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.
Heart In Hand
Brenda Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking like a fool
Left behind by you
There was I so starry eyed
I couldn't see that you didn't
You didn't love me
I was the very last one to know
I was believin', you were deceivin'
And now as my tears flow
Here I stand heart in hand
Looking like a fool
Left behind by you
Here I stand
I've got my heart in my hand
Looking like a fool
Left behind by you
The song "Heart in Hand" by Brenda Lee is a classic country ballad that speaks to the pain and heartbreak that comes with unrequited love. The lyrics describe a woman who is left feeling foolish and heartbroken after discovering that the man she loves doesn't feel the same way. She admits that she was too blinded by her own feelings to realize that he wasn't in love with her, but was instead leading her on. The lines "I was believin', you were deceivin'" perfectly capture the hurt and betrayal she feels.
The chorus, "Here I stand heart in hand, looking like a fool, left behind by you" is both powerful and poignant. The image of the singer holding her heart in her hand conveys a sense of vulnerability and raw emotion. She knows that she has been left behind and left alone, and she's struggling to come to terms with that reality. Despite her pain, she's facing her sorrow head-on, refusing to hide her emotions or run away from her feelings.
Overall, "Heart in Hand" is a deeply personal and heartfelt song that speaks to the universal experience of love and loss. Through her powerful lyrics and emotive voice, Brenda Lee has given voice to the many women who have felt the sting of unrequited love, and her song remains a classic of the country music genre to this day.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I stand heart in hand
I am standing here with my heart in my hand, feeling exposed and vulnerable.
Looking like a fool
I appear foolish for having trusted you and invested my heart in this situation.
Left behind by you
You have abandoned me, leaving me alone to deal with the heartache.
There was I so starry eyed
I was blinded by my infatuation with you, unable to see that you did not feel the same way.
I couldn't see that you didn't
I was unable to perceive that you did not love me.
You didn't love me
Your feelings for me were not genuine or sincere.
Yes, I was the last one
I was the last to know the truth about your feelings for me.
I was the very last one to know
Everyone else knew the truth before I did, and I was the last to find out.
I was believin', you were deceivin'
I had faith in our relationship, while you were being deceitful and dishonest.
And now as my tears flow
I am crying, overwhelmed by the emotions of betrayal and heartbreak.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JACKIE DE SHANNON, SHARI K SHEELEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danielburns987
this song went to #15 on the pop charts in 1962!!!
@jimhilliker2450
Interesting two ladies collaborated to write this wonderful song. Same women who wrote The Great Imposter. And we know Sharon Sheeley wrote Poor Little Fool for Rick Nelson.
@reneleclerc6119
This song sounds nothing like Brenda Lee's better known recordings. But the B-side - "It Started All Over Again" - certainly did, and cracked the Top 30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp6p6-w-wgs