"Si Una Vez" ( en, If I Once) is a song recorded by American recording artist

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 fourth studio 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). It was written by

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 produced by Selena's 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 ...

. "Si Una Vez" is a

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 ...

fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

song and draws influence from

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: ...

and Latin dance music. Lyrically, Selena questions why she ever fell in love with an abusive partner, saying she will never repeat her mistakes. The lyrics suggest

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 Dic ...

and female empowerment. "Si Una Vez" received positive reviews from music critics who found the song to have showcase the singer's vocal abilities. The Broadcast Music Inc. recognized it as the Single of the Year at the 1996 BMI Pop Awards. Many musicians have since recorded the song and released it on their respective albums including Mexican mariachi singer

Alicia Villareal Martha Alicia Villarreal Esparza (born August 31, 1971), known simply and professionally as Alicia Villarreal, is a Mexican singer-songwriter. Villarreal participated in different bands in Monterrey, before becoming the lead singer for Grupo ...

, American reggaeton performer

Ivy Queen Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez (born March 4, 1972), known professionally as Ivy Queen, is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. She is considered one of the pioneers of the reggaeton genre, commonly referred to as the Qu ...

, American indie rock band

Girl in a Coma Girl In a Coma was an American indie rock band from San Antonio, Texas, United States, formerly on Joan Jett's Blackheart Records label. The band consisted of Nina (vocals/guitar), Phanie Diaz (drums) and Jenn Alva ( bass). The name is a refer ...

, and American salsa singer

Manny Manuel Cruz Manuel Hernández Santiago (born December 1, 1972), known artistically as Manny Manuel, is a Puerto Rican musician and singer of merengue, bolero, and tropical music. He became famous first as a member of the group Los Sabrosos del Merengu ...

. The latter's version peaked at number one on the United States ''

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 ...

Tropical Songs The Tropical Airplay chart (formerly known as Tropical/Salsa and Tropical Songs) is a record chart published by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine introduced in 1994. The first number-one song on the chart was "Quién Eres Tú (Luis Enri ...

chart, and ended 1995 as the fourteenth most successful U.S. tropical song.

Background and composition

"Si Una Vez" was written by

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 ...

backup dancer and vocalist

. The song was co-written by

's brother-producer

who, along with Argentine musician

Bebu Silvetti Juan Fernando Silvetti Adorno (27 March 1944 – 5 July 2003), professionally known as Bebu Silvetti or simply Silvetti, was an Argentine- born Mexican pianist, composer, conductor, arranger, and record producer. In the 1970s he moved to M ...

, served as producers. Keyboardist of the group,

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 ...

retold in a 2002 interview how the band hired a professional

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...

to record parts of the song. In the live version performed at the

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 ...

for Selena’s last concert in 1995, the trumpet intro was mostly replaced with a bell synth playing the background melodies. "Si Una Vez" is a Spanish-language

track with influences of

and Latin dance music. Author Deborah Paredez called "Si Una Vez" as having punk music undertones. In 2002, A.B. spoke on how ''Amor Prohibido'' was

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

-heavy and commented on how "Si Una Vez" was an example of his ideas of keeping the band's image modern. The song makes use of the Guitarrón guitar under a cumbia

beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery (c ...

. "Si Una Vez" 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 ...

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for t ...

and is played in a moderate groove of 84

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. It incorporates music from several musical instruments, including the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

. Lyrically, Selena reminiscences her failed relationship and wonders why she ever fell in love with an abusive partner who betrayed and left her, vowing to never allow a man like that back into her life. The lyrics suggest

and female empowerment.

Critical reception and legacy

"Si Una Vez" was named by the ''Latin Times'' as one of the top-ten best karaoke songs sung in Spanish. Writing for the ''Latin Times'', Maria Valdez called the song "fun" especially when running into your former partner at a karaoke party and found the track to showcases a singer's vocal abilities.

Texas Public Radio Texas Public Radio, or TPR is the on-air name for a group of public radio stations serving south central Texas - including San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country - and the Big Country region of West Central Texas. All are affiliated with Nati ...

's Nathan Cone, said "the song "resonates best" with

South Texas South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of—and includes—San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of this region is about 4.96 ...

". ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' contributor David Browne, commented on Selena's vocals as being "full-throated, warbling" and that it "recalls

Lydia Mendoza Lydia Mendoza (May 31, 1916December 20, 2007) was a Mexican-American guitarist and singer of Tejano and traditional Mexican-American music. Historian Michael Joseph Corcoran has stated that she was "The Mother of Tejano Music", an art form tha ...

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' ...

's leading lady." A ''

New University In the UK, a post-1992 university, synonymous with new university or modern university, is a former polytechnic or central institution that was given university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, or an institution that h ...

'' writer found the recording to have "showcase

he singer's He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

passion with her vocals." Selena performed the song during one her final performances on March 12, 1995 during the

Calle Ocho Festival The Calle Ocho Music Festival (''Festival de la Calle Ocho'') is a one-day fiesta that culminates Carnaval Miami. It takes place in March in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, Florida between SW 12th Avenue and 27th Avenue on SW 8th Street. ...

in Miami, which attracted over 100,000 fans. Selena was shot and killed by

Yolanda Saldívar Yolanda Saldívar (; born September 19, 1960) is an American former nurse who was convicted of the Murder of Selena, murder of singer Selena in 1995. Saldívar had been the president of Selena's fan club and the manager of her boutiques, but she ...

, her friend and former manager of the singer's

Selena Etc. Selena Etc. was a South Texas-based boutique and beauty salon, which was founded and owned by the late American singer, Selena. Selena Etc. finished its building on January 27, 1994, in Corpus Christi, Texas, which was the headquarters buildi ...

clothing boutiques, on March 31, 1995. Selena's performance of the song during 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 on February 26, 1995, was emulated by

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

as her role as the singer for the 1997

biopic film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

about Selena. "Si Una Vez" is considered by ''

'' magazine to be one of Selena's

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

Terra Terra may often refer to: * Terra (mythology), primeval Roman goddess * An alternate name for planet Earth, as well as the Latin name for the planet Terra may also refer to: Geography Astronomy * Terra (satellite), a multi-national NASA scienti ...

named "Si Una Vez" as one of Selena's "most famous works" along with her other songs "

El Chico del Apartamento 512 "El Chico del Apartamento 512" (English: The boy from Apartment 512) is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena for her fourth studio album, ''Amor Prohibido'' (1994). It was released along with "Fotos y Recuerdos" in January 1995, s ...

", "

" and "

Fotos y Recuerdos "Fotos y Recuerdos" ( en, Pictures and Memories) is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena for her fourth studio album, ''Amor Prohibido'' (1994). It was released by EMI Latin in January 1995, as the fourth single. A cover version of ...

". The

Broadcast Music, Inc. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 milli ...

(BMI) recognized "Si Una Vez" at the BMI Pop Music Awards as Single of the Year in 1996.

Covers

Mexican singer Mary Boquitas recorded the song for the

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

''Mexico Recuerda a Selena'' (2005). Mexican mariachi singer

performed and recorded "Si Una Vez" for the live televised tribute concert '' Selena ¡VIVE!'' in April 2005. American

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American Hip hop m ...

singer

covered "Si Una Vez" for her fifth studio album '' Flashback'' (2005). She said in an interview how she felt "honored to be able to cover one of Selena's songs". Ivy Queen chose to cover "Si Una Vez" finding it to be identifiable to her and because of the song's message which the singer stood for. Jonathan Widran of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called her versions a "reggaetón-ed up twist". In 2010, indie rock group

recorded a punk cover of "Si Una Vez". The group decided to record the song because it was their favorite recordings of Selena. Girl in a Coma performed the song live during the

2010 Tejano Music Awards The Tejano Music Awards (TMA) is an accolade created by former arts teacher and musician Rudy Trevino in 1980. The accolade recognizes outstanding performers of Tejano music, a German polka music, polka-based Latin music (genre), Latin music genre ...

as a homage to Selena. In April 2011, A.B.'s band

Kumbia All-Starz Los Kumbia All Starz are an American musical group from Corpus Christi, Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas, created by A.B. Quintanilla. Kumbia All Starz are not to be confused with Los Kumbia Kings although some members are originally from Los Kumbia Ki ...

performed their version of the song during their tour for ''

La Vida De Un Genio ''La Vida de un Genio'' (English: ''The Life of a Genius'') is the third studio album by Mexican-American cumbia group A.B. Quintanilla y Los Kumbia All Starz and the seventh studio album by Mexican-American musician A.B. Quintanilla. It was relea ...

'' (2010) in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. Colombian singer

Kali Uchis Karly-Marina Loaiza (born July 17, 1994), known professionally as Kali Uchis ( ), is an American singer. She released her debut mixtape, ''Drunken Babble'', in 2012, which was followed by her debut EP, ''Por Vida'', released in 2015. In 2018, Uc ...

performed "Si Una Vez" at the 2015

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

festival. ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'' magazine found Uchis' performance to have given them "shivers".

Charts

Certifications

Awards

Covers

Manny Manuel version

American merengue musician

covered the song on his debut album, ''El Rey de Corazones'' (1995). Out of the five singles released from the album, "Si Una Vez" was Manuel's most successful single off of the ''El Rey de Corazones'' album. The song debuted at number 29 on the United States ''Billboard''

Hot Latin Tracks The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, rad ...

and number three on the U.S.

chart. The following week, "Si Una Vez" rose to numbers 22 and two on the Hot Latin Songs and Tropical Songs chart, respectively. On October 14, 1995, the track climbed to number 21 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, while it fell to number four on the Tropical Songs chart. In its fourth week, "Si Una Vez" jumped to number 18 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, while over at the Tropical Songs chart the song rose to number three. Despite increased airplay spins, "Si Una Vez" fell to number 20 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. On November 11, 1995, "Si Una Vez" peaked at number one on the Tropical Songs chart for one week, receiving airplay honors that week.

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Play-N-Skillz version

Hip-hop production duo Play-N-Skillz produced a cover of the song, featuring

Frankie J Francisco Javier Bautista Jr. (born December 7, 1975), better known by his stage name Frankie J, is a Mexican-American singer and former member of the musical group Kumbia Kings. Born in Mexico, he grew up in San Diego and became a freestyle ar ...

Leslie Grace Leslie Grace Martínez (born January 7, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. For her work as a singer she has received three Latin Grammy Award nominations. She starred as Nina Rosario in Jon M. Chu's film adaptation ''In the He ...

and

Wisin Juan Luis Morera Luna (; born December 19, 1978), best known as his stage name Wisin (), is a Puerto Rican reggaeton rapper, singer and record producer, best known as a member of the reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel. Wisin is noted for his unique and ...

Spanglish Spanglish (a portmanteau of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is mos ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

versions of the song, with

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 ...

and

Kap G George Ramirez (born July 31, 1994), better known by his stage name Kap G, is an Mexican-American rapper. He is best known for his song "Girlfriend", which peaked at number 10 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. Early life George Ramirez was ...

in place of Grace and Wisin, were released on February and March 2017 and are included in the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

of the 2017 video game ''

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands ''Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands'' is a third-person tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Paris in collaboration with Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Montpellier, Ubisoft Annecy, Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Belgra ...

''. The track has gone on to peak at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Latin Rhythm Digital Song Sales and number two on the US ''Billboard'' Latin Digital Song Sales.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales

Credits and personnel

All credits were taken from the album's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

. *Selena – vocals *Joe Ojeda – keyboards *

– keyboards *

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, Te ...

– guitar *

Suzette Quintanilla 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 ...

– drums * Los Dinos –

bajo sexto Bajo sexto (Spanish: "sixth bass") is a Mexican string instrument from the guitar family with 12 strings in six double courses. A closely related instrument is the bajo quinto (Spanish: "fifth bass") which has 10 strings in five double courses. ...

A.B. Quintanilla III 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 ...

– writer *

– writer *Lisette Lorenzo –

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

References

Notes

* * *

External links

Official Selena Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Si Una Vez 1994 songs 1995 singles American Latin music songs Selena songs Manny Manuel songs Ivy Queen songs Frankie J songs Becky G songs Wisin songs Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Cumbia songs Tejano music songs Salsa songs Reggaeton songs Merengue songs Video game soundtracks Spanish-language songs Songs written by A. B. Quintanilla Songs written by Pete Astudillo Song recordings produced by Bebu Silvetti Song recordings produced by A. B. Quintanilla Song recordings produced by Rafy Mercenario Songs with feminist themes EMI Latin singles RMM Records singles

Background and composition

Critical reception and legacy

Covers

Charts

Certifications

Awards

Covers

Manny Manuel version

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Play-N-Skillz version

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales

Credits and personnel

See also

References

Notes

External links