"Baila Esta Cumbia" (English: "Dance This Cumbia") is a song recorded by American

Tejano Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in the ...

singer Selena for her second studio album, '' Ven Conmigo'' (1990). It was released as the second single by EMI Latin on August 28, 1990, behind "Ya Ves". It was composed by her brother–producer

A.B. Quintanilla Abraham Quintanilla III (born December 13, 1963), known professionally as A.B. Quintanilla III or A.B. Quintanilla, is an American record producer, songwriter and musician, and the older brother of singer Selena, known as " The Queen of Tejano ...

, and Selena y Los Dinos backup dancer, Pete Astudillo. The recording is an up-tempo Mexican cumbia song. It was well received by music critics who enjoyed its cumbia-feel and rhythm. The track received exposure on radio stations that predominately played cumbia music, and as a result the recording became a

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

for the singer. It was named among her best recordings in her career by music critics. "Baila Esta Cumbia" peaked at number ten on the US ''Billboard'' Regional Mexican Digital Songs chart. In 2005, A.B. Quintanilla recorded a remix/duet version of the track with his band Kumbia Kings, which peaked at number 16 on the US ''Billboard'' Regional Mexican Airplay chart and number 44 on the Hot Latin Tracks chart. Other cover versions include recordings by Mexican singers

Diana Reyes Diana Reyes (born November 18, 1979) is a regional Mexican musical artist. Reyes was born in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. She has released three gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic nu ...

and Yuridia.

Background and release

"Baila Esta Cumbia" was released as the second single from '' Ven Conmigo'' (1990) in the United States and in Mexico. A compilation album of the same name was released in Mexico and sold 150,000 copies. It was certified platinum by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON), denoting sales of 250,000 units. "Baila Esta Cumbia" was written by Selena's brother and principal record producer,

and Selena y Los Dinos' backup dancer, Pete Astudillo. During an interview in 2002, A.B. said that the recording helped the band's exposure on radio stations that predominantly play cumbia music recordings. The song is an up-tempo Mexican cumbia

song. It is set in common time and moves at a moderate rate of 90 beats per minute. "Baila Esta Cumbia" is written in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

C major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...

. The vocal range of the melody extends from the note G₃ to A₄.

Reception and impact

The majority of contemporary reviews on "Baila Esta Cumbia" were positive. ''Billboard'' contributor Ramiro Burr praised the song for its "melodic hook". Burr, who wrote in ''

The Billboard Guide to Tejano and Regional Mexican Music ''The Billboard Guide To Tejano and Regional Mexican Music'' is a music reference and encyclopedia on Tejano and Regional Mexican music. Written by ''San Antonio Express-News'' music editor Ramiro Burr, the music guide was published in 1999 by ...

'' (1999), opined that Selena "evolved a rhythmic style" which paved way for "catchy cumbias", giving "Baila Esta Cumbia" as his example of her "increasing prowess". Italian essayist Gaetano Prampolini, called "Baila Esta Cumbia" a "plain cumbia dance pleasure" in his book ''The Shade of the Saguaro''. In a 2013 contribution to ''

OC Weekly ''OC Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly paper distributed in Orange County and Long Beach, California. OC Weekly was founded in September 1995 by Will Swaim, who acted as editor and publisher until 2007. The paper was distributed at coffee ...

'', Marco Torres added that "Baila Esta Cumbia" is a "fun song" and noted its "lively" addictive nature. John Storm Roberts wrote in his book ''The Latin Tinge'', that the recording is an "up-tempo romantic piece" for his review of Selena's live album, ''

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...

'' (1993). Roberts added that with " Como la Flor", the two "mixes pop vocalism, some quite free scatting, and a classic banda keyboard sound." Federico Martinez of the San Antonio ''La Prensa'' called the recording "upbeat". Deborah R. Vargas wrote in her book ''Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of la Onda'' (2008), that Selena reconstructed Tejano music with the additions of cumbia music, giving credit to "Baila Esta Cumbia" as an example of Selena's blended musical compositions. The recording became one of Selena's biggest hit singles. It has appeared on a number of critics' "best Selena songs" lists, including ''OC Weekly'' (at number five), and '' Latina'' magazine (at number three). It entered The TouchTunes Most Played chart on ''Billboard'' on the issue dated April 7, 2001, with 1.5 million airplay spins. The song was included in the set list for the ''

Selena Forever ''Selena Forever ''is an American stage musical, based on the 1997 film ''Selena'', that tells the life of the famous Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. The musical has been staged under two titles. The first, ''Selena Forever'', was conceiv ...

'' musical, which ran for one year in 2000.

Cover versions

Mexican singer

recorded the song for her album ''Ámame, Bésame'' (2010). Mexican singer Yuridia performed "Baila Esta Cumbia" during her tour in Mexico in 2013 to a positive reception.

Kumbia Kings version

"Baila Esta Kumbia" is a song by Mexican-American cumbia group

y Los Kumbia Kings featuring Mexican-American singer Selena. It was released on March 15, 2005 as a single from their album '' Duetos'' (2005). A.B. Quintanilla is the brother of Selena. ;Background Selena's brother and principal record producer, A.B. Quintanilla formed Kumbia Kings in 1999. In 2005, the band remixed "Baila Esta Cumbia" into a duet version for their album '' Duetos'' under the title "Baila Esta Kumbia". Evan C. Gutierrez music reviewer for AllMusic believed that the Kumbia Kings' version is a "postmortem love letter" to Selena. Kumbia Kings performed their version for the tribute concert ''

Selena ¡VIVE! Selena ¡VIVE! ( en, Selena Lives!) was a benefit concert which was held on the tenth anniversary of the death of Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. The concert was held on April 7, 2005 at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas with over ...

'', which premiered live on Univision on April 7, 2005. The track debuted at number 35 on the US ''Billboard'' Regional Mexican Airplay chart on the issue dated April 2, 2005. It eventually peaked at number 16. ;Personnel * Written by

and Pete Astudillo * Produced by A.B. Quintanilla * Lead vocals by Selena * Intro and outro by A.B. Quintanilla * Background vocals by A.B. Quintanilla, Fernando "Nando" Domínguez, Frank "Pangie" Pangelinan, and

Abel Talamántez Abel Talamántez Mendoza (born October 16, 1979 in Pecos, Texas), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is currently a vocalist for the bands Cruz Martínez Y Los Super Reyes and Los EnVivo Kings. He is also a former member ...

;Charts

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Good article 1990 songs 1990 singles 2005 singles Selena songs Kumbia Kings songs Songs written by A. B. Quintanilla Songs written by Pete Astudillo Song recordings produced by A. B. Quintanilla Spanish-language songs Cumbia songs EMI Latin singles