José Feliciano's 'Feliz Navidad' | A Song Born From Two Languages, One Heartbreak скачать в хорошем качестве

José Feliciano's 'Feliz Navidad' | A Song Born From Two Languages, One Heartbreak

Get into the holiday spirit with this festive arrangement of "Feliz Navidad"! Enjoy playing along with the complete *sheet music* provided, perfect for *piano* players of all levels. It's a great way to celebrate *christmas* with some classic *christmas songs* and *merry christmas* cheer, thanks to **jose feliciano**! What if I told you the world's happiest Christmas song was born from a moment of pure sadness? It’s the story of how one of the most joyful holiday anthems came from a place of deep loneliness. The year was 1970, and Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano was in a Los Angeles studio, thousands of miles from his family in New York and Puerto Rico. The song he created in that moment of intense homesickness would become an unexpected gift to the world: "Feliz Navidad." 00:00 - 00:09 Christmas Intro 00:10 - 00:24 Intro 00:25 - 00:55 Refrain Feliz Navidad 00:56 - 01:29 Couplet I want to wish you a Merry Christmas 01:30 - 01:58 Refrain Feliz Navidad 01:59 - 02:01 Ending 02:02 - 02:08 Music and 360 Video The Problem It’s 1970, and José Feliciano is cutting a Christmas album. His producer, Rick Jarrard, suggests he write an original song for the record. At first, Feliciano wasn't sold on the idea—I mean, how do you even try to compete with the classics? But, he took on the challenge. As he sat in the studio, his mind wasn't in L.A. He was thinking of his huge family, with eleven brothers, and the incredible Christmas traditions he grew up with. He could practically taste the traditional food and hear the *parrandas*—the Puerto Rican version of Christmas caroling that fills the streets with music. He was hit with a wave of joy from those memories, but also a profound loneliness from being so far away. He later said, "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 Turning Point So, he channeled all of that emotion right into his guitar. The melody came to him almost instantly, and then the simple, heartfelt Spanish lyrics: "Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad." It means, "Merry Christmas, a prosperous year and happiness." These were the words he grew up with, a direct line back to the family he missed so much. The heart of the song came together in about ten minutes, a pure expression of his desire to connect with his roots. But then, he paused. He knew a song entirely in Spanish would have a tough time getting played on English-language radio. He needed to build a bridge. This wasn't just a commercial decision; it was personal, and it was shaped by something painful that had happened just two years before. The Bridge Back in 1968, a 23-year-old José Feliciano was invited to sing the American national anthem at Game 5 of the World Series. Instead of the traditional version, he performed a slow, soulful, Latin jazz rendition. For him, it was a patriotic act of gratitude. He wanted to show that in America, a "poor blind kid from Puerto Rico" could make his dreams come true. But the public reaction was immediate and brutal. Many called it disrespectful, and TV station switchboards lit up with angry complaints. In the aftermath, radio stations stopped playing his music, and his career in the U.S. took a major hit. Feliciano was stunned by the backlash, but it taught him a painful lesson about cultural divides in America. Remembering that fallout, he knew his Christmas song had to be intentionally inclusive. To make sure it would be embraced by everyone, he added an equally simple English phrase: "I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart." With just 19 words spread across two languages, the song was built to unite, not divide. The Climax "Feliz Navidad" was released in November 1970, but it wasn't an instant smash hit. Instead, it was a slow burn. Its simple charm and bilingual message gave it a timeless appeal that, year after year, found its way into more homes and onto more radio stations. The song’s genius is its simplicity—it’s a Christmas classic anyone can sing. Decades later, its popularity is stronger than ever. The song born from loneliness has become one of the most played and downloaded Christmas songs across the globe. In a testament to its enduring power, it finally broke into the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 fifty years after it was first recorded. It became more than just a hit; it was one of the first truly global Latin crossover songs, a cultural staple for Spanish-speaking communities and beyond.    • Kerstmis - Kerstfeest - Christmas   #feliznavidad #piano #christmas