"Feelings" is a song by the Brazilian singer
Morris Albert
Maurício Alberto Kaisermann (born 7 September 1951), better known by his stage name Morris Albert, is a Brazilian singer and songwriter best known for his 1974 single "Feelings".
Biography
Albert was born into an Austrian immigrant family. At ...
, who also wrote the lyrics. Albert released "Feelings" in 1974 as a single and later included it as the title track of his 1975 debut album. The song's
lyrics
Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...
, 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.
In mid-1975, "Feelings" peaked at number six on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the
Adult Contemporary chart
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...
in the United States. In 1986, French songwriter
Louis Gasté Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis (d ...
successfully sued Albert for copyright infringement on the grounds that the tune was taken from Gasté's 1957 song "Pour Toi"; Gasté is now credited as the song's co-author.
Chart history
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Dispute over authorship
At the time of "Feelings"'s greatest commercial success, it was solely credited to Albert himself. In 1986, the French songwriter
Loulou Gasté
Louis "Loulou" Gasté (18 March 1908 – 8 January 1995) was a French composer of songs.
Life
Louis Gasté was born in Paris in 1908. In his fifty-year career, he composed approximately 1,200 songs, ten of which were internationally successfu ...
sued Morris Albert for
copyright infringement
Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, ...
, claiming that "Feelings"
plagiarized
Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...
the melody of his 1956 song "Pour Toi". Gasté won the lawsuit, upheld on appeal in 1988; they now share the credits of the song.
Recordings of the song have credited authorship variously to Albert alone, to Albert and Gasté (since the late 1980s), to Albert and Michel Jourdan (because of the French lyrics Dis-Lui), and to Albert and "Kaisermann". The last of these attributions is redundant, since the singer's real name is Mauricio Alberto Kaisermann.
Other versions
In the years after its release, "Feelings" has been performed by many other vocalists. A version by Chicago soul singer
Walter Jackson reached number 93 on ''Billboard''s pop chart in January 1977.
In 1975
Wess
Wesley Johnson known by his stage name Wess (August 13, 1945 — September 21, 2009) was an American-born Italian singer and bass guitarist, perhaps mostly known for representing Italy along with Dori Ghezzi in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975 ...
recorded the cover of the song for the album ''Wess & Dori'' released in Brazil (
Young
Young may refer to:
* Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents
* Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood
Music
* The Young, an American roc ...
, 304.1052).
Bobby Vinton
Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is a American former singer and occasional actor, who also hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid trib ...
sang "Feelings" on his 1975 album ''
Heart of Hearts
''Heart of Hearts'' is Bobby Vinton's twenty-sixth studio album and his second studio album for ABC Records. It was released in 1975. "Beer Barrel Polka" is the album's most successful single, peaking at # 5 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. A sec ...
''.
During a lecture at
Chautauqua Institution
The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New York, northwest of Jamestown in the Western Southern Tier of New York State. Established in 1874, the ...
,
Julie Andrews
Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy F ...
stated that she considered this song too difficult to sing because it had no meaning behind it.
The Gong Show
''The Gong Show'' is an American amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976, through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976 to ...
had an episode in which every contestant sang this song.
The Muppet Show
''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as ...
had an episode starring Diana Ross, having Beaker perform the song with Rowlf, Animal, Zoot and Janice as "Mee-Mee".
In "Switch", a 1990
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi wa ...
commercial,
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He is known for hit songs such as " U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit" ...
sings "Feelings" instead of "
U Can't Touch This" when given a non-Pepsi drink. (In fact Hammer
lip-synch
Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals.
Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...
ed to a
session singer
Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a t ...
.
)
The Offspring parodied the song on their ''
Americana
Americana may refer to:
*Americana (music), a genre or style of American music
*Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States
Film, radio and television
* ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...
'' album.
Also in a Caddyshack evening country club scene.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feelings (Song)
1974 songs
1974 singles
1970s ballads
Morris Albert songs
2003 singles
Sakis Rouvas songs
Engelbert Humperdinck songs
Ella Fitzgerald songs
Shirley Bassey songs
Glen Campbell songs
Frank Sinatra songs
The O'Jays songs
Percy Faith songs
José José songs
Caetano Veloso songs
Nina Simone songs
Johnny Mathis songs
Dobie Gray songs
Perry Como songs
The Offspring songs
Andy Williams songs
Number-one singles in Brazil
RCA Records singles
Songs involved in plagiarism controversies
English-language Brazilian songs
English-language Greek songs