Lyrics below plus Fun Facts about Rockin'. This performance is from a 1984 special.

ＲＯＣＫＩＮ' ＡＲＯＵＮＤ ＴＨＥ ＣＨＲＩＳＴＭＡＳ ＴＲＥＥ

• ★Merry★* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★Christmas★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門｜ ˚And a Happy New Year !!
...♥*•♪♫•*¨* ℒℴvℯ ॐ Light *¨
*•♪ Joy to all! ♫•*¨
* Peace on Earth ♪♫•*¨*

Songwriter: Johnny Marks

Rocking around the Christmas Tree
at the Christmas party hop
Mistletoe hung where you can see
every couple tries to stop

Rocking around the Christmas tree,
let the Christmas spirit ring
Later we'll have some pumpkin pie
and we'll do some caroling

You will get a sentimental feeling
when you hear
Voices singing let's be jolly,
deck the halls with boughs of holly

Rocking around the Christmas tree,
have a happy holiday
Everyone dancing merrily
in the new old-fashioned way

Repeat last two stanzas & end with

Everyone dancing merrily
in the new , old, fa shioned waa-ay


Fun Facts 'bout Rockin'

1) The song was written by Johnny Marks while on summer vacation at a Vermont lake.

2) Marks decided to write a rocking Christmas song when the quiet lake was disturbed by teenagers dancing to a blaring radio.

3) Marks sent the demo specifically to Brenda Lee in Nashville. "Whenever I write a song, I always have a specific singer in mind who I feel can perform it best. This is because the success of the song often depends on who records it first. If the artist and the song don't mesh, the chances for success are slim. the problem then is to convince a top star to do my song." Marks also employed a demo singer that he thought could sing in the style of the artist who he wanted to record his song. The demo singer for "Rockin'" was Bernard Knee who released records as "Bernie Nee". - from a 1964 interview with Johnny Marks.

3a) When Marks approached Decca in NYC and told them he had a song for Brenda Lee, the A&R man looked at him and said "You? A rock & roll song?". However, after listening to the demo, he forwarded the song to Owen Bradley at Decca Nashville.

4) Brenda had only two minor hits at the time and was not a "top star". It is odd that Marks would select her out of all the singers available. Brenda later met Johnny Marks and he told her he heard her early records and just thought her voice was ideal for the song.

5) In 1958, the record failed miserably. Only about 5,000 copies were sold. Decca released the single "Papa Noel" & "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" on 24 November 1958. They did not pick an "A" side, but promoted both sides to radio DJs and in magazines such as Billboard.

6) In 1959, the record failed again. Brenda's "Sweet Nothin's" was climbing the charts in late 1959 and Decca hoped to capitalize by releasing Rockin/Papa for the second time. The single did better than in 1958, but still did not chart. At this point, "Rockin" seemed destined for the archives, perhaps to be dredged up and put on some future "Rarities" collection.

7) In 1960, Brenda Lee became a surprise superstar. She sold millions of records that year. Decca decided to give "Rockin" one more chance. The third time was a charm. The single climbed to #14 on the Hot 100.

8) In 1990, the unexpected happened again. The recording was used in the blockbuster film "Home Alone". The popularity of the movie exposed the song to younger generations and lifted "Rockin" to still another level. The song had become a perennial favorite, but was only one of a several dozen songs that received seasonal airplay. Since the movie, however, "Rockin" is always near the top of the Christmas charts.

9) Johnny Marks (1909 - 1985) also wrote "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Holly Jolly Christmas". Despite writing some of the biggest selling Christmas songs of all time, Marks never celebrated a religious Christmas in his life. Mr. Marks, you see, was of the Jewish faith.

10) Brenda Lee was 13 yrs old at the time of the recording. Most people listening to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" judge the singer to be much older. Next time you hear the original recording or watch "Home Alone", imagine a tiny 13 yr old girl at the Bradley Film & Recording Studio on October 19, 1958. She is surrounded by Boots Randolph honking the saxophone and the great Hank Garland filling the spaces with some famous guitar licks. They produced a record that has entertained us for over 50 years now.

My Plot Proposal for a Film
A Christmas song written by a Jewish guy in Vermont is recorded by 4 ft nothin' 13 yr old girl in Nashville. It becomes a worldwide hit and remains popular fifty years later. Never mind, nobody would believe such an outlandish story.

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