A 1970 song you might not remember. This peaked at #14 on Billboard, #9 on Cashbox, and #16 in the U.K.. But, it went to #1 in Germany, staying on the charts for 39 weeks! It was also #1 on the Billboard AC chart. The alternate title is Himno A La Alegria. Miguel was born in Granada, Spain in 1944. The melody, of course, is based on Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 “Choral” is the final complete symphony created by Ludwig van Beethoven. He completed it in 1824 — when he was completely DEAF! It was adapted as the European Anthem and is considered by critics to be one of Beethoven’s finest masterpieces, and one of the greatest musical compositions ever written. It was also the first time a major composer used human voices in a symphony. In the classical presentation, the lyrics are sung during the final movement by four soloists and a chorus. They were taken from Ode To Joy, a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and revised in 1803, with additions made by Beethoven. Whenever I get depressed about something, I think about Beethoven losing his hearing then pressing on to create this beautiful music and suddenly my life doesn’t seem so bad…