Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad ("Merry Christmas") is a modern Spanish Christmas carol with a Latin rhythm that was written in 1970 by the Puerto Rican singer and guitarist José Feliciano . According to Feliciano, he composed the song in five minutes. Because of its simple structure (four chords, 21 times Feliz Navidad and 16 times I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas ) and a mixture of simple Spanish and English verses, it has become a popular Christmas carol in many countries. There are numerous arrangements and recordings of the song.
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad means "Merry Christmas, a successful year and happiness", I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas, from the bottom of my heart "I wish you a Merry Christmas, with all my heart" (or " ... from the bottom of my heart ”).
According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers , Feliz Navidad ranks 15th on the list of the 25 most popular Christmas carols in the United States.
Despite its popularity, the song as a single was denied commercial success for a long time. It was not until 2007, when downloads were included in the sales charts, and reinforced by streaming since 2014, that the song regularly made it into the charts at Christmas. In Germany it has reached 15th place as the highest position.
Chart positions since 2007
| year | Chart placements | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DE
|
 AT
|
 CH
|
 UK
|
 US
|
|
| 2007/08 | 42 (3 weeks) |
- | 89 (2 weeks) |
- | - |
| 2008/09 | 54 (4 weeks) |
- | 51 (1 week) |
- | - |
| 2009/10 | 42 (4 weeks) |
37 (4 weeks) |
56 (1 week) |
- | - |
| 2010/11 | 48 (5 weeks) |
56 (3 weeks) |
62 (1 week) |
- | - |
| 2011/12 | 57 (5 weeks) |
47 (4 weeks) |
61 (1 week) |
- | - |
| 2012/13 | 56 (3 weeks) |
45 (3 weeks) |
68 (2 weeks) |
- | - |
| 2013/14 | 49 (3 weeks) |
57 (3 weeks) |
64 (1 week) |
- | - |
| 2014/15 | 45 (3 weeks) |
51 (3 weeks) |
52 (2 weeks) |
- | - |
| 2015/16 | 48 (1 week) |
59 (3 weeks) |
60 (1 week) |
- | - |
| 2016/17 | 37 (2 weeks) |
31 (4 weeks) |
21 (2 weeks) |
78 (1 week) |
44 (1 week) |
| 2017/18 | 24 (4 weeks) |
27 (3 weeks) |
23 (3 weeks) |
86 (1 week) |
49 (1 week) |
| 2018/19 | 19 (4 weeks) |
17 (3 weeks) |
10 (4 weeks) |
77 (1 week) |
29 (3 weeks) |
| 2019/20 | 15 (4 weeks) |
11 (3 weeks) |
4 (4 weeks) |
54 (2 weeks) |
12 (4 weeks) |
| All in all | 15 (44 weeks) |
11 (36 weeks) |
4 (25 weeks) |
54 (5 weeks) |
12 (9 weeks) |
Web links
- Lenika Cruz: 'Feliz Navidad': How Jose Feliciano Won America's Heart , in: The Atlantic (online edition), December 16, 2015.
- Video: audio sample ( José Feliciano )
- Video: Jazz piano (krissalad)