Добавить новость

25 детей родились на Новый год в Подмосковье: первое появление в 00:10

Эксперты рассказали о предпочтениях в путешествии россиян в одиночку

Москва: штормовой ветер, гололед и мокрый снег уже сегодня - будьте готовы!

Семейные новогодние традиции

News in English


Новости сегодня

Новости от TheMoneytizer

She’s a rockin’ 80—and the song she sang as a teen remains a holiday staple

Her memories of recording “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree” are a little hazy. She remembers the producer placing decorations around the studio and blasting the air conditioner on a warm Nashville day to create a holiday spirit. The musicians, she recalls, nailed it in a couple of takes.

That's about it. After all, Brenda Lee was 13 years old at the time — and it was 66 years ago, in 1958.

Somewhat implausibly, her celebration of a “Christmas party hop” is more popular today than ever before. It's an unusual trajectory, even accounting for the fact that music listeners during the holiday season tend to embrace songs they've known for years.

In 2023, Lee released two music videos for the song. “Rockin'” eclipsed Mariah Carey's perennial favorite “All I Want for Christmas is You” last December to top the Billboard music chart and make Lee, at age 78, the oldest woman to achieve that feat. A week later, following a birthday, she beat her own mark. Kendrick Lamar likely stands in her way of doing it again this year.

Another record: Sixty-five years represented the longest interval between a record being released and making it to No. 1.

“It is a good song,” Lee, who turned 80 on Dec. 11, told The Associated Press. “It's a song that anybody can sing. You can join in, you can sing it, everyone is happy. I sure am glad that I have it. I never thought in my life that a Christmas song would be my legacy. But I'll take it.”

‘An ear worm on steroids’

It's a phenomenon that music journalist Holly Gleason noticed recently while stopping for coffee in Florida. The song came over the loudspeaker and the room — parents, kids, hipsters — erupted in singing and laughter. “It's kind of an ear worm on steroids,” said Gleason, whose 2017 book “Woman Walk the Line: How the Women in Country Music Changed Our Lives” featured Lee, among others.

The song manages the neat trick of sounding retro yet not dated. Sweet guitar licks snake around Lee's voice in the original recording. Boots Randolph's saxophone solo drives it home. The party flies by quickly, the song over in two minutes, six seconds.

Composer Johnny Marks already had some seasonal hits to his credit, including “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas.” He specifically sought out Lee for his new song in 1958 and it's easy to see why: Who better to convey its innocence and spirit than a 13-year-old girl at the forefront of the Baby Boom? Rock ‘n’ roll was in its infancy then, too.

In the song, Lee sings about “mistletoe hung where you can see, every couple tries to stop.”

In real life, she hadn't experienced her first kiss. “Lord, no,” she said. “Not to say I didn't want to. I wasn't even allowed to date until I was 16.”

What is the ‘new old-fashioned way,’ anyway?

The song hits plenty of holiday reference points — pumpkin pie, caroling, boughs of holly. You can overlook the part of the chorus that doesn't make much sense: what is the “new old-fashioned way,” exactly?

Brenda Lee arrives at the 57th Annual CMA Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.

The simplicity of “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree” is a big part of its appeal, said Nathaniel Sloan, a musicologist at the University of Southern California and co-host of the “Switched on Pop” podcast. Like many successful holiday songs, it evokes nostalgia for a happier, more peaceful time — even if that's more imagination than reality, he said.

The style is more rockabilly than traditional rock or country, and Sloan believes that has much to do with why it continues to sound fresh.

“The thing that has always stunned me about the song is that you're listening to a 13-year-old's performance, and it doesn't sound that way to me,” he said. “There's a depth to the vocal, even a weathered quality, that I can't believe she was so young. It's pitch-perfect.”

For all of its success, the song was barely noticed upon its release in 1958. Not until two years later, when Lee's profile was higher through hits like “I'm Sorry,” did it make the music charts. Its biggest boost came 40 years after that, when “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree” was featured in the hit movie “Home Alone.” The movie itself has become a holiday staple, giving more exposure to the song each year.

Her record company continues to push the song, recording a video in 2023 that included guest appearances by Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood. This year it has released “Noche Buena Y Navidad,” a Spanish-language version using artificial intelligence to create a vocal derived from Lee's voice.

The record company is throwing Lee a birthday party

Universal Music held a party for her in Nashville to celebrate her 80th birthday earlier this month. “She's just a force and a character,” said Cindy Mabe, the company's chairwoman and CEO. “She's full of spunk in the same way that 13-year-old girl was.”

“Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree” made the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2019. It has been streamed more than 2.5 billion times globally and certified seven times Platinum, meaning at least seven million copies sold. Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Meghan Trainor, Kacey Musgraves and the duo of Darlene Love & Ronnie Spector are among the artists who've covered it.

Lee has sung it countless times over the years, most recently at a charity event last year. It made her concert setlist even in the heat of summer. How much money the song has earned is murky; the record company wouldn't talk about it. The bulk of its income would likely go to Marks' estate.

“It has never been a money thing for me,” Lee said. “It’s been a love thing. The money is great, yes, and I’m grateful. But I would be singing it on the corner for pennies because that’s what I love to do.”

Campaign Action

Читайте на 123ru.net


Новости 24/7 DirectAdvert - доход для вашего сайта



Частные объявления в Вашем городе, в Вашем регионе и в России



Smi24.net — ежеминутные новости с ежедневным архивом. Только у нас — все главные новости дня без политической цензуры. "123 Новости" — абсолютно все точки зрения, трезвая аналитика, цивилизованные споры и обсуждения без взаимных обвинений и оскорблений. Помните, что не у всех точка зрения совпадает с Вашей. Уважайте мнение других, даже если Вы отстаиваете свой взгляд и свою позицию. Smi24.net — облегчённая версия старейшего обозревателя новостей 123ru.net. Мы не навязываем Вам своё видение, мы даём Вам срез событий дня без цензуры и без купюр. Новости, какие они есть —онлайн с поминутным архивом по всем городам и регионам России, Украины, Белоруссии и Абхазии. Smi24.net — живые новости в живом эфире! Быстрый поиск от Smi24.net — это не только возможность первым узнать, но и преимущество сообщить срочные новости мгновенно на любом языке мира и быть услышанным тут же. В любую минуту Вы можете добавить свою новость - здесь.




Новости от наших партнёров в Вашем городе

Ria.city

Комедия, хоррор или мелодрама? Что ваш любимый жанр кино говорит о вас

Эксперты рассказали о предпочтениях в путешествии россиян в одиночку

Семейные новогодние традиции

Москва: штормовой ветер, гололед и мокрый снег уже сегодня - будьте готовы!

Музыкальные новости

Росгвардия приглашает на службу

Новогоднее обращение Путина продлилось 3 минуты 35 секунд

Более 350 детей работников Приморского филиала ФГУП "УВО Минтранса России" получили сладкие новогодние подарки

Росгвардия приглашает на службу

Новости России

Ученики профильных классов Росгвардии Запорожской области встретятся с руководством ведомства

Пользователи Telegram пожаловались на сбои в работе мессенджера

Комедия, хоррор или мелодрама? Что ваш любимый жанр кино говорит о вас

Магнитная буря 1 января 2025 года: метеопатов предупредили о резком ухудшении самочувствия

Экология в России и мире

Японский Новый год в «Тропикана Парк»

«Благодаря Вам об этой песне узнали все»: Филипп Киркоров поздравил KAYA в шоу «Звездные танцы»

Не допустите этого 1 января: токсиколог Кутушов предупредил о трех видах алкогольной беды

Как бороться с нематодой на клубнике: этот способ не позволит ей перекинуться на другие растения

Спорт в России и мире

«Очень нравится». Новак Джокович сделал признание о Елене Рыбакиной

Теннисистка Петрова объяснила неудачный сезон Медведева поражением от Синнера

Возрождение Овечкина, четыре титула в PFL, неудачи Большунова и Медведева: главные события 2024 года в российском спорте

Касаткина выходит в третий круг WTA-500 в Брисбене после трёхчасовой борьбы

Moscow.media

Из-за угрозы наводнения в Петербурге закрыли дамбу

Росгвардия приглашает на службу

Поезд Деда Мороза – встречаем в столицах! (видео)

Когда АвтоВАЗ повысит цены на автомобили? Объявлена точная дата











Топ новостей на этот час

Rss.plus






Захарова заявила, что россиянам больше не нужно ничего доказывать Западу

Конкурс с призом! — задачка про вентиляцию

Москва: штормовой ветер, гололед и мокрый снег уже сегодня - будьте готовы!

25 детей родились на Новый год в Подмосковье: первое появление в 00:10