Years ago I was bewildered by the popularity of José Feliciano's Christmas tune "Feliz Navidad." It has a catchy tune and two lines that are repeated over and over and over.
A web site that gives us songs' lyrics gives us this:
"Repeats" is putting it mildly.
Feliz NavidadFeliz NavidadFeliz NavidadProspero Año y Felicidad.Feliz NavidadFeliz NavidadFeliz NavidadProspero Año y Felicidad.I wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasI wanna wish you a Merry ChristmasFrom the bottom of my heart.[Repeats]
The song got a lot of airplay when it was new. I didn't really like it then but the rest of the world seemed to love it. It came back year after year. I was hoping the interest in the song would wane and we could get back to more complex Christmas tunes.
I made a game of my bewilderment. I deemed a successful Christmas season as one when I didn't hear that tune played even once. It is difficult to avoid. Shopping malls play Christmas carols and you can't avoid shopping malls at Christmastime.
Its popularity spread...it's not just for shopping malls anymore. It has invaded classical radio. It can't be avoided. The Three Tenors™ sang a version of it. They livened it up a bit with some extra lines. Plácido gives us the line "I want to wish you a Merry Christmas with lots of presents to make you happy!" It doesn't help. It's a dull song even when given superstar treatment.
Christmas 2012 is not a success. I got to hear a very sappy rendition of it today in the bathroom of the restaurant we had lunch at today. Today is still September.
I don't think I have gone a year without hearing the song since I invented my game. Sigh.
6 comments:
And thanks for putting the song into my head. oh well, it's a small world after all.
There There :-(
Christmas Season used to start the day after Thanksgiving. Next year it will probably be July 5th.
Everybody probably has a most-hated Christmas song; mine is The Little Drummer Boy.
By the way, what happens if you don't hear it one year? Do you win a prize?
Ear worms! Ear worms! AUUUU-UUUGGGGH!
Come to think of it, I heard "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" in a Buddhist restaurant last week.
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