"Dame Tu Amor" ( en, "Give Me Your Love") is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena for her second

LP record The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...

, ''Alpha'' (1986). Lyrically, the narrator addresses her infatuation to give her his love as she is longing for him to do so with a kiss that ensures admiration for her. The themes explored in the song suggest solicit love. "Dame Tu Amor" is a ranchera ballad with cumbia influences. It was composed by Richard Brooks,

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 ...

, and Selena's father and manager,

Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. 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 ...

Critics praised the song for its instrumentation and lyrical content and has since been in several compilation albums following Selena's death in 1995. "Dame Tu Amor" peaked at number 31 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Ringtones The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the '' ...

chart in 2006.

Background and composition

"Dame Tu Amor" was written in 1985 by Richard Brooks, keyboardist for Selena y Los Dinos—

—and Selena's father and manager,

Selena was 14 years old during recording sessions for the song, and it was later included on her second

, ''Alpha'', in 1986. The recording was arranged by Brian "Red" Moore, a family friend, and Ray Paz. Rolando Hernandez performed the guitar parts, while Vela used his keyboards to record the piano parts of the song. While additional vocals were provided by former guitarist of the group, Roger Garcia.

Critical reception and release

"Dame Tu Amor" was well received by music critics. Josh Kun of ''Salon'' noted that the remix version, found on the triple box-set ''Anthology'', has "enough brass and string to make it sound like a Bacharach-penned ranchero." Mario Tarradell of '' The Dallas Morning News'' called the recording an "infectious cumbia ong" The recording has been released in several compilation albums including, ''

Anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

'' (1998), ''Y Sus Inicios, Vol. 1'' (2003), ''Y Sus Inicios, Vol. 2'' (2004) and ''Classic Series, Vol. 1'' (2006).

Chart performance

On the week ending September 23, 2006, "Dame Tu Amor" debuted and peaked at number 31 on the US ''

chart.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dame Tu Amor Selena songs 1980s ballads 1986 songs Cumbia songs Ranchera songs Contemporary R&B ballads Songs written by Ricky Vela Songs written by A. B. Quintanilla Spanish-language songs