Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda… Read Full Bio ↴Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee is an American country-pop singer who was popular during the 1950s and 1960s. She was given the nickname Little Miss Dynamite after recording Dynamite in 1957, and in the 1960s she had more charted hits than any other woman. Her father was an excellent left-handed pitcher in the Army, and her mother had a Cherokee great-grandparent. She first attracted attention performing in country music venues and her first single, 1957’s “One Step at a Time,” was a country hit.

Lee was a musical prodigy and by the time she was two she would hear songs on the radio once and be able to whistle the complete tune. She was five years old when she started to gain wider attention when she won a local singing contest sponsored by the elementary schools. At age 11, she was offered a recording contract with Decca Records and released the song “Dynamite,” leading to her lifelong nickname, “Little Miss Dynamite.”

Lee was popular in the UK very early in her career, and her 1961 rockabilly release “Let’s Jump the Broomstick” did not chart in the US, but went to #12 in the UK. Her biggest hits during this time include a rockabilly version of the country classic “Jambalaya (On the Bayou),” “Sweet Nothin’s,” “I Want to Be Wanted,” “All Alone Am I,” and “Fool #1.”

In 1960, she recorded her signature song, “I’m Sorry,” which hit number one on the Billboard pop chart and was her first gold single. Her last top-10 single on the pop charts was 1963’s “Losing You,” while she continued to have other chart songs such as her 1966 song “Coming On Strong” and “Is It True?” in 1964.

During the early 1970s, Lee re-established herself as a country music artist, and earned a string of Top 10 hits on the country charts. Her biggest selling track of her career is, oddly enough, a Christmas song: “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” It was released in 1958, but it sold only 5,000 copies. However, it eventually sold over five million copies and remains a perennial radio favorite each December. In December 2023, Lee became the oldest artist to ever top the Hot 100, when "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" topped the chart 65 years after its release.

Over the ensuing years, Lee has continued to record and perform all around the world, previously cutting records in four different languages. She is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. In 1992, she recorded a duet with Willy DeVille; Chuck Berry also wrote a song about her. Lee has been married to Ronnie Shacklett since 1963, and they have two daughters and three grandchildren. She is the second recipient of the Jo Meador-Walker Lifetime Achievement award.

Throughout her career, Brenda Lee has released 41 studio albums, 12 compilation albums, and over 100 singles. She has had numerous top twenty hits on the Billboard Hot 100, Country, and AC charts in the US, UK, and Canada.

As Usual
Brenda Lee Lyrics

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The Sun comes up and brings the dawn
As usual
When I awake I'll find you gone
As usual

But I can't find a way to let
This crazy heart of mine forget
I pretend you're still beside me

As usual

Each evening I take a walk
As usual
I make believe that we still talk
As usual

People always stop and stare
I guess they just don't see you there
Don't they know you'll always be right here
As usual

Today I looked into my mirror
As usual
I told myself that you're still here
As usual

And as I stood there telling lies
The tears began to fill my eyes

'Cause I know I'm only fooling myself
As usual

Overall Meaning

Brenda Lee's song As Usual is a melancholic ballad that speaks of a love that has ended but still lingers on. The lyrics tell the story of the singer waking up alone, going through her day, and pretending that her lover is still with her. She takes walks each evening, imagining that they are still talking, and even when she looks into the mirror, she tells herself her lover is still there. However, the truth is that she is only fooling herself, and the tears she sheds are proof of that.

The opening lines of the song present a sense of inevitability about the lover's absence. The sun comes up, bringing the dawn - this is what always happens, as usual. The next line shows that the singer has gotten used to her lover's absence in the morning, and she expects to find him gone from her side when she wakes up. The second verse is similar to the first; the singer takes an evening walk, as she usually does, but she imagines that her lover is still with her, talking to her. People who see her talking to herself do not understand that she is only talking to her imagination. The third verse is a reflection of the singer's innermost thoughts - she looks at herself in the mirror and starts telling herself the same lie again.

In conclusion, As Usual is a powerful song that speaks of the difficulty of letting go of a love that has ended. The singer's desperate attempts to hold on to her lover is a universal experience, and the song speaks to many who have gone through similar experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

The Sun comes up and brings the dawn
The day begins as it always does

When I awake I'll find you gone
I wake up every morning to find you're not there

But I can't find a way to let This crazy heart of mine forget
Despite my efforts, I can't forget about you

I pretend you're still beside me As usual
I pretend that you're still with me, even though you're not

Each evening I take a walk As usual
I take a walk every evening, like I always do

I make believe that we still talk As usual
I imagine that we're still talking, even though we're not

People always stop and stare I guess they just don't see you there Don't they know you'll always be right here As usual
People look at me strangely because they don't see you, but I know you'll always be with me

Today I looked into my mirror As usual
I looked in the mirror today, like I always do

I told myself that you're still here As usual
I tell myself that you're still here with me, even though you're not

And as I stood there telling lies The tears began to fill my eyes 'Cause I know I'm only fooling myself As usual
As I lied to myself, I started to cry because I knew the truth – I'm just fooling myself like I always do

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BILL DEMAIN, LARRY GOLDINGS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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