Feliciano Navidad - Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano

In August of 1970, Jose Feliciano went to the studio to record “Feliz Navidad” which translates to Merry Christmas.

What’s It About?

Well, there isn’t much to the lyrics other than “Merry Christmas, prosperous new year and happiness” and “I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart.” Like that’s it. But that’s exactly why this makes it such a successful Christmas and pop song. The lyrics are simple and catchy. Catchy enough that even if you don’t know Spanish then

And that’s exactly what Jose wanted this song to be. In fact, he wrote this song in one single take.

“That's why it's the simplest song ever written. Nineteen words to it. I wanted a song that belonged to the masses.”

- Jose Feliciano in this article by The New Yorker

2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Feliz Navidad and there are so many celebrations happening to commemorate the song’s milestone such as a virtual concert, a children’s book, and a re-recording of the song with other artists like Lin Manuel Miranda and CNCO.

Last Note

The most iconic quote from The New Yorker article I linked above is this

“If you know where your song is going to go, you don’t have to fuck around with it too much”

Happy Holidays!