Selena Live!
Encyclopedia
"Live!" or "Selena Live!" is a live album
by American Tejano pop
singer Selena
, released on May 4, 1993 by EMI Latin
. The album was re-released on September 22, 2002 as part of the Selena: 20 Years of Music collection that included spoken liner notes by her family, friends and her former band
. Live! incorporated three cumbia-influenced studio tracks, while the rest of the album were live versions of previously released songs. The album was recorded live during a free concert at the Memorial Coliseum
in Corpus Christi
on February 7, 1993. Upon the album's release, it was certified gold (Latin type)
by the Recording Industry Association of America
in its first year, double platinum (Latin type) in 1995, and gold (standard) in 2002.
The album led Selena to win an unprecedented feat in the Tejano market, by winning a Grammy Award
for "Best Mexican/American Album
" at the 36th Grammy Awards. Live! had won two prestigious awards from the Billboard Latin Music Awards
and three awards at the 1994 Tejano Music Awards
. The album peaked at number-one on the US Regional Mexican Albums
, number two on the Top Latin Albums and number 79 on the Billboard 200
. The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics who claimed the album was "foreshadowing" Amor prohibido
(1994), while many agreed that Selena was the Mexican equivalent of Madonna
, soon after the album's release. The album spawned three singles, which simultaneously hovered the top 5 positions, respectively, on the Hot Latin Tracks chart.
in January 1993, Selena had decided to record a live album, while she focused on her clothing venture in Texas. On February 7, 1993, Selena held a free concert to a crowd of 3,000 at the Memorial Coliseum
in Corpus Christi
. The set list
performed during the concert was released as a live album on May 4, 1993. Pete Astudillo
, who was a former backup singer for the band
, remained touring with Selena on the Live! Tour
. The song "Perdóname", which was included in the track listing of the album, was performed as an original song by Astudillo. The song was later released on his second studio album Como Nadie (1993). Another original song performed by Astudillo, "¿Porque Le Gusta Bailar Cumbia?", was also included in the track listing of Live! and was released on Como Nadie. The three cumbia-influence tracks, "No debes jugar
", "La llamada
" and "Tú robaste mi corazón
", were the only studio tracks of the album.
", the lead single
from Live!, was written and produced by Selena's brother and the producer of her music, A.B. Quintanilla III, keyboardist
for the band Ricky Vela
and Bebu Silvetti
, an Argentine
music producer. "No debes jugar" is a Mexican cumbia
song influenced with rock
that centers the organ
as its musical instrument
foundation. Ramiro Burr of the Houston Chronicle
stated that Selena had 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 1994 Tejano Music Awards
. "No debes jugar" is performed on F major
with 89 beats per minute. Lyrically the song describes about a women whose life is centered around being unaccredited and unappreciated from her boyfriend, tried and relentless to do anything, she finally stands up for herself announcing that she is done playing around and threatens to leave. The song peaked at number three on the US Hot Latin Tracks, Latin Regional Mexican Airplay
and the Latin Pop Airplay
charts simultaneously.
"La llamada
", the first promotional single released from Live!, was written and produced by Quintanilla III and former backup singer for the band, Pete Astudillo
. Howard Blumenthal
wrote in his book The world music CD listener's guide that "La llamada" was an "energetic" song. The song is set in A major
with 90 beats per minute. Lyrically the song describes a women telling her boyfriend over the phone, that she saw him kissing another girl, while her boyfriend tries to persuade to her by denying that it was not him. The song tries to convey the listener about a wrongful relationship. "La llamada" 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 Tejano singer Emilio Navaira. It was released as the second promotional single from Live! and was written and produced by Quintanilla III, Vela and Silvetti. Howard Blumenthal wrote in his book The world music CD listener's guide that the song was a "great love duet". Paul Verna wrote that Selena's fans were "not growing weary" to "Como Quisiera" (Preciosa
) and "Tú robaste mi corazón". Verna noted that the two songs were "slow-paced love songs" and were potential singles from the posthumous album Siempre Selena
(1996). "Tú robaste mi corazón" was set in F major with 130 beats per minute. Lyrically the song conveys the story of a women 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.
for shipments of 50,000 copies in the United States its first year. The album was then certified double platinum
(Latin type) for shipments of 200,000 copies. The album then had won an unprecedented feat in the Tejano market by winning a Grammy Award
for "Best Mexican/American Album
" at the 36th Grammy Awards. While being the first Tejano artist to have won a Grammy Award, EMI Latin
's president believed Selena was ready to record and release a crossover
album that would have catapulted Selena's career in the English-language market.
In May 1994, Live! had won the "Album of the Year" a prestigious award from the Billboard Latin Music Awards
. The album also led Selena to win "Regional Mexican Vocalist of the Year". Live! was certified platinum in Mexico by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON) in 1996 for selling 100,000 copies. At the 1994 Tejano Music Awards
, Selena had won "Female Vocalist of the Year
", "Album of the Year - Orchestra" and "Female Entertainer of The Year". Live! was nominated for "Record of the Year".
chart following Selena's murder
on April 22, 1995. 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 Top Latin Albums chart, it then peaked at number three within three months of its release. The album remained on the chart, hovering the top 20 spots, respectively. Live! temporarily slipped off the charts and reentered at number 47 in January 1995, before it was taken 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 10 spots and then slipped off the charts a year later. Live! debuted at number eight on the Latin Regional Mexican Albums chart, however, with decline sales the album slipped off the charts for nearly a month. It reentered and peaked at number-one for seven consecutive weeks. The album hovered the top 10 spots for two years. The album took the second slot, respectively, following Selena's murder. It hovered the top 10 spots for a additional two years.
(1994) were the two most successful albums to Selena's career. Joey Guerra of Amazon.com
wrote that Live! is a "sizzling reminder of [Selena's] electric 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
", "Baila esta cumbia
" and "La carcacha
" were the 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! "foreshadow" Amor prohbidio (1994). Stephen Thomas Erlewine
of Allmusic, wrote that Live! had offered validated proof of Selena being an "energetic [and] exciting 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[d] 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 Madonna
.
Managerial
Performance credits
Visuals and imagery
Instruments
Technical and production
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
by American Tejano pop
Tejano music
Tejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
singer Selena
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez , known simply as Selena, was a Mexican American singer-songwriter. She was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits...
, released on May 4, 1993 by EMI Latin
EMI Latin
EMI Televisa Music, also known as EMI Latin and EMI International, is a subsidiary of EMI which focuses on Latin American music....
. The album was re-released on September 22, 2002 as part of the Selena: 20 Years of Music collection that included spoken liner notes by her family, friends and her former band
Selena y Los Dinos
Selena y Los Dinos was the band in which Grammy-Award-winning Tejano music singer Selena performed, until her death on March 31, 1995. Selena fronted the band since 1980, started by her father Abraham Quintanilla, Jr....
. Live! incorporated three cumbia-influenced studio tracks, while the rest of the album were live versions of previously released songs. The album was recorded live during a free concert at the Memorial Coliseum
Memorial Coliseum (Corpus Christi)
The Memorial Coliseum of Corpus Christi, Texas, was situated on the bayfront and was demolished in June 2010.-Dedication:The Coliseum was dedicated on September 26, 1954 to 400 men and women who gave their lives in World War II. The dedication was sponsored by the Gold Star Mothers of Texas and...
in Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
on February 7, 1993. Upon the album's release, it was certified gold (Latin type)
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in its first year, double platinum (Latin type) in 1995, and gold (standard) in 2002.
The album led Selena to win an unprecedented feat in the Tejano market, by winning a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for "Best Mexican/American Album
Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album
The Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album was an honor presented to recording artists for quality albums in the Mexican music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
" at the 36th Grammy Awards. Live! had won two prestigious awards from the Billboard Latin Music Awards
Billboard Latin Music Awards
The Billboard Latin Music Awards grew out of the Billboard Music Awards program from Billboard Magazine, an industry publication charting the sales and radio airplay success of musical recordings. The awards began in 1990...
and three awards at the 1994 Tejano Music Awards
1994 Tejano Music Awards
The 14th Tejano Music Awards were held in 1993. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. The Tejano Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony recognizing Tejano music musicians.- Vocalists of The Year :*Male Vocalist of The Year...
. The album peaked at number-one on the US Regional Mexican Albums
Regional Mexican Albums
Regional Mexican Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine. Established in June 1985, the chart compiles information about the top-selling albums in genres like mariachi, norteño, banda and Duranguense, which are frequently considered regional Mexican. The chart features only...
, number two on the Top Latin Albums and number 79 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics who claimed the album was "foreshadowing" Amor prohibido
Amor Prohibido
Amor Prohibido is the fifth studio album by American Tejano pop singer Selena. The album was released on March 13, 1994 by EMI Latin. It was re-released on September 24, 2002, as part of the Selena: 20 Years of Music collection, and included music videos and spoken liner notes by her family,...
(1994), while many agreed that Selena was the Mexican equivalent of Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, soon after the album's release. The album spawned three singles, which simultaneously hovered the top 5 positions, respectively, on the Hot Latin Tracks chart.
Production and development
After Selena had opened her boutiquesSelena Etc.
Selena Etc. was a South Texas-based boutique, salon, and clothing store, which was built by Latin Superstar, Selena. Selena Etc. was built and finished on January 27, 1993 in Corpus Christi, Texas which was the headquarters building...
in January 1993, Selena had decided to record a live album, while she focused on her clothing venture in Texas. On February 7, 1993, Selena held a free concert to a crowd of 3,000 at the Memorial Coliseum
Memorial Coliseum (Corpus Christi)
The Memorial Coliseum of Corpus Christi, Texas, was situated on the bayfront and was demolished in June 2010.-Dedication:The Coliseum was dedicated on September 26, 1954 to 400 men and women who gave their lives in World War II. The dedication was sponsored by the Gold Star Mothers of Texas and...
in Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
. The set list
Set list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
performed during the concert was released as a live album on May 4, 1993. Pete Astudillo
Pete Astudillo
Pedro "Pete" Astudillo is a Mexican American songwriter.-Life:Astudillo was one of the leaders of the Tejano music scene, and from an early age followed mariachi and conjunto music. He began his musical career as a backup vocalist for the queen of Tejano, Selena, as a member of Selena y Los Dinos...
, who was a former backup singer for the band
Selena y Los Dinos
Selena y Los Dinos was the band in which Grammy-Award-winning Tejano music singer Selena performed, until her death on March 31, 1995. Selena fronted the band since 1980, started by her father Abraham Quintanilla, Jr....
, remained touring with Selena on the Live! Tour
Selena Live! Tour
The Selena Live! Tour was the second concert tour by the late popular Latin-American singer, Selena.-About the tour:The Selena Live! Tour was the second concert tour from Selena and her band "The Dinos". The tour was the more successful than their previous "Entre A Mi Mundo Tour". They performed in...
. The song "Perdóname", which was included in the track listing of the album, was performed as an original song by Astudillo. The song was later released on his second studio album Como Nadie (1993). Another original song performed by Astudillo, "¿Porque Le Gusta Bailar Cumbia?", was also included in the track listing of Live! and was released on Como Nadie. The three cumbia-influence tracks, "No debes jugar
No Debes Jugar
"No Debes Jugar" is the first single released from Selena's grammy winning album Selena Live!. The song itself was recorded in the studio as an original song to promote the album.-Music video:...
", "La llamada
La Llamada (Selena song)
"La Llamada" is the second single released from Selena's grammy winning album Selena Live!. The song was recorded as a studio track in promotion of the album.-Music video:...
" and "Tú robaste mi corazón
Tu Robaste Mi Corazon
"Tu Robaste Mi Corazón" is the third and final single released from Selena's grammy winning album Selena Live!.-Song information:The song was a duet with Emilio Navaira, but when performed live, it was sang with Pete Astudillo. It was one of the three studio recorded songs for the Selena Live!...
", were the only studio tracks of the album.
Song structure and lyrical content
"No debes jugarNo Debes Jugar
"No Debes Jugar" is the first single released from Selena's grammy winning album Selena Live!. The song itself was recorded in the studio as an original song to promote the album.-Music video:...
", the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from Live!, was written and produced by Selena's brother and the producer of her music, A.B. Quintanilla III, keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
for the band Ricky Vela
Ricky Vela
Ricardo "Ricky" Vela is an award-winning song-writer and keyboards for the band Selena y Los Dinos. Ricky Vela joined the band as the bands keyboard player...
and Bebu Silvetti
Bebu Silvetti
Juan Fernando Silvetti Adorno , professionally known as Bebu Silvetti or simply Silvetti, was an Argentine pianist, composer, conductor, arranger and record producer...
, an Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
music producer. "No debes jugar" is a Mexican cumbia
Mexican cumbia
Mexican cumbia is a musical subgenre of cumbia which was re-invented from Mexico.- Origins of Mexican Cumbia :The history of Cumbia in Mexico is almost as old as Cumbia in Colombia. In the 1940s Colombian singer Luis Carlos Meyer Castandet emigrated to Mexico where he worked with the Mexican...
song influenced with rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
that centers the organ
Organ
-Biology and medicine:*Organ , a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function*Organ pipe coral, a marine organism native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans*Stenocereus thurberi, the organ pipe cactus plant-Music:...
as its musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
foundation. Ramiro Burr of the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
stated that Selena had blended Mexican polka rhythms with melodic, synth-driven pop hooks
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
in "No debes jugar" and "La llamada". "No debes jugar" received a "Song of the Year" nomination at the 1994 Tejano Music Awards
1994 Tejano Music Awards
The 14th Tejano Music Awards were held in 1993. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. The Tejano Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony recognizing Tejano music musicians.- Vocalists of The Year :*Male Vocalist of The Year...
. "No debes jugar" is performed on F major
F major
F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
with 89 beats per minute. Lyrically the song describes about a women whose life is centered around being unaccredited and unappreciated from her boyfriend, tried and relentless to do anything, she finally stands up for herself announcing that she is done playing around and threatens to leave. The song peaked at number three on the US Hot Latin Tracks, Latin Regional Mexican Airplay
Latin Regional Mexican Airplay
Regional Mexican Songs is a record chart published on Billboard magazine. It was established by the magazine on October 8, 1994 with La Niña Fresa by Banda Z being the first song to reach number-one. It features Latin music information from different genres like Mariachi, Norteño, Banda and...
and the Latin Pop Airplay
Latin Pop Airplay
Latin Pop Airplay is a record chart published on Billboard magazine. It features Latin music information from pop music usually in Spanish. It was established by the magazine on October 8, 1994 with Mañana by Cristian Castro being the first song to reach number-one...
charts simultaneously.
"La llamada
La Llamada (Selena song)
"La Llamada" is the second single released from Selena's grammy winning album Selena Live!. The song was recorded as a studio track in promotion of the album.-Music video:...
", the first promotional single released from Live!, was written and produced by Quintanilla III and former backup singer for the band, Pete Astudillo
Pete Astudillo
Pedro "Pete" Astudillo is a Mexican American songwriter.-Life:Astudillo was one of the leaders of the Tejano music scene, and from an early age followed mariachi and conjunto music. He began his musical career as a backup vocalist for the queen of Tejano, Selena, as a member of Selena y Los Dinos...
. Howard Blumenthal
Howard Blumenthal
Howard Blumenthal is an American producer, author, educator, and media executive.Blumenthal is the CEO of Independence Media and MiND: Media Independence, a new TV + internet service emphasizing community engagement and learning...
wrote in his book The world music CD listener's guide that "La llamada" was an "energetic" song. The song is set in A major
A major
A major 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...
with 90 beats per minute. Lyrically the song describes a women telling her boyfriend over the phone, that she saw him kissing another girl, while her boyfriend tries to persuade to her by denying that it was not him. The song tries to convey the listener about a wrongful relationship. "La llamada" 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
Tu Robaste Mi Corazon
"Tu Robaste Mi Corazón" is the third and final single released from Selena's grammy winning album Selena Live!.-Song information:The song was a duet with Emilio Navaira, but when performed live, it was sang with Pete Astudillo. It was one of the three studio recorded songs for the Selena Live!...
" is a duet with Tejano singer Emilio Navaira. It was released as the second promotional single from Live! and was written and produced by Quintanilla III, Vela and Silvetti. Howard Blumenthal wrote in his book The world music CD listener's guide that the song was a "great love duet". Paul Verna wrote that Selena's fans were "not growing weary" to "Como Quisiera" (Preciosa
Preciosa (album)
Preciosa is the sixth album released by Selena Y Los Dinos before signing on to EMI Latin. At this point, Selena's albums began selling up to 20,000 copies. During that same year, she was the finalist for "Female Vocalist of the Year" while the song "Terco Corazón" was nominated for "Single of the...
) and "Tú robaste mi corazón". Verna noted that the two songs were "slow-paced love songs" and were potential singles from the posthumous album Siempre Selena
Siempre Selena
Siempre Selena combines remixes of recordings Selena made as a teenager with a couple of later, previously-unreleased tracks. Like Dreaming of You, the 1995 album that documented her final English-language recording sessions and added some concurrent Latin hits. It features the romantic mariachi...
(1996). "Tú robaste mi corazón" was set in F major with 130 beats per minute. Lyrically the song conveys the story of a women 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.
Release
Live! was released on May 4, 1993. The album was certified gold (Latin type) by the Recording Industry Association of AmericaRecording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for shipments of 50,000 copies in the United States its first year. The album was then certified double platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
(Latin type) for shipments of 200,000 copies. The album then had won an unprecedented feat in the Tejano market by winning a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for "Best Mexican/American Album
Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album
The Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album was an honor presented to recording artists for quality albums in the Mexican music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
" at the 36th Grammy Awards. While being the first Tejano artist to have won a Grammy Award, EMI Latin
EMI Latin
EMI Televisa Music, also known as EMI Latin and EMI International, is a subsidiary of EMI which focuses on Latin American music....
's president believed Selena was ready to record and release a crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
album that would have catapulted Selena's career in the English-language market.
In May 1994, Live! had won the "Album of the Year" a prestigious award from the Billboard Latin Music Awards
Billboard Latin Music Awards
The Billboard Latin Music Awards grew out of the Billboard Music Awards program from Billboard Magazine, an industry publication charting the sales and radio airplay success of musical recordings. The awards began in 1990...
. The album also led Selena to win "Regional Mexican Vocalist of the Year". Live! was certified platinum in Mexico by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON) in 1996 for selling 100,000 copies. At the 1994 Tejano Music Awards
1994 Tejano Music Awards
The 14th Tejano Music Awards were held in 1993. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. The Tejano Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony recognizing Tejano music musicians.- Vocalists of The Year :*Male Vocalist of The Year...
, Selena had won "Female Vocalist of the Year
Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of The Year
The Tejano Music Awards for Female Vocalist of The Year was an honor presented to recording artists in Tejano music. The Tejano Music Awards ceremony that was established in 1981, showcased female entertainers who achieved accolades, recognition, high record sales or a big fan base...
", "Album of the Year - Orchestra" and "Female Entertainer of The Year". Live! was nominated for "Record of the Year".
Commerical performance
Live! debuted at number 146 on the US Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart following Selena's murder
Murder of Selena
Selena, a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of her family-oriented band Selena y Los Dinos and for her community involvement, was murdered by Yolanda Saldívar. Saldívar, Selena's former fan club president and clothing boutique manager,...
on April 22, 1995. 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 Top Latin Albums chart, it then peaked at number three within three months of its release. The album remained on the chart, hovering the top 20 spots, respectively. Live! temporarily slipped off the charts and reentered at number 47 in January 1995, before it was taken 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 10 spots and then slipped off the charts a year later. Live! debuted at number eight on the Latin Regional Mexican Albums chart, however, with decline sales the album slipped off the charts for nearly a month. It reentered and peaked at number-one for seven consecutive weeks. The album hovered the top 10 spots for two years. The album took the second slot, respectively, following Selena's murder. It hovered the top 10 spots for a additional two years.
Critical reception
Sarah M. Misemer wrote in her book Secular saints: performing Frida Kahlo, Carlos Gardel, Eva Perón, and Selena that Live! and Amor prohibidoAmor Prohibido
Amor Prohibido is the fifth studio album by American Tejano pop singer Selena. The album was released on March 13, 1994 by EMI Latin. It was re-released on September 24, 2002, as part of the Selena: 20 Years of Music collection, and included music videos and spoken liner notes by her family,...
(1994) were the two most successful albums to Selena's career. Joey Guerra of Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
wrote that Live! is a "sizzling reminder of [Selena's] electric 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 (song)
"Como La Flor" is a song by Mexican-American singer Selena, from her third studio album, Entre a Mi Mundo . Written and produced by Selena, Abraham Quintanilla III, and Ricky Vela, the song was also produced by Abraham Quintanilla Jr, the track was released as the album's second single. It was...
", "Baila esta cumbia
Baila Esta Cumbia (song)
"Baila Esta Cumbia" is a single released by Selena in 1990 from the album Ven Conmigo. The song is what brought Selena y Los Dinos more fame then they ever imagined. It was the first number-one song in Mexico for Selena. In 2005, Kumbia Kings remixed the song from the album Duetos under the title...
" and "La carcacha
La Carcacha
-Song information:The song was a huge success in the U.S. and Mexico, reaching out to more fans of Tejano music. This song is also featured in the 1997 film.-Music video:...
" were the 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! "foreshadow" Amor prohbidio (1994). Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic, wrote that Live! had offered validated proof of Selena being an "energetic [and] exciting 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[d] 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 Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits are taken from the album's liner notes.Managerial
- A&R – Jose Behar
- ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- A.B. Quintanilla III, Bebu Silvetti - Executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
– Jorge Alberto Pino, Abraham Quintanilla Jr
- MarketingMarketingMarketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
– Jose Behar, Suzette Quintanilla - ManagementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
– Jose Behar
Performance credits
- VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
– Selena
Visuals and imagery
- Art directionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
– Lisette Lorenzo - Clothing designFashion designFashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
– Selena, Martin Gomez - Hair stylistBarberA barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
– Rosa Sullivan, Mark Duncan
- Make-upCosmeticsCosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
– Lisette Lorenzo - PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
– Maurice Rinaldi - StylistWardrobe stylistA wardrobe stylist is the job title of someone who selects the clothing for published editorial features, print or television advertising campaigns, music videos, concert performances, and any public appearances made by celebrities, models or other public figures...
– Martin Gomez
Instruments
- DrumsDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
– Suzette Quintanilla - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Chris Perez, A.B. Quintanilla III, Henry Gomez - Keyboards – Joe Ojeda, Ricky Vela
- AccordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
- Johnny Saenz - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
– Rene Gasca - TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
– Gilbert Garza - Bajo SextoBajo sextoA bajo sexto is a musical instrument with 12 strings in 6 double courses, used in Mexican music. It is used primarily in norteño music of northern Mexico and across the border in the music of south Texas known as "Tex-Mex", "conjunto, or "música mexicana-tejana".A similar instrument with five...
- A.B. Quintanilla III
Technical and production
- ArrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
– Joe Ojeda, Chris Perez, Ricky Vela - SongwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s – A.B. Quintanilla III, Selena, Ricky Vela, Pete Astudillo, Chris Perez, Jorge Luis Borrego, Chrissy Hynde, Barrio Boyzz, K. C Porter, Miguel Flores, Suzette Quintanilla, Abraham Quintanilla Jr, - EngineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
– Brian "Red" Moore, Malcolm Harper, Ron Morales - Engineering assistants – Suzette Quintanilla, Abraham Quintanilla Jr
- Executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
s – Jorge Alberto Pino - MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
– Manny Guerra - Mixing assistants – A.B. Quintanilla III
- ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
– A.B. Quintanilla III, José Behar, Jorge Alberto Pino, Guillermo Johnson Page, Gregg Vickers, Brain "Red" Moore - Liner notes: Suzette Quintanilla, Nir Seroussi
- Concept: Gregg Vickers
- Reissue Producer: Guillermo J. Page
Charts and certifications
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Latin Albums Billboard Top Latin Albums 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 on sales... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
2 |
| US Regional Mexican Albums Regional Mexican Albums Regional Mexican Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine. Established in June 1985, the chart compiles information about the top-selling albums in genres like mariachi, norteño, banda and Duranguense, which are frequently considered regional Mexican. The chart features only... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
1 |
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
79 |
Awards and nominations
| Awards ceremony | Year | Award | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tejano Music Awards Tejano Music Awards The Tejano Music Awards had been launched in 1980 by former art teacher and music veteran Rudy Trevino and the leader of the Latin Breed Band, Gilbert Escobedo. Only 1,500 fans turned out for the first Tejano Music Awards. Over the years, San Antonio evolved into the Nashville of Tejano music... |
1994 1994 Tejano Music Awards The 14th Tejano Music Awards were held in 1993. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. The Tejano Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony recognizing Tejano music musicians.- Vocalists of The Year :*Male Vocalist of The Year... |
Album of the Year – Orchestra | |
| Record of the Year | |||
| Billboard Latin Music Awards Billboard Latin Music Awards The Billboard Latin Music Awards grew out of the Billboard Music Awards program from Billboard Magazine, an industry publication charting the sales and radio airplay success of musical recordings. The awards began in 1990... |
1994 | Album of the Year | |