''Live!'' or ''Selena Live!'' is a live album by American Tejano pop 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 ...

, which was released on May 4, 1993 by

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 E ...

. The album was re-released on September 22, 2002 as being part of the ''Selena: 20 Years of Music'' collection; which included spoken liner notes by her family, friends and her former band members

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 ...

. ''Live!'' includes three

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: ...

-influenced studio tracks, while the rest of the album consists of live versions of previously released songs. The album was recorded during a free concert at the Memorial Coliseum in

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...

, on February 7, 1993. It was certified gold (Latin type) by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in its first year, double platinum (Latin type) in 1995, and gold (standard) in 2002. ''Live!'' led Selena to win a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Mexican-American Album at the 36th Grammy Awards, the first Tejano musician to do so. It had won two awards from the 1994 ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards, and three awards at the

1994 Tejano Music Awards The 14th Annual Tejano Music Awards were held on March 14, 1994, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The Tejano Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony recognizing the accomplishments of Tejano music musicians from the prior year. Award win ...

. ''Live!'' peaked at number one on the US

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 ...

, number two on the

Top Latin Albums Top Latin Albums is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine and is labeled as the most important music chart for Spanish language, full-length albums in the American music market. Like all ''Billboard'' album charts, the chart is based ...

and number 79 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Soon after the release of ''Live!'', the album received mostly positive reviews from music critics who claimed the album was "foreshadowing" ''

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), and that Selena was the Mexican equivalent of

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

. The album spawned three singles, which were simultaneously in the top five positions on the

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 ...

chart.

Production and development

In early 1993,

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 ...

—band manager and father of

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

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 ...

—sent in a request for

to release a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

. After the company accepted, Abraham rented out the Memorial Coliseum for February 7, 1993. It was advertised in local newspapers, while an unspecified number of tickets were given to

radio programmer Broadcast programming is the practice of organizing or ordering (scheduling) of broadcast media shows, typically radio and television, in a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or season-long schedule. Modern broadcasters use broadcast automation ...

s and

deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

s in South Texas for their giveaway promotions.

Synopsis

The show featured

; Selena as lead vocals 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 ...

, A.B. on bass, Suzette on drums, the singer's husband Chris Perez on

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

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 Joe Ojeda on

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

. There was no

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 ...

for the show, the band performed live in front of 3,000 and free-flowed with A.B. choosing the songs that the band would perform. The show began with the songs "

Como la Flor "Como la Flor" ("Like the Flower") is a song that was recorded by American singer Selena for her third studio album ''Entre a Mi Mundo'' (1992). It was written by A. B. Quintanilla and Pete Astudillo. The song was conceptualized in 1982 afte ...

" and "

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 ...

", the singer asked Suzette's fiance Billy Arriaga on stage to perform with her. According to Perez, the band performed an unspecified number of songs that night that were ultimately left out of the album. He explained in a 2002 interview how one of those songs included the original version of "

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 ...

," which was later released on ''

'' in 1994 .

Song structure and lyrical content

"No Debes Jugar", the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from ''Live!'', was written and produced by

, Selena's brother and the producer of her music, lead keyboardist for the band

, and

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 ...

, an Argentine music producer. "No Debes Jugar" is a

Mexican cumbia Mexican cumbia is a type of cumbia, a music which originated in Colombia but was reinvented and adapted in Mexico. Origins The cumbia started in Colombia in the 1800s. In the 1940s Colombian singer Luis Carlos Meyer Castandet emigrated to Mexic ...

rock song that centers the organ as its

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

foundation. Ramiro Burr 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 it ...

'' stated that Selena blended Mexican polka rhythms with melodic, synth-driven pop hooks in "No Debes Jugar" and "La Llamada". "No Debes Jugar" received a Song of the Year nomination at the

. "No Debes Jugar" is performed on

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

with 89

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 ( ...

. Lyrically the song describes a woman whose life is centered on being unappreciated by her boyfriend. Tired and ready to do anything, she finally stands up for herself announcing that she is done playing around and threatens to leave. It peaked at number three on the US

Latin Regional Mexican Airplay 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 ...

and the

Latin Pop Airplay Latin Pop Airplay (also referred to as Latin Pop Songs) is a record chart published on ''Billboard'' magazine and a subchart of the Latin Airplay chart. The chart focuses on Latin pop music, namely Spanish-language pop music. It was established b ...

charts simultaneously. "

La Llamada "La Llamada" ( en, "The Phone Call") is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena for her first live album '' Live!'' (1993). It was composed by Selena y Los Dinos backup singer Pete Astudillo and Selena's brother and principal record ...

", the second

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

released from ''Live!'', was written and produced by Quintanilla III and Astudillo.

Howard Blumenthal Howard Blumenthal is an American television and new media producer, author, educator, and executive. Born and raised in New York City and nearby suburbs, he is the son of author and ''Concentration'' producer Norm Blumenthal, and the grandson of ra ...

wrote in his book ''The world music CD listener's guide'' that "La Llamada" is an "energetic" song. It is set in

A major A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A major is the only k ...

with 90 beats per minute. "La Llamada" describes a woman telling her boyfriend over the phone that she saw him kissing another girl, while her boyfriend tries to persuade to her that it was not him. It peaked at number five on the Hot Latin Tracks, number six on the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay and number eight on the Latin Pop Airplay chart. " Tú Robaste Mi Corazón" is a duet with "The King of Tejano music" singer

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 ...

. It was released as the second promotional single from ''Live!'' and was written and produced by Quintanilla III, Vela and Silvetti. Blumenthal wrote in his book that the song is a "great love duet". Paul Verna wrote that Selena's fans were "not growing weary" of "Como Quisiera" ('' Preciosa'') and "Tú Robaste Mi Corazón". He also noted that the two songs were "slow-paced love songs" and were potential singles from the posthumous album ''

Siempre Selena ''Siempre Selena'' ( en, italic=yes, Always Selena) is the second posthumously released album by American singer Selena, released by EMI Latin on October 29, 1996. The album contained mostly unreleased recordings and remixes of previously rele ...

'' (1996). "Tú Robaste Mi Corazón" is composed 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 ...

F major with 130 beats per minute. The song describes a woman and a man finding harmony and love in each other while also feeling emotions never felt before in their lives. "Tú Robaste Mi Corazón" peaked at number five on the Hot Latin Tracks, number eight on the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay and number six on the Latin Pop Airplay charts.

Critical reception

Sarah M. Misemer wrote in her book ''Secular saints: performing Frida Kahlo, Carlos Gardel, Eva Perón, and Selena'' that ''Live!'' and ''

'' (1994) were the two most successful albums of Selena's career. Joey Guerra of

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

wrote that ''Live!'' is a "sizzling reminder of elena'selectric stage charisma and blossoming talent as a performer". Guerra also stated that the songs performed live had showcased Selena's "uncanny ability to infuse a love song with both girlish innocence and a heated sexuality". He noted that "

Como La Flor "Como la Flor" ("Like the Flower") is a song that was recorded by American singer Selena for her third studio album ''Entre a Mi Mundo'' (1992). It was written by A. B. Quintanilla and Pete Astudillo. The song was conceptualized in 1982 afte ...

", "

" and " La Carcacha" were examples of his claims. He also states that any listener can feel the "heat seeping through your speakers". Guerra ended his review stating that ''Live!'' "foreshadows" ''Amor Prohibido'' (1994).

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

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 ...

wrote that ''Live!'' had offered proof of Selena being an "energetic ndexciting performer". Erlewine noted that Selena performed live versions of her "most popular numbers" in front of an "enthusiastic audience". Erlewine ended his review stating that ''Live!'' had "capture some of that energy and shows why she was so popular". Shortly after the album's release music critics began calling Selena the Mexican equivalent of

Awards and nominations

''Live!'' was the first Tejano album to have won a

. The album won the Best Mexican-American Album at the 1994 ceremony.

's president believed Selena was ready to record and release a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

album that would have catapulted her career into the English-language market. Selena was then signed with

SBK Records SBK Records was a record label, owned by Universal Music Group, that was currently part of the Capitol Music Group, where it is in hibernation. The label was founded in 1988 and during its time in activity existed as part of the EMI Group. Histo ...

in November 1993, however, recording for the album would not begin until a year later. In May 1994, ''Live!'' was named Album of the Year by the ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards. The album also led Selena to win Regional Mexican Vocalist of the Year. At the

, Selena won Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year – Orchestra and was named Female Entertainer of The Year, while the album was nominated for Record of the Year. At the 1994 Lo Nuestro Awards, it was nominated Regional Mexican Album of the Year.

Commercial performance

''Live!'' was released on May 4, 1993. It was certified gold (Latin type) by the

for shipments of 100,000 copies in the United States its first year. On April 22, 1995, the album debuted at number 146 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart following Selena's

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

the month prior. The album peaked at number 79 on May 13, 1995 before it slipped off the chart on June 3, 1995. ''Live!'' debuted at number four on the

chart, it then peaked at number three within three months of its release. The album remained on the chart, taking the top 20 spots. ''Live!'' temporarily slipped off the charts and re-entered at number 47 in January 1995, before it went off the chart again. The album took the third spot on the chart following Selena's murder. A week later, the album peaked at number two before it hovered the top ten spots and then slipped off the charts a year later. In 1997, ''Live!'' was then certified

double platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

(Latin type) for shipments of 200,000 copies. ''Live!'' debuted at number eight on the

Latin 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, ...

chart, then slipped off the charts for nearly a month. It reentered and peaked at number one for seven consecutive weeks. The album remained in the top 10 for two years. The album went to number two following Selena's murder. ''Live!'' sold more than 250,000 copies in Mexico.

Track listing

*Track listing were adapted from

Personnel

Credits are taken from the album's liner notes. ;Managerial * A&R –

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 ...

* Producer – A.B. Quintanilla III, Bebu Silvetti * Executive producer – Jorge Alberto Pino,

* Marketing –

, Suzette Quintanilla * Management –

;Performance credits * Vocals – Selena Quintanilla-Pérez ;Visuals and imagery *

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 ...

– Lisette Lorenzo *

Clothing design Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...

– Selena, Martin Gomez *

Hair stylist A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be refe ...

– Rosa Sullivan, Mark Duncan * Make-up – Lisette Lorenzo * Photography – Maurice Rinaldi * Stylist – Martin Gomez ;Instruments * Drums – Suzette Quintanilla * Guitar-

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 ...

, A.B. Quintanilla III, Henry Gomez * Keyboards – Joe Ojeda, Ricky Vela *

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 ...

- Johnny Saenz * Trumpet – Rene Gasca *

Trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

– Gilbert Garza *

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 ;Technical and production *

Arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

– Joe Ojeda, Chris Perez, Ricky Vela *Songwriters – A.B. Quintanilla III, Selena, Ricky Vela, Pete Astudillo, Chris Perez, Jorge Luis Borrego,

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...

, Barrio Boyzz, K. C Porter, Miguel Flores, Suzette Quintanilla, Abraham Quintanilla Jr, *

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

– Brian "Red" Moore, Malcolm Harper, Ron Morales *Engineering assistants – Suzette Quintanilla, Abraham Quintanilla Jr *Executive producers – Jorge Alberto Pino *Mastering - Bob Ludwig * Mixing – Manny Guerra *Mixing assistants – A.B. Quintanilla III *Production – A.B. Quintanilla III,

, Jorge Alberto Pino, Guillermo Johnson Page, Gregg Vickers, Brain "Red" Moore *Liner notes: Suzette Quintanilla,

Nir Seroussi Nir Seroussi is a music executive, producer and songwriter. He is currently Executive Vice President at Interscope Geffen A&M Records. He was previously the President of Sony Music U.S. Latin. Early life and education Born in Israel, Nir Serous ...

*Concept: Gregg Vickers *Reissue Producer: Guillermo J. Page

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

External links

Official Selena Website
{{Authority control 1993 live albums EMI Latin live albums Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album Tejano Music Award winners for Album of the Year Selena live albums Albums produced by A.B. Quintanilla Spanish-language live albums Albums recorded at Q-Productions