‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ tops weekly charts
LOS ANGELES –
The number-one song this week is one that was recorded in 1958. “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee tops the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time.
That breaks a lot of records. It’s now the single with the longest run from its release in 1958 to the number-one spot — 65 years. It debuted on the Hot 100 two years later, then took just under 63 years to hit the top, setting a record for the longest climb ever to number one.
It’s also the longest break for an artist between number-one hits: 63 years, one month and two weeks between “I Want To Be Wanted” and “Rockin’.”
Lee also has the longest span from her first number-one to her last: 63 years, four months and three weeks, since “I’m Sorry” topped the chart in 1960.
Lee, who is 78, is the oldest artist to top the chart, beating 62-year-old Louis Armstrong with “Hello, Dolly!” in 1964.
Lee says in a statement she was a young teenager when “Rockin”‘ came out, and knowing that it resonates with multiple generations is one of the best gifts she’s ever received.
