saying it was “a shame” that contemporary musicians were more competitive than artists of her generation.

“Because you know what? We all have something different to offer,” she added. “We all love what we do, and we all need to love each other.”