Felicidad (Margherita) (song)

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“Felicidad (Margherita)”
“Felicidad (Margherita)” cover
Single by Boney M
Released December 1980
Format 7" single, 12" single
Recorded 1980
Genre Pop, Disco
Length 4:58 (First mix)

4:31 (Final mix)

Label Flag of West Germany Hansa Records
Writer(s) Pino Massara, Rosella Conz
Producer Frank Farian
Boney M singles chronology
"Children of Paradise / Gadda-Da-Vida" (1980) "Felicidad" (1980) "Malaika / Consuela Biaz" (1981)

"Felicidad (Margherita)" is a 1980 single by German band Boney M., not included in any original album by the group. It returned the group to the German Top 10, peaking at #6 but was not released in neither the UK nor Spain. In the Netherlands, the B-side "Strange" was chosen as the A-side track. "Felicidad" and its B-side "Strange" were included in the 2 x 12" set Boney M. for Dancin' and were added as bonus tracks to the 2007 re-issue of Boney M.'s Boonoonoonoos album.

[edit] Felicidad (Margherita)

Boney M.'s version was a cover of Italian artist Massara's one-off summer hit "Margherita" (1979). It borrowed the title "Felicidad" (Spanish for "Happiness") from the chorus of the Italian version ("Felicità"), substituting the line "Love in the Sun" from Massara's English version. Due to a frosty relationship to the group's members at the time, producer Frank Farian tried to record it with session singers La Mama (Cathy Bartney, Patricia Shockley, Madeleine Davis) and himself only on vocals but was forced by record company Hansa to add Boney M. lead singer Liz Mitchell's vocals on it [1].

First pressings of the single feature a 4:58 mix which includes the fourth verse My anticipation, no I cannot delay. It doesn't fade in the third chorus but fades drastically as La Mama can be heard singing the lines Mama mama mama ... on their own. The second mix fades at 4:33 (in the middle of the chorus) and was issued on the French 7" single. The third and final mix (4:31) edits out the fourth verse and fades at the end of the third chorus.

The German 12" single featured a 11:46 mix of the song while the French 12" single featured an alternate mix, running a full 12 minutes.

[edit] Releases

7" Single

  • "Felicidad (Margherita)" - 4:58 / "Strange" (Bobby Dobson) - 3:18 (Hansa 102 681-100, Germany)
  • "Felicidad (Margherita)" (Final Mix) - 4:31 / "Strange" - 3:28 (Hansa 102 681-100, Germany)
  • "Felicidad (Margherita)" (Second edit) - 4:33 / "Strange" - 3:18 (Carrere 49.709, France)

12" Single

  • "Felicidad (Margherita)" (Long Version) - 11:46 / "Strange" - 3:28 (Hansa 600 311-213, Germany)
  • "Felicidad (Margherita)" (Long Version) - 12:00 / "Strange" - 3:28 (Carrere 8.107, France)

[edit] Sources