Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

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"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
Single by Mel Smith and Kim Wilde
B-side	"Deck the Blooming Halls"
Released	1987
Format	7", 12"
Genre	Christmas music
Label	Ten
Writer(s)	Johnny Marks
Producer	Stuart Colman
Kim Wilde singles chronology
"Say You Really Want Me" (1987) "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (1987) "Hey Mister Heartache" (1988)

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958 on Decca 9-30776. Although Decca released it in both 1958 and again in 1959, it did not sell well until Lee became a popular star in 1960; that Christmas season, it hit #14 on the Billboard pop chart and turned into a perennial holiday favorite. It continued to sell well during the holiday season, hitting #5 on the Christmas chart as late as 1984. Brenda Lee's recording still receives a great deal of airplay. Despite the song's title, its instrumentation also fits the Country genre which Brenda Lee more fully embraced as her career evolved.

The recording featured Hank Garland's ringing guitar

An instrumental version of the song appears as background music in the 1964 television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which exclusively featured music written by Marks. It can be heard in the scene where Rudolph first arrives at the "Reindeer Games" and meets another reindeer named Fireball.

For decades, Brenda Lee's recording was the only notable version of the song. Radio stations ranging from Top 40 to Adult Contemporary to Country Music to Oldies to even Adult Standards played this version. The song has been covered by numerous artists, with one of the most successful versions being recorded by Amy Grant, Ronnie Spector with Darlene Love, The Forester Sisters, and a version by Kim Wilde and Mel Smith featuring Pete Thomas. It reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart during the 1987 Christmas season. Today there are dozens of different versions of this song with about half a dozen versions being heard on the radio but Brenda Lee's version remains by far the most widely played.

Other notable covers include:

• Alvin and the Chipmunks, Christmas with the Chipmunks (1963)
• Amy Grant, Home For Christmas (1992)
• Ronnie Spector and Darlene Love, A Very Special Christmas Volume 2 (1992)
• Dion^{[clarification needed]}, A Rock & Roll Christmas (1993)
• The Forester Sisters, A Christmas Card(1987)
• Rubber Band, XMAS! The Beatmas (1996)by a Beatles tribute band in the style of I Saw Her Standing There
• Hanson, Snowed In (1997)
• Jessica Simpson & Rosie O'Donnell, Another Rosie Christmas(2001)
• Vienna Boys' Choir The Christmas Album (2003)
• Arena Venus, Yuletide Swank (2004)
• Donna Fargo, Country Christmas (collection, 2004)
• LeAnn Rimes, What a Wonderful World (2004)
• Alabama, Christmas Collection (2005)
• Terry Buchwald, Home for Christmas (2005)
• Cyndi Lauper Merry Christmas...Have a Nice Life (1998)
• Mercy Me, The Christmas Sessions (2005)
• Daniel O'Donnell, The Christmas Album (UK, 2005)
• Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Cool Yule (2005)
• Aly & AJ, Acoustic Hearts of Winter (2006)
• Kayler, Kayler's Christmas (2006)
• Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana,Hannah Montana (Holiday Edition) (2006)
• Disney Channel Holiday (2007)
• The Swingle Singers, Unwrapped (2006)
• Arvingarna, Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (2007)
• Toby Keith, A Classic Christmas (2007)
• Keahiwai
• Superchick, Rockin Around The Christmas Tree Tour
• Ayla Brown, American Christmas (2007)
• Jillian Hall, A Jingle with Jillian (2007)
• Connie Talbot Connie Talbot's Christmas Album (2008) and Connie Talbot's Holiday Magic (2009)
• Ali Lohan, Lohan Holiday (2006)
• Helix, A Heavy Mental Christmas (2008)
• A 1988 cover version in Swedish by Lotta Engberg was called "Fånga en vind" ("Catch a wind").
• Green Day covered the song for their Christmas radio broadcasts from lead-singer Billie Joe Armstrong's California home
• A Swedish version, with lyrics by Keith Almgren, called "Julen är här i vårt hus" (eng. "Christmas is here in our house") has been recorded by Jenny Öhlund on the album "Mitt julkort" (eng. "My christmas card") 1991.