Feliciano's 'Navidad' began as joke

SAN ANTONIO — It's the catchy tune that has even non-Spanish speakers spreading holiday greetings to all who will listen.

"Feliz Navidad," the holiday song Puerto Rican singer Jose Feliciano penned in 1970 as a last-minute addition to his Christmas album of the same name, has continued to get extensive airplay during the holidays.

"I never imagined it would be as popular as it has been. I never imagined 'Feliz Navidad' would be in schoolbooks and children would be singing it in school," the 62-year-old Feliciano told Conexion in a phone interview while on tour in support of his latest album, "Soundtrax of My Life."

The Grammy-winning performer known for his 1969 cover of The Doors' hit "Light My Fire" and for singing the theme song of the Freddie Prinze comedy "Chico and the Man" said he wrote "Feliz Navidad" after his record producer suggested he write an original song for his Christmas album.

"I started joking around one day singing 'Feliz Navidad' and 'Merry Christmas' and the song just came to fruition in Spanish," Feliciano said, adding the English lyric was included so that mainstream radio stations would play the tune and not see it as a Spanish song.

"I wanted to put it in everybody's face," said Feliciano, who is surprised by the ongoing popularity of "Feliz Navidad" because the song wasn't a big hit when it was released in 1970.

"When it first came out, it did OK. It's more popular now than it ever was," he said. "I think it's a little oasis that brings two cultures together."

One sign of the ongoing popularity of "Feliz Navidad," which is included in countless karaoke books and featured in musical greeting cards distributed by mainstream companies, is its recent ranking as a holiday favorite.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers last month ranked "Feliz Navidad" number 15 on its Top 25 list of most performed holiday songs in the past five years. "Feliz Navidad" beat out Burl Ives' version of "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas" on the list.

Feliciano said he hasn't tired of performing the song that he wrote in 10 minutes and will often play it in concert when it's not the holidays.

"Except for the summer, I won't do it then," he said.

Even the man who wrote "Feliz Navidad" and who said he is most proud when children of different races and cultures sing it together, has to change the radio station at Christmastime to avoid the repetitive tune.

"Oh, I get tired of hearing it, too," Feliciano said with a laugh.

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Conexion is a publication of the San Antonio Express-News. E-mail: mrenteria@conexionsa.com

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