Feliz Navidad (song)

For other uses, see Feliz Navidad (disambiguation).
"Feliz Navidad"
Single by José Feliciano
from the album Feliz Navidad
Released 1970
Recorded 1970
Genre
Label RCA
Writer(s) José Feliciano
Music sample
"Feliz Navidad"

"Feliz Navidad" (Spanish: [feˈlið naβiˈðað] or [feˈliz naβiˈðað])[lower-alpha 1] is a macaronic Christmas song written in 1970 by the Puerto Rican singer and songwriter José Feliciano.[1] With its simple Spanish chorus (the traditional Christmas/New Year greeting, "Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad" meaning "Merry Christmas, a prosperous year and happiness") and equally simple English verse "I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart", it has become a classic Christmas pop song in the United States, throughout the Spanish-speaking world and internationally.

Feliciano's 1970 recording of "Feliz Navidad" (in which he plays both an acoustic guitar and a Puerto Rican cuatro) is one of the most downloaded and aired Christmas songs in the United States and Canada. As of November 25, 2016, total sales of the digital track stand at 808,000 downloads according to Nielsen SoundScan, placing it eighth on the list of all-time best-selling Christmas/holiday digital singles in SoundScan history.[2] It was also recognized by ASCAP as one of the top 25 most played and recorded Christmas songs around the world.[3]

On the popular 1970 recording by Feliciano, the drummer is Paulinho Magalhaes. The addition of the horns as a final touch was the idea of record producer Rick Jarrard.

Re-recordings

The song has been recorded numerous times and adapted to various languages and also released as remixes. Well-known versions include those by Boney M, Michael Bublé featuring Thalía, Glee Cast, Il Volo featuring Belinda, Celine Dion, Clay Walker, David Hasselhoff, The Cheetah Girls, Billy T. James, Luciano Pavarotti, El Vez, Walk off the Earth and Indonesian female group 7icons. The song was also performed by Charo on Pee-wee's Christmas Special.

In 1997 DJ Bob Rivers released the CD More Twisted Christmas, which included a drunk-driving spoof of "Feliz Navidad" called "Police Stop My Car." There is also a Dutch version about a stolen bicycle [4]

Since the 1980s New York downtown legends Las Puertas (Howie Solo and Otis Jah Baker) have performed the song alternately as "Don't Drink and Drive" and "Police Rule My World".

References

  1. ↑ Jose Feliciano, "Feliz Navidad" Retrieved October 14, 2011
  2. ↑ Staff, Billboard (November 25, 2016). "What Are the Top-Selling Holiday Songs?". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  3. ↑ "ASCAP Tallies THE Top 25 Christmas Songs". Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  4. ↑ De Sjonnies - M'n fiets is gejat!

Notes

  1. ↑ Feliz by itself is pronounced [feˈliθ] or [feˈlis]; final d in Navidad is usually dropped: [naβiˈða].
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