Consider This from NPR - A legend weighs in on a Christmas classic

Episode Date: December 15, 2024

For many of us, Christmas songs are dominating our playlists this week. There's the one you start hearing in October, Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You," Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby," and the Christmas banger that went to number one last year, Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."Lee, now 80, recorded the song when she was 13. The living legend talked to NPR last year when her song — finally — hit number one. We revisit that conversation. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In a little over a week, it'll be Christmas. Perhaps while you've been wrapping presents, decorating the tree, baking holiday treats, doing everything else, you've had some tunes going in the background. Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You is most likely on your playlist. It is arguably one of the greatest Christmas songs of all time, a modern classic. But there's been some other gems out there. Eartha Kitts' 1953 Santa Baby. Santa Baby, just slip a sable under the tree for me.

Been an awful good girl, Santa Baby. I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by the Jackson 5. More recently, True Love by Ariana Grande. And don't forget the Backstreet Boys. Today though, we are going to talk about one Christmas hit that has lasted through the years to the point where it went number one last year. Rockin' around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop. The 1958 classic by Brenda Lee, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. Every couple tries to stop. Rockin' around the Christmas tree, let the Christmas spirit ring. Last year the song had a new music video with a cameo from Trisha Yearwood and Tanya Tucker.

I spoke to Brenda Lee last year all about it, so in this episode, ahead of the holidays, we are going to revisit that conversation. That's just ahead. From NPR. Brenda Lee turned 80 this month, and she has been famous ever since she first recorded her hit Christmas song, Rock It Around the Christmas Tree. The song was a hit year after year, but it never hit number one on the charts until last year. And that is when I caught up with this living legend. When we spoke, she could still barely believe that she had a new number one. Well, you know what? That is still not connecting with my brain. I'm just so thrilled for the writer. I was very close to the writer, Johnny Marks,

and I wish he was here to witness all this, but it's a great song. It's a wonderful song, and Lord, has it been good to me? I never thought that a Christmas song would be my signature song, but it is. And I'm proud of it. You know, there's always a moment to me every November where I'm in the store and I hear a Christmas song for the first time and I think, oh, all right, it's Christmas season. I'm wondering, do you have a moment each year where you hear yourself in a store or out there when you hear rocking around the Christmas tree for the first time for the season? And what does that feel like?

It still feels pretty surreal. It really doesn't. And when I say that, people say, oh, Brendan, good Lord, that thing came out when you were 12 or 13 or however old you were. I said, but you know what? It never gets old. Can we go back to when you first recorded it? Because you just mentioned right there, you were 13 when the song came out. And I think this latest generation of fans

have been surprised to learn you were so young because your voice sounds so full in the recording. You do not sound like a 13-year-old. I mean, what was going on in your life at that time? What do you remember about going into the recording studio and recording this song? Well, I remember that my great producer, Owen Bradley, he had the air conditioning turned to zero

because we recorded it, of course, in the summer. And he had a Christmas tree up and we just had a great time doing it. You know good songs are easy to do and I think we did that one maybe in one rehearsal and one take. You know, this past few weeks there's been so much attention, you've been climbing the charts, there's been this push to get this to number one, and of course Mariah Carey is the other singer who in recent years has been so identified with the number one Christmas hit. Have you and her had any conversation in recent weeks, I'm wondering?

No, but I'd love to. I love Mariah. I'm a big fan. Her Christmas song is great. There's room for all of us. And if it's good, it's everything. Well, I listen to both of you a lot around this time of year, so I appreciate you both.

I bet you do. I bet you get tired of us. Not for another few weeks. Well, that's big of you. Thank you so much. You mentioned before you are totally fine with the fact that this is the song that is in people's minds, but I wanted to talk about the rest of your career if you're up for it for a few minutes. Absolutely.

There's an anecdote that's floatinguttered around a lot of the profiles that mentions that there was one point in time where The Beatles opened for you. That's exactly right. I used to work with the guys when I first started going to England, touring over there, and just loved them. I was closest, I guess, to John, knew they were gonna be huge, brought back a little acetate that they made for me, and I took it to my record company, and I said,

I need you to hear these guys, and I need you to sign them. Well, they turned them down and of course the next thing you know, it's all about the Beatles, so you just never know, but I knew they were good. You know, you had success so young and so many people who have success so young have a harder time in life. It seems like you've lived a really fulfilling, long life. It seems like things have worked out pretty well.

What do you think the trick was to navigating being so famous early on in your teen years and coming out of it seemingly pretty okay Well, I think that the greatest thing was nobody ever told me I was famous. I Loved what I did. I loved singing I loved the whole scope of the industry and I just wanted to be a part of it I didn't have to be number one to be happy. And I think when you can get to that place in life, in anything that you do, you're going to be successful. Of your other hits that people these days might not be as much familiar with, what's

your favorite? What's one that we should make sure to include in this segment? Well, you need to include I'm Sorry. The early stuff. Because that's really how I cut my teeth and learned what I was doing. I appreciate the songwriters that brought them to me. I appreciate the great A-Team, the musicians, because they were like my big brothers and the Anita Kerr singers. because they were like my big brothers and the Anita Kerr singers. It's just listening to all these great guys do their thing and share their talent with me. Love was blind and I was too blind to see.

And it just don't get any better than that. Well, Brenda Lee, I've got to say, I get a sentimental feeling every time I hear your song and it was truly wonderful to talk to you. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Merry Christmas. This episode was produced by Connor Donovan and Brianna Scott. It was edited by Courtney Dornig.

Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Scott Detro.