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.
Learning About Love
Brenda Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got the moon and the stars there to be my guide
Yes, if you just walk talk in a loving way, baby
Love until the break of day
I'm learning 'bout love, put hand in mine
We'll learn about love 'til the end of time
Love until the break of day
Lesson one, hold me tight
Lesson two, lips stay close to mine
Lesson three, study as you go
Lesson four, you'll be mine
I'm learning 'bout love, got the book by my side
I got the moon and the stars there to be my guide
Yes, if you just walk talk in a loving way, baby
Love until the break of day
Lesson one, hold me tight
Lesson two, lips stay close to mine
Lesson three, study as you go
Lesson four, you'll be mine
I'm learning 'bout love, got the book by my side
I got the moon and the stars there to be my guide
Yes, if you just walk talk in a loving way, baby
Love until the break of day
Oh, give me love, love, love
Yeah, love, love, love
I said, love, love, love
just give me , love, love, love
The lyrics to Brenda Lee's song "I'm Learnin' About Love" suggest a young person who is learning about love, using a "book" as a guide and the "moon and the stars" as personal symbols. The singer feels that love is learned by explicitly following several lessons, and these include holding someone tight, keeping lips close, and studying love. The final lesson, which is not explicitly stated, is that love will be reciprocated if these lessons are followed. The chorus suggests that if one speaks and acts in a loving way, love will continue until the break of day.
The lyrics suggest a young and naive understanding of love, and portray love as something to be learned through study and trial-and-error. Brenda Lee's lyrics can be interpreted as a commentary on the traditional gender roles and societal expectations of the era, which emphasized women as nurturers and caregivers. By learning about love, the singer is positioning herself to fulfill these expectations.
Overall, the song has a sweet, innocent, and optimistic tone in its portrayal of love as a simple and easy to understand concept. The lyrics convey a sense of joy and anticipation about love, and suggest that this love will continue to grow over time.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm learning 'bout love, got the book by my side
I am discovering the concept of love and have a guidebook by my side for reference.
I got the moon and the stars there to be my guide
The beauty of the natural world serves as a guide to me as I journey through the mysteries of love.
Yes, if you just walk talk in a loving way, baby
If you conduct yourself with love and show it through your actions and words, magical things can happen.
Love until the break of day
Love should be a constant force guiding us until the end of our time.
Put hand in mine
Take my hand as we explore the world of love together.
We'll learn about love 'til the end of time
We will continue exploring the concept of love until the end of our days.
Lesson one, hold me tight
The first lesson in love is to hold your partner close to you.
Lesson two, lips stay close to mine
Another lesson in love is to keep your lips close to your partner's as you explore the intimacy between you.
Lesson three, study as you go
One must continuously learn and adapt to the nuances of love as it evolves and changes over time.
Lesson four, you'll be mine
By following these lessons, you will become my partner in love.
Oh, give me love, love, love
Expressing a desire for love, a feeling that's strong and true.
Yeah, love, love, love
Continuing to express that desire with enthusiasm and passion.
I said, love, love, love
Repeating the same desire, hopeful that it will come to fruition.
just give me, love, love, love
Simply asking to be given the gift of love, pure and unadulterated.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GRADY MARTIN, LOUIS INNIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mostly Brenda
In this time period, Brenda was the rare artist who usually charted both sides of a 45 single. Emotions was #6 on the Hot 100, while "I'm Learning About Love" made it to #33 on the chart.
shyman99
@Mostly Brenda -Okay, so you have changed the goal post now from charted to top 40. The answer is still no different. If you were a popular artist during the late 50s or early 60s, you were more apt to chart both sides in the top 40. Ricky Nelson did it over 10 times. I believe Fats Domino was like 9 times. Beatles, Beach Boys, Sam Cooke, pretty much all popular artists did it multiple times. I love Brenda, but I don't like when fans make up things that aren't true. Brenda was one of the most popular artists during the time when A and B sides charted. It's not that she had a very rare knack of accomplishing something different from the other very popular artists at the time. That's why I think your original post is very deceptive. And I am not picking on you. I literally correct countless posts on YouTube on a daily basis since I have followed music and charts all of my life. I will say that Brenda had a remarkable string of hits in the early 60s and that is where she deserves all of the credit.
Mostly Brenda
@shyman99 Shockingly, the B-sides actually sold the exact same number of copies as the top 10 hit.😊 Charts used other less reliable data to assign a ranking to the B-side. Things like airplay, jukebox plays, sheet music sales, local surveys etc, The lesser side of a top ten hit usually charted somewhere in the lower reaches of the chart for a couple of weeks. This not what I am talking about. I am saying that having two top forty hits from the same 45 is rare. Brenda had 5 or 6 of them. Elvis, the Everlys and Connie also did it consistently. Bobby Vee? He didn't have any double sided top 40 hits. Rydell had 2. Chubby had, I think, three. Brenda Lee's streak of top tens and other hits remained unbroken until the 1980s. I should correct my original post to very rare.
Be Real & Supportive
@shyman99 Connie Francis is my favorite singer. I love almost every song from her. When the easy to use word that people throw around called "RARE" comes into play well I will say that it is Rare to have an artist who you don't need to skip songs for on all of their releases and that you love not just a handful of songs by. She recorded 2500 to 3000 songs! Will we ever get to hear them all? That's up to MGM/Universal to be peaceful and drop their feud with Connie. She had every right to be upset and forced to sue if they aren't professional with her music. 😌
Be Real & Supportive
Nice 👍
shyman99
The other thing I should correct about your posts is how common it was for B sides to chart in the early 60s of any popular artist. For example, I encountered a number of Bobby Vee 45s at a used record store and looked them up to see how well they did on the chart. All of them had both the A and B side charting. Connie Francis as well. Even less desirable acts like Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker charted A and B sides. It was just the way the music biz worked in the early 60s. Not unique or rare at all.
Ricky F
I always preferred the up-tempo sides of Brenda’s 45 RPM singles: That’s All You Gotta Do over I’m Sorry, and I’m Learning About Love over Emotions. What a great talent she is, still rockin’ in 2020.
shyman99
While I enjoy the spirit of your post, you picked a bad example because "I'm Sorry" is an iconic recording that is Music Hall Of Fame worthy. No B side can hold a candle to it. I'm sorry!
Tom Smith
I'm the opposite; I always preferred the ballads over the faster songs.
Cookie Cute as a puppy
I luv this 🥰🥰🥰... thanks for cracking this time capsule open.... I smiled through the whole video 🥰