“Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano (1970)
In 1970, Jose Feliciano was in L.A. feeling homesick. He was missing his family in New York City and his extended family in Puerto Rico, and remembering all the Christmas Eves he’d spent with his brothers, eating traditional Puerto Rican foods, drinking rum, and singing Christmas Carols. In his words: “The whole Christmas scene.”
At that point …using only 19 bilingual words, he wrote “Feliz Navidad.” which, of course, is “Merry Christmas in Spanish.
He wrote it quickly…and recorded it even quicker–in just 10 minutes.
From that point forward, the song became a Christmas staple, charting numerous times over the years, and becoming .one of the most downloaded and aired Christmas songs in the United States and Canada.
It’s also recognized by The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers as one of the top 25 most played and recorded Christmas songs in the world!
19 words: One Great Christmas song:Â From 1970: “Feliz Navidad.”
== Mike Cook
