Brenda Lee finally makes a music video for 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree' to mark its 65th anniversary

7 November 2023, 11:42

The Muppet Christmas Carol movie trailer

One of the all-time great Christmas songs finally gets a proper music video.

Before The X Factor and sausage rolls, Christmas was a time for not just presents under the tree, charades and massive lunches, but also for absolutely magical seasonal standards lighting up the charts.

And they don't get any bigger than Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree', a stone-cold classic written by Johnny Marks – the same Jewish songwriter who wrote 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' and other Xmas hits.

• Listen to the Gold Christmas Live Playlist on Global Player
• Gold's Festive 50: 'Fairytale of New York' is voted the best Christmas song ever for third year
• Why Andy Williams is the underrated King of Christmas music

Brenda recorded her stunning vocal when she was just 13 years old, but the song wasn't actually a hit on its release in 1958, or its re-release the following year.

It was actually 1960 when the song finally made the US charts, peaking at number 14 on this run.

It's been a Christmas regular ever since, and has nestled at number two on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart for the last four years – just behind a more modern standard in Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'.

Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Official Music Video)

Brenda isn't likely to knock Christmas Queen Mariah off the top any time soon, but this time around she'll have the help of a brand new music video, showing the now-78-year-old Brenda miming along to her vocal from 65 years ago before getting stuck into some Christmas fun.

The song also leads a new five track digital EP called A Rockin' Christmas.

The full tracklisting is as follows:

1. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
2. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
3. Jingle Bell Rock
4. A Marshmallow World
5. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree (reimagined by Filous)