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Feelings (song)
Encyclopedia
"Feelings" is a song based on a melody composed by Loulou Gasté
and made famous by Morris Albert
, who recorded it as a single released in 1974 that later appeared as the title track of his 1975 debut album. The song's lyrics
, recognizable by their "whoa whoa whoa" chorus, concern the singer's inability to "forget my feelings of love". Albert's original recording of the song was very successful, performing well internationally. "Feelings" peaked at #6 on the pop
and #2 on the Adult Contemporary charts
in America
. Over the next few years "Feelings" was performed by many other vocalists including Ella Fitzgerald
, Nina Simone
, José José
, Caetano Veloso
, Frank Sinatra
, Engelbert Humperdinck
, Shirley Bassey
, Glen Campbell
, The O'Jays
, Sarah Vaughan
, Walter Jackson
, Sergey Penkin, Dobie Gray
and Johnny Mathis
. It was also recorded by numerous easy listening
bandleaders and ensembles such as Percy Faith
, Ferrante & Teicher
, 101 Strings
and Herb Ohta
whose ukelele rendition was recorded with Andre Popp
's orchestra for A&M Records
.
In more recent years "Feelings" has been best known as a target of parody
and ridicule for embodying what are perceived by many as the most insipid lyrical and musical qualities of 1970s "soft rock
" music. It appears frequently on lists of "the worst songs ever" and was included on the 1998 Rhino Records compilation album
70s Party Killers.
Because of stylistic similarities "Feelings" is sometimes mistakenly associated with Barry Manilow
, though Manilow has never recorded the song.
sued Morris Albert for copyright infringement
, claiming that "Feelings" plagiarized
the melody of his 1957 song "Pour Toi". In 1988 Gasté won the lawsuit
and was awarded 88% of the royalties
generated by the song.
Recordings of the song have credited authorship variously to Albert alone, to Albert and Gasté, to Albert and Michel Jourdan, and to Albert and "Kaisermann". The last of these attributions is redundant, since the singer's real name is Mauricio Alberto Kaisermann.
recorded the song in Spanish entitled "Sentimientos", it was included in his album Tan Cerca...Tan Lejos
of 1975.
Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez also recorded the song when she was a young girl. The song was only released in 1997 and included in her album Through The Years/A Traves de los Años
. The released version is a remixed version of the original that was recorded in the 1970s.
Israeli born French pop star Mike Brant
recorded a French language version of the song entitled "Dis Lui" in 1975.
In 1976, Dutch comedian Andre van Duin
recorded the song in his own language as the roadblock-themed "File". Although its parent album "And're Andre" was meant to include serious songs only, "File" can be considered a compromise.
Japanese vocal group Hi-Fi Set released a Japanese language version of the same title in late 1976 and it became their breakthrough hit the next year.
The American punk rock
band The Offspring
recorded a version of "Feelings" for their 1998 album Americana, substituting the original lyrics about love for ones about hate.
Greek singer Sakis Rouvas
released a Greek language version entitled "Pes Tis" in 2003, while also covering "Feelings" and Brant's "Dis Lui" French version. The Greek version of the song won two MAD Video Music Awards for "Sexiest Appearance in a Video" awarded to Sakis Rouvas, and one awarded to Gens for "Best Direction".
The O'Jays released a version on their 1977 Travelin' At The Speed Of Thought album.
Perry Como
included the song in his 1978 album, Where You're Concerned
.
Enzo Stuarti
released a version partly in English, mostly in Italian.
In 2011, the song was parodied by The Fringemunks
to recap Fringe
episode 3.14, "6B."
A cover of the song appears on the Sesame Street
album, Let Your Feelings Show, sung by "Marry Banilow and the Muppettones". The song is first sung as normal (substituting 'girl' with 'boy' as it's sung by a girl), then is redone faster with a bunch of sound effects and soundbytes in the background.
Loulou Gasté
Louis "Loulou" Gasté was a French composer of several successful mélodies.Louis Gasté was born in Paris in 1908. In his fifty year career, he composed approximately 1,200 songs, ten of which have received international success. In 1929, he played in Ray Ventura's orchestra, and composed several...
and made famous by Morris Albert
Morris Albert
Morris Albert is a Brazilian singer and songwriter, famous for his 1975 hit single "Feelings"....
, who recorded it as a single released in 1974 that later appeared as the title track of his 1975 debut album. The song's lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, recognizable by their "whoa whoa whoa" chorus, concern the singer's inability to "forget my feelings of love". Albert's original recording of the song was very successful, performing well internationally. "Feelings" peaked at #6 on the pop
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and #2 on the Adult Contemporary charts
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Over the next few years "Feelings" was performed by many other vocalists including Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
, José José
José José
José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz , known by his artistic name José José, is a Mexican singer.Referred in the entertainment world as "El Príncipe de la Canción" , José José is best known for his romantic ballads and renowned for his vocals...
, Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)
Engelbert Humperdinck is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me " and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" .-Early life:...
, Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
, Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
, The O'Jays
The O'Jays
The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1963 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert , Walter Williams , William Powell , Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005...
, Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
, Walter Jackson
Walter Jackson
Walter "Red" Jackson was a professional ice hockey player who played 84 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Boston Bruins and New York Americans. He was born in Instock, England, but moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba as a boy.- References :...
, Sergey Penkin, Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray is an African American singer and songwriter, whose musical career has spanned soul, country, pop and musical theater...
and Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
. It was also recorded by numerous easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
bandleaders and ensembles such as Percy Faith
Percy Faith
Percy Faith was a Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and...
, Ferrante & Teicher
Ferrante & Teicher
Ferrante & Teicher were a duo of American piano players, known for their light arrangements of familiar classical pieces, movie soundtracks, and show tunes.-Career:...
, 101 Strings
101 Strings
101 Strings Orchestra was a brand for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding a hundred albums and a creative lifetime of roughly thirty years. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence", a puffy cloud logo and...
and Herb Ohta
Herb Ohta
Herb Ohta Sr. is an American Ukulele player born in 1934 in Hawaii who has recorded solo, as a group and with Andre Popp on the A&M Records label, which was co-owned by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. He is also known as "Ohta-San" in Japan and other Asian Countries, which is a title of respect for the...
whose ukelele rendition was recorded with Andre Popp
André Popp
André Charles Jean Popp is a French composer, arranger and screenwriter.Born in Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée, he started his career as a church organist, filling the place of his father who had been called up to serve in World War II in 1939. Popp studied music at the Saint Joseph Institute...
's orchestra for A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
.
In more recent years "Feelings" has been best known as a target of parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
and ridicule for embodying what are perceived by many as the most insipid lyrical and musical qualities of 1970s "soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
" music. It appears frequently on lists of "the worst songs ever" and was included on the 1998 Rhino Records compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
70s Party Killers.
Because of stylistic similarities "Feelings" is sometimes mistakenly associated with Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
, though Manilow has never recorded the song.
Dispute over authorship
In 1981 the French songwriter Loulou GastéLoulou Gasté
Louis "Loulou" Gasté was a French composer of several successful mélodies.Louis Gasté was born in Paris in 1908. In his fifty year career, he composed approximately 1,200 songs, ten of which have received international success. In 1929, he played in Ray Ventura's orchestra, and composed several...
sued Morris Albert for copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
, claiming that "Feelings" plagiarized
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
the melody of his 1957 song "Pour Toi". In 1988 Gasté won the lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
and was awarded 88% of the royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
generated by the song.
Recordings of the song have credited authorship variously to Albert alone, to Albert and Gasté, to Albert and Michel Jourdan, and to Albert and "Kaisermann". The last of these attributions is redundant, since the singer's real name is Mauricio Alberto Kaisermann.
Other versions
Mexican singer José JoséJosé José
José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz , known by his artistic name José José, is a Mexican singer.Referred in the entertainment world as "El Príncipe de la Canción" , José José is best known for his romantic ballads and renowned for his vocals...
recorded the song in Spanish entitled "Sentimientos", it was included in his album Tan Cerca...Tan Lejos
Tan Cerca...Tan Lejos
Tan Cerca...Tan Lejos is the title of the studio album released by Mexican singer José José in 1975. The main hits of the album were: Candilejas , Sentimientos , Nuestros Recuerdos , Paloma 'Cada Mañana Que Te Vas and Divina...
of 1975.
Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez also recorded the song when she was a young girl. The song was only released in 1997 and included in her album Through The Years/A Traves de los Años
Through The Years/A Traves de los Anos
Through the Years/A Traves de los Años is a collection of Selena's greatest hits. It was released on April 3, 2007. It comes as a CD/DVD set that includes Selena's songs,unreleased performances, and also an unreleased track titled "Feelings" recorded when she was 7 years old...
. The released version is a remixed version of the original that was recorded in the 1970s.
Israeli born French pop star Mike Brant
Mike Brant
Mike Brant was an Israeli pop star who achieved fame after moving to France. His most successful hit was "Laisse-moi t'aimer"...
recorded a French language version of the song entitled "Dis Lui" in 1975.
In 1976, Dutch comedian Andre van Duin
André van Duin
André van Duin is a Dutch actor , singer, writer and program creator.-Television, radio and theatre:...
recorded the song in his own language as the roadblock-themed "File". Although its parent album "And're Andre" was meant to include serious songs only, "File" can be considered a compromise.
Japanese vocal group Hi-Fi Set released a Japanese language version of the same title in late 1976 and it became their breakthrough hit the next year.
The American punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
recorded a version of "Feelings" for their 1998 album Americana, substituting the original lyrics about love for ones about hate.
Greek singer Sakis Rouvas
Sakis Rouvas
Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas II , often referred to mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek musician, television and film artist, businessman, and former pole vaulter who is one of the most successful and influential entertainers of all time in Greece and Cyprus...
released a Greek language version entitled "Pes Tis" in 2003, while also covering "Feelings" and Brant's "Dis Lui" French version. The Greek version of the song won two MAD Video Music Awards for "Sexiest Appearance in a Video" awarded to Sakis Rouvas, and one awarded to Gens for "Best Direction".
The O'Jays released a version on their 1977 Travelin' At The Speed Of Thought album.
Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
included the song in his 1978 album, Where You're Concerned
Where You're Concerned
This is Perry Como's 25th RCA Victor album. Recorded in the United Kingdom and the United States , it shares most of its tracks with Perry's album, The Best of British...
.
Enzo Stuarti
Enzo Stuarti
Enzo Stuarti was an Italian American tenor and musical theater performer. After a performing on Broadway under the stage names Larry Laurence and Larry Stuart, he changed his name again and began a recording career in which he released several successful albums...
released a version partly in English, mostly in Italian.
In 2011, the song was parodied by The Fringemunks
The Fringemunks
The Fringemunks are a music group created by Seattle musician David Wu in 2008 consisting of three "cloned" anthropomorphic chipmunks: Feebo, Notchy and Pie. They are known mostly for recapping all episodes of Fox television series Fringe with song parodies...
to recap Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
episode 3.14, "6B."
A cover of the song appears on the Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
album, Let Your Feelings Show, sung by "Marry Banilow and the Muppettones". The song is first sung as normal (substituting 'girl' with 'boy' as it's sung by a girl), then is redone faster with a bunch of sound effects and soundbytes in the background.
Appearances in other media
- "Feelings" was included on the soundtrackSoundtrack albumA soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
of the 2005 film Breakfast on PlutoBreakfast on Pluto (film)Breakfast on Pluto is a 2005 comedy-drama film directed by Neil Jordan and based on the novel of the same name by Patrick McCabe, as adapted by Jordan and McCabe...
. - "Feelings" was sung by Jaime Sommers (Lindsay WagnerLindsay WagnerLindsay Jean Wagner is an American actress. She is probably best known for her portrayal of Jaime Sommers in the 1970s television series The Bionic Woman , though she has maintained a lengthy career in a variety of other film and television productions since.-Early life:Wagner was born in Los...
) in the "Bionic Beauty" episode of The Bionic WomanThe Bionic WomanThe Bionic Woman is an American television series starring Lindsay Wagner that aired for three seasons between 1976 and 1978 as a spin off from The Six Million Dollar Man. Wagner stars as tennis pro Jaime Sommers who is nearly killed in a skydiving accident. Sommers' life is saved by Oscar Goldman ...
(Season 1, 1976). - A version of the song appeared on an episode of The Muppet ShowThe Muppet ShowThe Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
sung by BeakerBeaker (Muppet)Beaker is a Muppet character from The Muppet Show. He is the shy, long-suffering assistant of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and is likewise named for a piece of laboratory equipment, although his shape more closely resembles an Erlenmeyer flask....
in his "mee-mee" speaking.