The Story Behind “Feliz Navidad” Is One Of Comeback, Missing Family, and Simplicity
“Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano is more than a song, it is a part of musical history. The simplistic melody and lyrics capture the joy of Christmas in the biggest bilingual holiday song ever. The festive musical intro triggers the deep recesses of holiday joy that we always have locked away. It is the ushering in of a time with friends and family as you enjoy the company of those you love. Something that Feliciano was missing terribly the night we wrote the song.
“Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano is arguably the biggest bilingual Christmas song
The popular bilingual Christmas song is more than a song, it is a Christmas anthem for Latinos everywhere. The unmistakable guitar sound triggers childhood nostalgia that transports you right to those memories of Christmas past.
You can smell abuela cooking the food in the kitchen. The sound of conversations and laughing from family members fills your ears. There’s a general feeling of joy and comfort pouring out of the speakers when you listen to the song.
For Feliciano, the song was written at a time when that was all he wanted.
In 1970, Feliciano was in Los Angeles at RCA Records when he wrote the song. He told NPR that he was stuck in LA working on a Christmas album that he originally didn’t want to do. He missed his family in Puerto Rico and the Christmas traditions from his childhood. All while he was working on a Christmas album that he wanted to be different from any of the bilingual ones before it.
“There had been other Christmas songs that were bilingual,” Feliciano told NPR. “For example, there was a song by Hugo Ríos, ‘Mamacita, Donde Esta Santa Claus?’ But ‘Feliz Navidad’ was an entity unto itself. It was expressing the joy that I felt on Christmas, and the fact that I felt very lonely. I missed my family, I missed Christmas carols with them. I missed the whole Christmas scene.”
The song came together very fast and proved to be a hit
The simplicity of the song is the point. Feliciano wasn’t trying to be a braggadocious artist. He wanted the song to be accessible to people regardless of age or language. So, he put together a simple song that expressed exactly the emotion. He took four phrases in two languages and created a repeating song that continues to be part of Christmas celebrations.
“Feliz Navidad / Feliz Navidad / Feliz Navidad / Próspero año y felicidad”
“I wanna wish you a merry Christmas / I wanna wish you a merry Christmas / I wanna wish you a merry Christmas / From the bottom of my heart”
That’s all it took. Those phrases repeated for three minutes turned into a Christmas classic. According to Feliciano, it only took 10 minutes to write the song and he recorded it in one take.
The song saved Feliciano’s career
“Feliz Navidad” was a comeback for Feliciano. In 1968, the singer performed the US national anthem at the World Series. The rendition was not well received by the masses, and the backlash nearly ended his musical career. The Christmas song did more than bring joy and cheer to the masses; it gave Feliciano his career back.
All these years later, the song continues to break into the charts during the holiday season. Regardless of the language you speak, “Feliz Navidad” is a special song that transcends language. It’s simplicity lets listeners know the lyrics and sing along without missing a beat. The bilingual lyrics open the song to being part of family traditions around the world.
As far as Christmas songs go, “Feliz Navidad” stands as a testament to the power of simplicity and repetition. It will forever be part of holiday tradition for decades to come.
