"Como la Flor" ("Like the Flower") is a song that was recorded by American singer
Selena
Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...
for her third studio album ''
Entre a Mi Mundo
''Entre a Mi Mundo'' ( en, italic=yes, Enter My World) is the third studio album by American singer Selena, released on May 6, 1992, by EMI Latin. In his recording debut with Selena y Los Dinos, guitarist Chris Pérez had fallen in love with Sele ...
'' (1992). It was written by
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
Pete Astudillo
Pedro Astudillo (born December 1, 1963) is an American singer and songwriter. He was a backup vocalist for Selena y Los Dinos and has released several albums as a solo artist.
Early life
Astudillo was born on December 1, 1963, in Laredo, Texas, t ...
. The song was conceptualized in 1982 after A. B. saw a family selling illuminated plastic flowers at a concert in
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
. In 1992, an
infectious melody stuck in A. B's head; he ran from the shower of their hotel room in
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley ( East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of Colleg ...
, pulled out a keyboard, and immediately began working on it with Astudillo. It took A. B. 20 minutes to complete the music and took Astudillo another hour to complete the lyrics. It is an up-tempo,
Tejano cumbia torch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affect ...
that fuses
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
and
cumbia
Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include:
...
rhythms with
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
. In the song's lyrics, the female protagonist addresses her former lover, who abandoned her for another partner. The narrator is unsure of her ability to love again, though wishing her former partner and his new lover the best.
"Como la Flor" received widespread acclaim from music critics, who praised Selena's emotional delivery of the song's lyrics of heartbreak and loss. At the
Premio Lo Nuestro 1993
The 5th Lo Nuestro Awards ceremony, presented by the Univision and ''Billboard'' magazine, honored the best Latin music of 1992 and 1993 and took place on May 20, 1993, at a live presentation held at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida ...
, the song won Regional Mexican Song of the Year. It was nominated for
Single of the Year at the
1993 Tejano Music Awards but was removed in preliminaries; a move music critic Rene Cabrera criticized. The song peaked at number six on the US
''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs chart and became one of the most-played songs on
Latin music
Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...
radio stations in Texas.
José Behar
José Behar is a Cuban-American music executive. Behar has headed EMI Latin and Univision Music Group. He is known to have signed Selena. José Behar was appointed to run the new Latin division in EMI Records. Univision Music Group in 2001.
Hist ...
booked Selena for a press tour in
Monterrey, Mexico
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
; following Selena's visit, the song peaked at number three on Mexico's Grupera Songs chart, becoming her first commercially successful single in the country.
Since its introduction as part of Selena's live set list and as its popularity grew, she either opened or closed her concerts with "Como la Flor". During her live performances, the song was often played in a down-tempo form while Selena performed a
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
-inspired ''floreo'' hand gesture. Selena followed this with her enunciations of agony and the beating of her chest, singing "''como me duele''" ("how it hurts me") before the song's tempo becomes upbeat. Music critics and scholars received Selena's performances with critical acclaim, and found them an encapsulation of Latino mournfulness and praised her stage presence, choreography, and emotional tones. The song was the closing number of Selena's final live performance in Bryan, on March 19, 1995; she was
shot and killed on March 31. It has been regarded as Selena's
signature song and her "trademark", and has become her posthumous epithet and
swan song. The recording has become one of her "most celebrated songs" and has since become part of the
Texas musical cannon.
In 2018, ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' named "Como la Flor" one of the best
Latin pop songs. Several artists have recorded cover versions of the song; these include
Jackie Cruz,
Ángela Aguilar
Ángela Aguilar Álvarez Alcalá (born October 8, 2003) is a Mexican-American singer. She was born in Los Angeles while her mother was accompanying her father, Pepe Aguilar, on tour. Aguilar gained notable recognition after performing "La Llor ...
, and
Cristian Castro. Selena's performances of the recording were dramatized by
Jennifer Lopez in the 1997
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
biopic film and in 2020 by
Christian Serratos
Christian Marie Serratos MovieTome ( born Bernardi, ; born September 21, 1990) is an American actress who played Rosita Espinosa in AMC's '' The Walking Dead'' TV series, based on the comic book of the same name. She is also known for playing Su ...
in
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
's ''
Selena: The Series''. ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' writer Joe Nick Patoski named his biography of Selena "Como la Flor". Contemporary reviews have been positive; essayist
Ilan Stavans
Ilan Stavans (born Ilan Stavchansky on April 7, 1961) is a Mexican-American author and academic. He writes and speaks on American, Hispanic, and Jewish cultures. He is the author of ''Quixote'' (2015) and a contributor to the ''Norton Anthology ...
said the emergence of Latin pop in the United States in the 1990s is attributed to the popularity of "Como la Flor". Scholar
Deborah Parédez attributed the song's success to Selena's use of under-explored genres of
African American music
African-American music is an umbrella term covering a diverse range of music and musical genres largely developed by African Americans and their culture. Their origins are in musical forms that first came to be due to the condition of slavery ...
in Tejano music. The
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has
certified
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
"Como la Flor" 9x Platinum (Latin). The song currently holds the
Guinness World Record for the most video uploads of people
lip sync
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 ...
ing to a single song in one hour.
Background and inspiration
![AB Quintanilla](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/AB_Quintanilla.png)
Following the
1981 recession in Texas, former musician
Abraham Quintanilla
Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr. (born February 20, 1939)Patoski page 2 is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. He is the father of Tejano singer Selena and was her manager throughout her life.
Quintanilla was born to a Mexican-American fa ...
, decided to promote his children's band
Selena y Los Dinos
Selena y Los Dinos ( en, Selena and the Guys, Selena And the Dinos=Selena And The Dinos) was an American Tejano band formed in 1981 by Tejano singer Selena and her father Abraham Quintanilla. The band remained together until the murder of Sel ...
. Due to the recession, the Quintanilla family were evicted from their home, and performing became their primary source of income. In 1982, Selena y Los Dinos and three other Mexican bands performed in
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
. After their performance, at the nightclub where they were performing,
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 ...
saw a family selling illuminated plastic flowers. He conceived a repetitive rhythm and the title "flor" ("flower"), though he found the title "plastic flower" lyrically unappealing. A. B. promised himself he would one day write a song about a flower.
In 1992, following a concert, the band stayed overnight at a hotel in
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley ( East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of Colleg ...
, before traveling to
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
the next day. While at the hotel, A. B. had an
infectious melody he could not quieten. He ran out of the shower, pulled out a keyboard, and began working on it, along with backup vocalist
Pete Astudillo
Pedro Astudillo (born December 1, 1963) is an American singer and songwriter. He was a backup vocalist for Selena y Los Dinos and has released several albums as a solo artist.
Early life
Astudillo was born on December 1, 1963, in Laredo, Texas, t ...
and keyboardist Joe Ojeda. A. B. told Astudillo about his 10-year-old song idea but Astudillo initially had a different idea. Astudillo tried to use his own personal experiences for the song as he felt it would resonate better if the lyrics were based on real-life experiences. A. B. had wanted to write a song about someone receiving a flower that wilted from their lover as an analogy of the ending of the relationship. He and Astudillo decided to write about a sorrowful woman who wished her former lover well rather than someone who was better off without him. Astudillo linked the song to a Spanish-language version that predates
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a rec ...
's 2012 single "
Someone like You".
A. B. took 20 minutes to compose the music and another hour for Astudillo to complete the lyrics. Keyboardist
Ricky Vela
Ricardo Vela is an American musician and songwriter who was the keyboardist for the band Selena y Los Dinos from 1984 to 1995.
Works
Vela has either written or co-written the following songs that topped on ''Billboard'' 200, ''Billboard'' Latin ...
said he went out to eat and the song was finished when he returned. During the recording sessions, Selena left the studio without finishing the backing vocals. A. B. said: "homegirl just bounced on me, she said, 'I'm out of here, I'm going to the mall." He corrected the tune and later recorded the backing vocals to finish the song. Ojeda provided arrangement assistance for "Como la Flor". A. B. created a formula to help himself write "Como la Flor" and other recordings that are "simple, catchy little
ongs by emphasizing "melody line, synth hooks and basic instrumentation". He believed writing simplistic lyrics is "what sells". "Como la Flor" was recorded at
Manny Guerra
Manny Guerra is an American record producer, music engineer, and recording artist, who specializes in Tejano music. Guerra started in the industry playing with Sunny and the Sunglows, recording hit singles such as " Talk to Me", which peaked ...
's AMEN Studios.
Music and lyrics
Musically, "Como la Flor" is primarily a
Tejano cumbia torch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affect ...
. American scholar
Deborah Parédez described it as a transnational fusion between
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
and
cumbia
Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include:
...
rhythms with
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
. Tejano music journalist Ramiro Burr called the track a "pop
polka", while it included the incorporations of pop,
disco, and
R&B. "Como la Flor" is "equally catchy" to "
La Carcacha", though the music was done "slow and easy". Mike Hazelwood of ''
Tulare Advance - Register'' called "Como la Flor" a Tejano recording that is "infectious enough" to be appreciated by listeners outside its genre. It is written in the
key of
B major and composed in
time signature. The song has a moderate
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
of 92 beats per minute, while Selena's vocals span from F
3 to B
4. "Como la Flor" has an upbeat production, a "lively tempo", a danceable,
synthesizer-based, pop-cumbia beat, and a
banda keyboard sound. The recording highlights Selena's "trademark cumbia rhythm".
Chris Pérez
Christopher Gilbert Pérez (born August 14, 1969) is an American guitarist, best known as lead guitarist for the Tejano band Selena y Los Dinos. He married the frontwoman of the group, Selena, on April 2, 1992. Pérez grew up in San Antonio, Tex ...
, guitarist and widower of Selena, described the melody as simple and melancholic; he called the song a "heart-wrenching ballad", while Parédez referred to it as a "captivating ballad". Nathan Smith of ''Texas Music Magazine'', called the song a "heartfelt, pop-tinged Tejano ballad". Selena "mixes pop vocalism" and displays a "boo-hooing
cadence
In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (199 ...
" that is consistent with
ranchera
Ranchera () or canción ranchera is a genre of traditional music of Mexico. It dates to before the years of the Mexican Revolution. Rancheras today are played in virtually all regional Mexican music styles. Drawing on rural traditional folk musi ...
songs. The recording makes use of a
tessitura
In music, tessitura (, pl. ''tessiture'', "texture"; ) is the most acceptable and comfortable vocal range for a given singer or less frequently, musical instrument, the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding (or characte ...
that invites participation; its chorus has catchy,
call-and-response
Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...
lyrics. Writing for the ''
San Antonio Express-News'', Burr enjoyed the song's "memorable melodic hook" that he felt "had listeners whistling along".
Soraya Nadia McDonald
Soraya Nadia McDonald is an American writer and culture critic. She was previously a reporter at ''The Washington Post'', and has been the culture critic for '' The Undefeated'' since 2016. McDonald was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for ...
of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' called "Como la Flor" an "ear-wormy goodness" track. Christian Wallace of ''
Texas Monthly
''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. ''Texas Monthly'' was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy and has been published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. since 1998 and is ...
'' called the song's
bassline "emphatic" and its beat "irresistible". "Como la Flor" encompasses "beauty and ephemerality", a clichéd association because of its title, according to scholars Rosana Blanco-Cano and Rita E. Urquijo-Ruiz. Joey Guerra of the ''
Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...
'' enjoyed "Como la Flor", which he called uniquely different from other Spanish-language songs.
In the lyrics, Selena's narrator addresses her former lover, who has ended their relationship. She tells him she hopes his new partner will make him happy, which the narrator was unable to do. Selena likens the end of their relationship to the wilting of a dying flower. She finds the breakup painful. Unsure of her ability to love again, the narrator says she gave her former partner all of her love, wishing him and his new lover the best. The lyrics explore the turbulence of a relationship. Selena portrays a hopeless romantic, who is content with losing a relationship "as long as she could say she had loved". Erika Ramirez of ''
Billboard'' said Selena performed songs such as "Como la Flor" and "
No Me Queda Mas" (1994) with "such exuberance and devotion" that they provide listeners with either nostalgia or a fantasy. Pérez called the lyrics "aching", while Wallace found them to be "plaintive" lyrics that had even "the toughest ''hombres''" weeping. Eyder Peralta of the ''Houston Chronicle'' found the lyrics to be lovelorn, a "clean pop
ffering that echoes works of
Chelo Silva. Parédez called the lyrics self-abnegating following an unsuccessful relationship; a theme that contrasts with those of typical cumbia,
salsa
Salsa most often refers to:
* Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments
* Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music
* Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music
Salsa or SALSA may also refer to:
...
, and
dance songs in
Latin music
Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...
; its lyrics more closely resemble those of pop music. Jessica Roiz of ''Billboard'' said "Como la Flor" provides a life lesson on maturely leaving a relationship, being "the bigger person" and wishing the new couple well. She found the lyrics to be empowering and positive.
According to Parédez, "Como la Flor" exemplifies a pop-cumbia song that is aimed at a wide range of musical tastes of Latinos. She said the song contains themes of longing and despair. The recording has a "residue of materiality"; with its melodic shifts, "Como la Flor" successfully "evokes Selena's presence in the elegy marking her absence". She also said listeners know it is a "multivalent emotional register and communal sensibility". "Como la Flor" has a "tensive pull" during Selena's emotional proclamations of an
unrequited love
Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep and pure affection, or may consciously reject it. The Merriam Webster Online Dict ...
. The song includes Selena's "teardrop vocals", which "captures and conveys" what
Roland Barthes
Roland Gérard Barthes (; ; 12 November 1915 – 26 March 1980) was a French literary theorist, essayist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. His work engaged in the analysis of a variety of sign systems, mainly derived from Western popula ...
called "the grain of Selena's voice". "Como la Flor" provides "emotionally useful modalities" from what
Jill Dolan
Jill Susan Dolan (May 30, 1957) is an American educator, author, blogger and feminist. She writes on theatre, sexuality studies, and feminist theory. Since July 2015, Dolan has been the Dean of the College at Princeton University, where she is als ...
called "utopian performatives" or
Josh Kun
Josh Kun is an American author, academic and music critic. Kun is Professor of Communication and Journalism and chair in Cross-Cultural Communication in the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California.
He also holds a joint appoint ...
's use of "audiotopias". Blanco-Cano and Urquijo-Ruiz said "Como la Flor" is able to "
easure and directthe affective labor of
Latinidad
''Latinidad'' is a Spanish-language term that refers to the various attributes shared by Latin American people and their descendants without reducing those similarities to any single essential trait. It was first adopted within US Latino studies b ...
". Pérez said Selena's emotive vocals elevate "Como la Flor", and that he found other performances of the song could not match her emotional delivery. Sertan Sanderson of
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave" in English), abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite television service con ...
said listeners do not need to be fluent in Spanish to enjoy the song. "Como la Flor" was added to the posthumously released album ''
Dreaming of You'' (1995), which was remixed by A. B., who mixed the song to match the way the band would have performed it live. According to Burr in ''Billboard'', the song was remixed to "dilute her ethnic sound" to appeal to a mainstream audience; he said it has more "percussions to spice
he trackup".
Commercial and critical performance
Upon its radio release in June 1992, "Como la Flor" entered at number 36 on the US ''Billboard''
Hot Latin Songs chart for the week ending July 18, 1992. The song entered the top 10 on the Hot Latin Songs chart on September 19, 1992, rising to number nine. Rene Cabrera of the ''
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
The ''Corpus Christi Caller-Times'' is the newspaper of record for Corpus Christi, Texas.
History
There has been a newspaper in Corpus Christi for almost as long as there has been a town. In 1883, the ''Caller'' was started in a frame building ...
'' called it "a giant leap", noting the dominance of Selena and other Tejano recording artists on ''Billboard''s music charts. "Como la Flor" peaked at number six for the week ending October 24, 1992. Suzette Fernandez of ''Billboard'' magazine said the song had "made a statement in Selena's musical career" after its peak, calling it her first commercially successful single in the United States. The popularity of "Como la Flor" propelled sales of its parent album ''
Entre a Mi Mundo
''Entre a Mi Mundo'' ( en, italic=yes, Enter My World) is the third studio album by American singer Selena, released on May 6, 1992, by EMI Latin. In his recording debut with Selena y Los Dinos, guitarist Chris Pérez had fallen in love with Sele ...
'', replacing
La Mafia
La Mafia is a five-time Grammy Award-winning musical group. It has its roots in the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and has charted a course as a Latin music band.
History
La Mafia was founded in 1980 in Houston, TX. Vocalist Osca ...
's ''
Ahora y Siempre'' at number one on the
Regional Mexican Albums
Regional Mexican Albums is a genre-specific record chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart was established in June 1985 and originally listed the top twenty-five best-selling albums of mariachi, tejano, no ...
chart. In a survey compiled by the ''
Austin American-Statesman
The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett.
The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...
'', "Como la Flor" was the most-played song on Tejano radio stations in Texas. It was one of the most-played songs on radio stations in Houston,
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, and
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. In
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, the song was the most-played song on Latin music radio stations for three weeks beginning October 13 through the week of October 29, 1992. "Como la Flor" finished 1992 as the 31st-best-performing song on the Hot Latin Songs chart, while topping indie music charts in Texas.
In July 1992,
EMI Latin
Capitol Latin (formerly EMI Latin) is a brand of Universal Music Latin Entertainment, a division of Universal Music Group. Previously, it was a subsidiary of EMI.
History
In 1989, José Behar, the former head of CBS Discos, signed Selena to ...
president
José Behar
José Behar is a Cuban-American music executive. Behar has headed EMI Latin and Univision Music Group. He is known to have signed Selena. José Behar was appointed to run the new Latin division in EMI Records. Univision Music Group in 2001.
Hist ...
booked Selena for a high-profile press tour in
Monterrey, Mexico
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
. In attandance were Mexican entertainment journalists, which were two-and-a-half times that of the US. A 1992 market report estimated the music market in Mexico to be valued at —more than twice the market value of the United States. Selena was not commercially successful in Mexico; a music reporter from ''
El Sol de Monterrey'' showed Mexicans did not accept Selena's music. At the time,
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 ...
s were regarded as "hayseed ''pochos''" among Mexicans, a racial and social-class slur. EMI Latin executives were anxious, noting Selena's limited proficiency in Spanish could negatively trigger the Mexican media. The record company aimed to capitalize on the growing popularity of "
¿Qué Creías?
"¿Qué Creías?" ("What Did You Think?") is a song by American singer Selena, taken from her third studio album, ''Entre a Mi Mundo'' (1992). It was written by Pete Astudillo and A. B. Quintanilla; the composition was a result of a challenge i ...
" (1992) and ''Entre a Mi Mundo'', which became the first recording by Selena to appeal to audiences in Mexico. During the meet-and-greet, Selena walked in smiling and embraced all 35 press representatives, winning over the Mexican media, who hailed her as "an artist of the people", and she was booked to play at several concerts in Mexico. Following her visit, "Como la Flor" reached number five on Mexico's Grupera chart, before peaking at number three on October 12, 1992. The music report compiled by ''
El Siglo de Torreón
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
'' found "Como la Flor" to be one of the most popular songs on Mexican radio stations in 1992 and early 1993, and the most popular "grupero" (group) song in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. It was the first song by Selena "to really take off" in Mexico, while becoming her first "international
hit song
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' ...
". The song's popularity helped Selena's commercial growth in Mexico, where it was regarded as "very popular". "Como la Flor" is considered Selena's "breakthrough hit" recording, creating her popularity with Mexican audiences.
At the
Premio Lo Nuestro 1993
The 5th Lo Nuestro Awards ceremony, presented by the Univision and ''Billboard'' magazine, honored the best Latin music of 1992 and 1993 and took place on May 20, 1993, at a live presentation held at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida ...
awards, "Como la Flor" won Regional Mexican Song of the Year. It was nominated for
Single of the Year at the
1993 Tejano Music Awards. "Como la Flor" was dropped during preliminaries, which was considered a surprise according to music critic Rene Cabrera, who expected Selena to win the category. The track was nominated for Song of the Year at the 1993 Pura Vida Hispanic Awards, but lost to
Emilio Navaira
Emilio H. Navaira III (August 23, 1962 – May 16, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter of Tejano and country music. He is the winner of one Grammy Award and one Latin Grammy Award.
Known to most by the mononym Emilio, he charted more than ...
's "Como Le Haré". "Como la Flor" was recognized as one of the award-winning songs at the first
BMI Latin Awards in 1994. Tom Whitehurst Jr of the ''Corpus Christi Caller-Times'' compared A. B.'s "famous songwriting" of the song to that of
Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country music and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He was best ...
's fame after writing "
Mr. Bojangles" (1970). In 1993, the commercial success of "Como la Flor" led to A. B. being contracted with EMI Latin as one of their top songwriters. The contract was valued at $250,000 (1993 USD). Following the
murder of Selena
Selena Quintanilla Pérez was an American singer who achieved international fame as a member of Selena y Los Dinos and for her subsequent solo career in both Spanish and English. Her father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., appoin ...
on March 31, 1995, "Como la Flor" debuted and peaked at number nine on the
Regional Mexican Songs
Regional Mexican Airplay (also referred to as Regional Mexican Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine. It was established by the magazine on October 8, 1994, with "La Niña Fresa" by Banda Zeta being the first number-one so ...
chart for the week ending April 15, 1995. It was the most-requested song, along with "La Carcacha", on radio stations in Mexico following the announcement of her death. Elsewhere on ''Billboard'', "Como la Flor" peaked at number three on the US ''Billboard'' TouchTunes Latin Songs chart, which ranks the top-selling
jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to selec ...
spins in the US, for the week ending December 14, 2002. "Como la Flor" peaked at number one on the US
Regional Mexican Digital Song Sales chart following the 20th anniversary of Selena's death for the week ending April 18, 2015. The song peaked at number four on the
Latin Digital Song Sales
The ''Billboard'' Latin Digital Songs, or Latin Digital Song Sales, is a record chart that ranks the best-selling Spanish-language digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard''. It wa ...
chart on the tracking week of December 16, 2020. As of March 31, 2020, "Como la Flor" has been
streamed
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
1.83 million times, and continues to receive airplay on Tejano music radio stations. The
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has certificated "Como la Flor"
9× Platinum (Latin), denoting 540,000 units consisting of sales and on-demand streaming in the US.
Live performances and other versions
During her performances of "Como la Flor", Selena often performed a
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
-inspired hand gesture called a ''floreo''. She could be seen "turning her wrist in three waves, elbow to fingertips twisting in a serpentine motion, fingers elongated" as she "languorously croons" the title of the song. Selena often opened "Como la Flor" with a downtempo, seductive, emotional, "mournful attenuated
cadenza
In music, a cadenza (from it, cadenza, link=no , meaning cadence; plural, ''cadenze'' ) is, generically, an improvisation, improvised or written-out ornament (music), ornamental passage (music), passage played or sung by a solo (music), sol ...
", taking several breaths before the song transitioned into an upbeat cumbia. The song's slow, emotive opening was described as reminiscent of "the doleful and booming voices of Mexican ranchera singers" with vocal performances that had "melodramatic flair". Selena's vocals were "achingly melodic". According to
Elijah Wald
Elijah Wald (born 1959) is an American folk blues guitarist and music historian. He is a 2002 Grammy Award winner for his liner notes to ''The Arhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Box: The Journey of Chris Strachwitz''.
Life
Wald was born in 1959 ...
of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', Selena "
mphasizedthe heartache of the lyric, slowly drawing out the lines about a lover leaving, her face contorted in pain". Selena's use of
dramatic pauses was similar to that of the
flin
Flin () is a Communes of France, commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle Departments of France, department found in north-eastern France.
See also
*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department
References
Communes of Meurthe-et-Moselle
...
styles of
bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...
singers
Chavela Vargas
Isabel Vargas Lizano (17 April 1919 – 5 August 2012), better known as Chavela Vargas (), was a Mexican singer. She was especially known for her rendition of Mexican rancheras, but she is also recognized for her contribution to other genres o ...
and
La Lupe
Lupe Victoria Yolí Raymond (23 December 1936 – 29 February 1992), better known as La Lupe, was a Cuban singer of boleros, guarachas and Latin soul, known for her energetic, sometimes controversial performances. Following the release of he ...
.
In one performance, Selena was seen "smiling and even laughing" during a dramatic pause, which Wald said was Selena "reminding the audience they are all watching and enjoying this together" before her enunciation of agony and "beating her chest, murmuring the final words, ''como me duele'' ("how it hurts me"). When the song transitioned into an upbeat cumbia, Selena would sway her hips to the beat. According to Parédez, Selena's performances of the song provided audiences with "valedictory reverence, pleasurable engagement, and gestures of identification across the space of Selenidad". Parédez called Selena's performances of the song "ebullient" and equating to the "emotional register" of Latino mournfulness. Scholars Blanco-Cano and Urquijo-Ruiz agreed with Parédez's assertion, saying Selena's performance of "Como la Flor" exemplified "the emotional register and cultural codes of Latinidad". Wald noted Selena's repetitive acts on stage whenever she sang "Como la Flor", saying the performances still "feel authentic". Blanco-Cano and Urquijo-Ruiz said Selena's performances of "Como la Flor" matched the Latino expressions of longing and belonging, as well as grief and survival, noting her "easy charisma, choreographic virtuosity,
ndvelvety voice" as evidence. "Como la Flor" is one of the most popular re-enactments of Selena by
drag queen
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...
s.
After the song was added to Selena's
set list
A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance.
A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
s and its popularity grew, she either opened or closed her concerts with "Como la Flor". According to Pérez, "Como la Flor" was most likely Selena's favorite song to perform. A. B. disagreed, citing Selena's irritation of constantly playing the song at every concert. Selena expressed her frustrations to A. B., saying; "I don't wanna play that song anymore, I am sick of singing
hat song
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
. A. B. replied purchasers of a ticket to see
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
would expect to hear "
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 2, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, '' Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Jackson and ...
", and that people expect to hear "Como la Flor" when they attend Selena's concerts. On February 26, 1995, Selena closed her
Houston Astrodome
The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...
concert with "Como la Flor" to positive reviews; Jennifer Machin of ''Billboard'' called it one of her best live performances. This was echoed by Natalie Contreras of the ''Corpus Christi Caller-Times'', who called the performance Selena's "finest rendition". According to Blanco-Cano and Urquijo-Ruiz, it provided the audience with "the sounds of Latino desire
nd witnessedthe improvised steps marking Latino loss". They said the placement of "Como la Flor" as the closing number "underscores its special status" in Selena's repertoire. On March 19, 1995, Selena performed in Bryan, where A. B. and Astudillo wrote "Como la Flor". Selena's closing performance of "Como la Flor" was her last before her murder on March 31. In "Cumbia Medley", a live medley on the
''Selena'' movie soundtrack (1997), Selena performs the song in a "soothing, elongated tempo". In the ''San Antonio Express-News'', Burr called the song a "prime cut", finding it "electrifying and bursting with energy", and seeing a "crowning achievement" for Selena. "Con Tanto Amor Medley", a three-song medley that includes a remix of "Como la Flor" with new arrangements by A. B., was added to the greatest hits album
''Ones'' (2002). Cobo said the track was created to fit an array of Latin music radio formats, with "Como la Flor" appealing to
regional Mexican music
Regional styles of Mexican music vary greatly from state to state. Norteño, banda, duranguense, Son mexicano and other Mexican country music genres are often known as regional Mexican music because each state produces different musical sounds ...
radio stations with the addition of
mariachi
Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...
-style trumpets.
In 1996,
Jennifer Peña
Jennifer Marcella Peña (born September 17, 1983) is an American Tejano/Latin pop singer who has sold over 3.5 million records internationally. Peña was born in San Antonio, Texas, and is the third and youngest daughter of Jaime and Mary Peñ ...
performed "Como la Flor", which impressed music executives in attendance. "Como la Flor" was the closing song on the Broadway musical ''
Selena Forever'' (2000), starring
Veronica Vasquez
Veronica Vasquez (born 18 October 1995) is an Argentine doctor working as an Anesthesiology, anesthesiologist, and the captain of the Argentina women's national cricket team. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, Vasquez was working in the F ...
as Selena, and in the Mexican musical ''Selena, El Musical'' (2006), with
Lidia Ávila in the title role. The recording is also the closing song of ''
Selena ¡VIVE!'' (2005). Olivia Tallet and Larry Rodarte of ''Mi Gente'' magazine called it the climax of the show. Other performances include
David Archuleta
David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American pop singer. At ten years old, he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition, leading to other television singing appearances. When he was twelve years old, he becam ...
at the
2010 Tejano Music Awards; and
Becky G
Rebbeca Marie Gomez (born March 2, 1997), known professionally as Becky G, is an American singer and actress. She first gained recognition in 2011 when she began posting videos of herself covering popular songs online. One of her videos caught t ...
at the 2018
Fiesta de la Flor. Cover versions include American actress
Jackie Cruz who received a positive reception from ''Billboard'' magazine; and
Angela Aguilar on her EP homage to Selena in 2020. Country singer
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American country singer. She has won six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Musgraves self-released three solo albums and one as Texa ...
received critical acclaim for her redention of "Como la Flor" at one of her concerts. Elia Esperanza's performance of "Como la Flor" during her audition on the
eleventh season of ''
The Voice
The Voice may refer to:
Fictional entities
* The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics
* The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe
* The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
'' debuted and peaked at number 21 on the ''Billboard'' Latin Digital Song Sales chart, while Selena's version re-entered the same chart at number 12. Esperanza wanted to perform "Como la Flor" to showcase her musical abilities.
Adam Levine turned first, before
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single " Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...
and
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
did, with Levine thanking her for "being different".
Cristian Castro's version, a duet with Selena that was created for ''
Enamorada de Ti
''Enamorada de Ti'' ( en, italic=yes, In Love with You) is the second remix album by American Tejano singer Selena. It was released posthumously on 3 April 2012 through Capitol Latin and Q-Productions. ''Enamorada de Ti'' was produced by Sergio ...
'' (2012), received mixed reviews from music critics. The duet debuted and peaked at number 25 on the ''Billboard'' Regional Mexican Digital Song Sales chart. Castro promoted the song at the
2012 ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards.
Jennifer Lopez, who played Selena in the
1997 biopic, performed a four-song medley at the
2015 ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards that included "Como la Flor", gaining positive reviews.
Aimee Garcia
Aimee Sandimés Garcia López de Ordóñez (born November 28, 1978) is an American actress and writer. She is known for her television roles as Veronica Palmero on the ABC sitcom ''George Lopez'', Yvonne Sanchez on the CBS period drama ''Veg ...
performed "Como la Flor" as part of her audition to play Selena in the biopic. English
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
video producers the Kabs Family uploaded a video of their four-year-old daughter singing "Como la Flor", which went
viral in March 2021. The staff of ''Billboard'' magazine described Kabs' singing as having "so much emotion".
Legacy and impact
![Jennifer Lopez 5, 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Jennifer_Lopez_5%2C_2012.jpg)
A. B. said that "Como la Flor" was ahead of its time. When writing for Selena's album ''
Amor Prohibido
''Amor Prohibido'' ( en, italic=yes, Forbidden Love) is the fourth studio album by American singer Selena, released on March 13, 1993, by EMI Latin. Having reached a core fan base, the label aimed to broaden her appeal with the next
studio rele ...
'' (1994), he said he found meeting expectations after the commercial success of ''Entre a Mi Mundo'' and "Como la Flor" challenging. When A. B. met with record executives in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, they pressured him to write another successful song. He said writing a successful song following "Como la Flor" was infeasible and told ''Billboard'' that; "you don't try to outdo a hit, you just write another hit".
"Como la Flor" has been regarded as Selena's
signature song and her "trademark", and has become a posthumous epithet and
swan song, as well as her most popular recording. The song has enjoyed international success, and has been credited for Selena's dominance of the Latin charts. It is one of her "most celebrated" songs and has become part of the
Texas musical cannon. A ''
Santa Ana Orange County Register'' writer described "Como la Flor" as a
Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
story and said it has lyrical parallels to Selena's life, saying that "by the time she blossomed, her life was cut short". Cathy Ragland of the ''Austin American Statesman'' agreed, comparing "Como la Flor" to Selena as being "a metaphor for her life—a beautiful, delicate creature", as did Raul Reyes of ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
''. According to Roiz, "Como la Flor", along with "
Dreaming of You" (1995) and "
Bidi Bidi Bom Bom
"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is a song recorded by American Tejano singer, Selena. It was released as the second single from her fourth studio album, ''Amor Prohibido'' (1994). Originally written about a cheerful fish swimming freely in the ocean, the son ...
" (1994), has "universal appeal". Burr also said "Como la Flor", among other recordings by Selena, has "instant appeal". The singer said "Como la Flor" was her "very first big record and the one that started making things click
or her and the band. Selena's popularity substantially grew following the song's release. According to Parédez, "Como la Flor" resonated with Latinos. It established Selena in the Tejano music market, which previously dismissed her works. Along with "La Carcacha" and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", "Como la Flor" launched Selena's commercial Tejano career, and brought her fame in the Tejano, and
Latin pop music markets.
Music executive Cameron Randle of
Arista Records
Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...
, said the song's use of cumbia music, which is considered a "musical passport" into Latin America, brought opportunities for Selena. Tejano cumbia is a simplified,
accordion
Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...
-driven, ''
conjunto
The term ''conjunto'' (, literally 'group', 'ensemble') refers to several types of small musical ensembles present in different Latin American musical traditions, mainly in Mexico and Cuba. While Mexican conjuntos play styles such as '' norteño' ...
'' style of cumbia music. Selena transculturated Tejano cumbia by adding
ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
,
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
,
hip-hop, and
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
into her repertoire. With the additions of
African-American music
African-American music is an umbrella term covering a diverse range of music and musical genres largely developed by African Americans and their culture. Their origins are in musical forms that first came to be due to the condition of slave ...
into Tejano cumbia, Selena was able to exploit the under-explored cultural similarities between Mexican-Americans and African Americans. According to essayist
Ilan Stavans
Ilan Stavans (born Ilan Stavchansky on April 7, 1961) is a Mexican-American author and academic. He writes and speaks on American, Hispanic, and Jewish cultures. He is the author of ''Quixote'' (2015) and a contributor to the ''Norton Anthology ...
, "Como la Flor" along with "
Baila Esta Cumbia
"Baila Esta Cumbia" (English: "Dance This Cumbia") is a song recorded by American Tejano music, Tejano singer Selena for her second studio album, ''Ven Conmigo (album), Ven Conmigo'' (1990). It was released as the second single by EMI Latin on Aug ...
" (1990) and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", helped bridge Tejano music and Latin pop, gave Tejano a "far brighter spotlight" in the public consciousness, and marked the emergence of Latin pop.
Leila Cobo
Leila Cobo is a Colombian journalist, writer, novelist, pianist and television show host. She is noted for her coverage of Latin music for ''Billboard'' where she is currently the Chief Content Officer for Latin Music and Español, overseeing the ...
said the recording, along with "La Carcacha", is an example of Selena's best work. Throughout the 1990s, "Como la Flor" and "La Carcacha" were constantly played at parties in Latino communities in the US and Mexico. Selena bridged her Mexican-American roots with her American heritage with songs such as "Como la Flor" and "La Carcacha", which allowed her to "conquer Mexico" in the 1990s. Wallace said the song is a possible contender for official
Texas state song, noting its significance at ''
quinceaneras'' and proms in the state since its release. ''
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...
'' writers Shane Harrison,
Nick Marino, and Sonia Murray chose "Como la Flor" as one of Texas' contributions to
popular music
Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...
.
In 1996, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' writer Joe Nick Patoski, published a biography of Selena entitled ''Selena: Como la Flor'', which literary critics considered "the most insightful portrayal
f Selena. The city of Corpus Christi erected a life-size, bronze statue called
Mirador de la Flor
Mirador de la Flor ( en, Overlook of the Flower) is a monument in Corpus Christi, Texas, that honors Tejano musician Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who was murdered in 1995 at age 23. About 30,000 people visit the monument every year. It is locate ...
; years after its inception, the city erected speakers that play "Como la Flor" above the statue. In 1997,
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
released ''Selena'', which stars Lopez in the title role. In a scene in the film, Selena manages a rowdy crowd at a fair by performing a downtempo version of "Como la Flor". Lopez portrays Selena's live performances of "Como la Flor"; after the opening chords "crest and fall", she slowly sings the song's chorus, "taking her time with each phrase". She then pulls away the microphone before singing the final line, and dramatically pauses and "cast
her performative spell", before the song merges into an upbeat song. ''Billboard'' called the scene one of the film's top-eight moments. During an interview with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
said people in Europe would have been singing along to "Como la Flor" had Selena lived longer. In April 1997, Selena's boutique and beauty salon
released a perfume bottle bearing the name of the song. Selena had chosen the scents before her death. Roiz said it is a "must-have
in anyone's playlist". In 2016,
unveiled their Selena collection that includes a lipstick called "Como la Flor", which Selena's sister
said is a "beautiful red-tone color, a signature color that my sister would wear when performing onstage". Greg Gonzalez, singer-songwriter of
" (2019), which is inspired by "Como la Flor". In December 2020, to promote its streaming video series ''
ing to "Como la Flor" with the hashtag "TodosComoLaFlor". Participants began uploading their videos on
. The song was used in the second season of the
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