Jump to content

Dreaming of You (Selena album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Muhandes (talk | contribs) at 06:42, 5 June 2011 (Reverted 1 edit by 71.104.209.7 (talk): Against source. (TW)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Untitled

Dreaming of You is the sixth and final studio album and second posthumous album by Mexican American Tejano pop singer Selena, released on July 18, 1995, by EMI Records and EMI Latin. The album was re-released on September 24, 2002, as part of the 20 Years of Music Collection series, with extra tracks, music videos, and spoken liner notes by her family, friends, and her former band.[1] Dreaming of You is known as a double album with previously unreleased English and Spanish language tracks and previously released tracks that were given a Caribbean remix with dance hall and reggae.[1] The first half of the album incorporates slow and mid-tempo R&B ballads and pop songs, while the rest of the album incorporates Latin-inflected grooves.

Debuting at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, it sold more than 331,000 units in its first week. Selena was the first Hispanic singer to have an album, mostly in Spanish, to debut at number 1. Dreaming of You was the fastest-selling album, only behind, Michael Jackson's HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I.[2][3] The album was among the "top ten best-selling debuts of all time" and among the "best-selling debuts for a female artist".[4] On its release date, the album sold over 175,000 copies, a record for a female pop singer.[5] EMI Records believed the album actually sold over 700,000 copies the first week, because Billboard did not include discount stores or small shops specializing in Latin music. Critics gave the album mixed to positive reviews, with many of them stating that Dreaming of You was not Selena's peak as an artist. Her previous record, Amor Prohibido, was considered a more consistent release and a good introduction to her work. Dreaming of You was commercially successful, selling over 2,000,000 copies in its first year.[6]

When it debuted in July 1995, Dreaming of You became Selena's sixth album in the top ten of Billboard Top 50 Latin Albums at that time.[4] Dreaming of You became the highest ranking Spanish language album to chart on the Billboard Top Latin Albums.[7]

The album spawned several singles. Some were released in both the United States and internationally, while others were released for promotional purposes. The two lead singles from Dreaming of You, "I Could Fall in Love" and the title track, charted in over six music categories on Billboard. "I Could Fall in Love" peaked at number one on the Billboard Latin Pop Airplay chart, while "Dreaming of You" peaked number-twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100. "Captive Heart", "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)", "El Toro Relajo", "Tú Sólo Tú", and "I'm Getting Used To You" were released as promotional singles. "I'm Getting Used To You" peaked at number twenty-three on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. "Tú Sólo Tú" peaked at number one on the Hot Latin Tracks and Regional Mexican Songs charts.

Production and development

Selena, who released seven independent LP records all in Spanish, was performing at the 1989 Tejano Music Awards. Among the attendees was Jose Behar, the former head of Sony Music Latin, who recently opened up the Latin division of EMI Records, and was searching for new acts, and the new head of Sony Music Latin, a sub-division of Sony Music Entertainment. Behar immediately wanted to sign Selena to Capitol/EMI that same year, while Sony Music Latin was offering double the amount to Abraham Quintanilla Jr, for Selena.[8] Believing that he had found the next Gloria Estefan, Behar called his boss stating that he believes he found what he was looking for, which his boss replied to him stating that he was crazy, for only being in South Texas for less than a week.[8] Abraham Quintanilla Jr, decided to go with EMI because of the potential crossover, and that he wanted to his kids to be the first artist to sigh with EMI Latin.[8] Prior to signing her first major contract with EMI Latin Records in 1989, Behar requested Selena for a major crossover album.[9] Selena recorded "Only Love", "Is It the Beat?", and "Where Did the Feeling Go?" for the heads of EMI Records pop division.[10] Behar's request for a major crossover album was denied by the heads, and Selena was told that in order to sell a major record, she needed a bigger fan base.[8] Behar later stated that he felt that EMI Records and people in general, didn't believe that a Mexican American women can be of "crossover potential", answering to a question on the reason why the crossover album took so long to create.[8] Initially Selena stated in interviews that the album was going to be released sometime in 1994. Following the release of Amor Prohibido, she stated that the crossover album was still being developed.[8][11]

The album is still coming out, we [have] been talking about this forever, forever, forever, how many years has it been? 3 years?

— Selena telling an interviewer about the release date for her crossover album., [11]

During a private dinner in a Thai restaurant in the summer of 1994, Selena was very upset about the amount of pressure she was under from the press about the album. She said that she had told numerous news crews that the album was about to be released, but in fact she had not even recorded one song for the album. Behar, who originally thought Selena was setting up a joke because of Selena's bubbling personality, said that Selena was right, and subesquently he told the chairman of EMI Records that Selena and her band, Los Dinos, were going to leave EMI and find a record company willing to record an English language album for Selena. EMI relented and the recording sessions began.[8] Selena was signed, less than twenty-four hours in Los Angeles, with SBK Records, a sub-division of EMI Group, in November 1993[12] to begin recording her first major English language album. EMI Latin felt that Selena had reached her peak in the Spanish language market, and they wanted to propel Selena into mainstream stardom as an American solo pop artist.[8][10] During late 1994, Selena began recording the first song for the album, "I Could Fall in Love". Selena was paired up with major pop music producers, some of which were Grammy Award winners.[8] Selena's sister Suzette Quintanilla stated that Selena would take a very long time before deciding a song represented what "Selena" was all about.[13] Recording sessions for the album took place during 1994 to 1995 at several recording studios, including at her father's recording studio, Q-Productions in Corpus Christi; The Bennett House in Franklin, Tennessee; Bananaboat Studio in Burbank, California; Oakshire Recorders in Los Angeles; Conway Studios in Hollywood; Clinton Studios in Clinton, New York; and Levosia Entertainment in Hollywood.[14] Producers and songwriters who collaborated with Selena on the album included Keith Thomas, Trey Lorenz of Epic Records, Mark Goldenberg, Kit Hain, Guy Roche, Donna Delorey, Diane Warren, Rhett Lawrence, David Byrne of Luaka Bop Inc., Frane Golde, Tom Snow, Full Force, Brian "Red" Moore, A.B. Quintanilla III, Barrio Boyzz, K.C. Porter, Felipe Bernmejo, Jose Hernandez, Felipe Valdes Leal, and for the Japanese release, Rokusuke Ei and Hachidai Nakamura.[14]Amy Grant, was in the process of writing a song for Selena, to be included in the crossover album.[15] Dreaming of You was the first album that Selena's family did not produce. Prior to the albums recording sessions, Selena's family stepped back, as they wished to allow professional pop recording producers to work with Selena. Selena found this decision stressful, and felt the decision was forced on her, in order to sell records.[8] Recordings for the album were different from what she usually sang.[8] The songs produced were mostly pop love songs. Selena co-wrote with David Byrne for his Gospel song, "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)", her vocals were later used in the song after Byrne recorded it in Clifton, New York. Before choosing, "Dreaming of You", Selena's husband Chris Pérez and brother who was the producer of her music, A.B. Quintanilla III told Selena that they both dislike the song. A.B. Quintanilla III stated that now he understands why Selena choose the song, stating after Selena's death. Pérez stated that he grew to love it.[8] Keith Thomas stated that every time Selena would walk in the recording studio that all eyes would be on her due to her energy and eager to succeed, who made everyone laugh. Thomas also stated that there was no ego involved with her.[13] Selena recorded four songs by January 20, 1995, she began recording songs in late 1994.[16] Selena never recorded the song, "Oh No (I'll Never Fall in Love Again)" however, Selena revealed its fate during a small interview for a small Spanish language television special.[17] "Oh No" was later recorded in Spanish by her brother's band, Kumbia Kings, on their album Amor, Familia Y Respeto which was released on March 23, 1999.[18] The composer Keith Thomas who wrote "I Could Fall In Love", never finished a second song that was intended for Selena to record and revealed the song's fate when he made an appearance on the A&E series, Biography which talked about Selena's life and death.[13] According to Jose Behar, the album was projected to be sold in September or October 1995.[19]

Composition

Initially the crossover album was going to be a pop album, mostly confessional love songs and contemporary R&B duets.[13] Jose Behar was imagining the album to be very similar to Mariah Carey's self-titled debut album and Janet Jackson's industrial-influenced albums.[13] While Behar awaited for his plans to start, SBK Records prepared Selena with experienced music producers who were in-charge of the entire project. The producers wrote mainstream urban pop love songs "I Could Fall in Love", "Dreaming of You" and "I'm Getting Used To You", Kit Hain wrote "Captive Heart" as a driven electro funk song. The crossover album was compared to a transition marketing point-of-view and a creative point-of-view.[13]

Selena told numerous interviewers that she was going to sing a pop ballad with John Secada, in later specials the song was pre-judged and compared to Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's duet, No Me Ames.[13] After Selena's death, SBK Records assigned EMI Latin to finish the album and release its' progress. SBK Records removed themselves as affiliation with Selena, however, Selena's contract with EMI Latin was still active and the company later controlled the project and co-worked with Q-Productions for remix sessions.[13]

Musical style and lyrics

EMI Latin and EMI Records wanted to transform Selena's musical styles from Tejano/Latin Pop to Pop and R&B to convey the crossover dream that Selena ensued. The albums booklet also states that Selena displayed an instinctive ability to convey passion and sentiment in a variety of ways and gave the example of the first half of the album which "spotlighted Selena wrapping her creamy seductive mezzo sound around slow confessionals such as "I Could Fall in Love", "Missing My Baby", and the title track."[14]

"I Could Fall in Love" (an EPK) the first lead single[20] off the album Dreaming of You was written by Keith Thomas. The song incorporates smooth Rock, pop, R&B and soul. The single became the highest-charting English-language single on the Hot Latin Tracks.[4] "I Could Fall in Love" was viewed as the prime song in "Dreaming of You" that "could melt the hearts of millions around the world" in The Billboard book of number one albums[21] Kathleen Tracy wrote in her book "Jennifer Lopez: A Biography" that "I Could Fall in Love" and "Dreaming of You" were two hit ballads.[22] Vibe editor, James Hunter, stated "Selena gives an astute, loving reading of Tennessee writer/producer Keith Thomas's song as though she recognizes the tune for the gem it is. "I Could Fall in Love" is a masterpiece. In light of the young singer's tragic end, you almost can't listen to the damn thing."[20] After Selena's death, the song became a traditional wedding song.[23] The song entered "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits"[24] Before recording sessions began, the airlines that Selena took, had lost her luggage.[13] Keith Thomas told reporters, Selena went to Wal-Mart to pick an outfit to record the song, she also had picked up some groceries and was announcing that she was going to cook dinner for Thomas.[13] When Selena had arrived to Thomas's recording studio, Wynonna Judd was recording a song. Thomas then told a reporter that Selena came in asking if she can cook Judd dinner as well.[13] When asked about Selena's personnel, Thomas replied that Selena always respected his works and decision, and that she was a team player.[13] In 1997, Thomas was awarded "Among most played song" at the ASCAP pop award for "I Could Fall in Love",[25] while the single won the "Tejano Crossover of The Year" at the 16th Tejano Music Awards.[26] Selena's vocal range spans four octaves one-lined with music notes F#3-A4, and is set in E Major with a moderate groove.[27] The lyrics describes about a girl being in a distant relationship that the other partner does not know about. The girl tries to confess of her feelings for him, however, scared of rejection, she decides not to tell him. "Dreaming of You", composed by Franne Golde and Tom Snow is a ballad-pop song, according to Kathleen Tracy, who wrote a biography book based on Jennifer Lopez[22] and Adult Contemporary.[28] The song also contributes with R&B undertones, with a slow-tempo start. Dreaming of You begins in the key of G#(Ab) and changes to the key of A#(Bb) after the bridge, the song is set in Ab Major.[28] Selena's vocal range spans, Eb3-Eb5.[29] The LA Times placed "Dreaming of You" number five out of their ten-picked singles of 1995.[30] The lyrics describe a lonely girl who is alone at night while everyone in the world is asleep, dreaming about her relationship. The song then goes in depth with the girl feeling abandoned and wondering if her boyfriend knows that she is there, she also states that if he stares closely at her eyes that she feels that he would not even care to look. The girl then says she will still dream of him endlessly.[14] In the 1997 biopic film based on Selena's life, Dreaming of You was played during the dramatic end, facing Selena's death. Released as the second leading single from the album, the song won BMI Millionaire Awards for selling two million copies.[31] Highly known as one of Selena's signature songs, the song earned extensive airplay in English-language radios after its' release in the United States.[13] To date, "Dreaming of You" and "I Could Fall in Love" currently share extensive airplay throughout the United States, preferably, midnight confessional radios.[32] Charting in over eight music charts on Billboard, "Dreaming of You" peaked number-nine in the Hot Latin Tracks and Latin Pop Airplay charts.[33] The song was featured in Greatest Love Songs of the 90's.[28]

"Captive Heart" is an uptempo song that incorporates influences of '80s synthpop, electro and fast Rock song[34][35] Vibe editor Ed Morales, compared both, Evelyn "Champagne" King and "Wherever You Are" (duet with Barrio Boyzz) with the song "Captive Heart".[36] While, according to the Chicago Tribune, "Captive Heart" was destined for urban-contemporary radio.[35] The Daily Vault, believed Selena made a mistake with Captive Heart, stating that, the song was a surprising and painful flaw, because it showcases a mistake of exerting too much throat, which many popular singers currently do. The Daily Vault instated that it was a one-way ticket to voice destruction.[37] Its lyric is about a women who is being captivated and controlled by her partner. She is unable to break-up with him because she is too in love with him to be free of her own emotions.[14] The song was released as a promotional single. "I'm Getting Used to You", composed by Diane Warren, produced by Rhett Lawrence and arranged by John Brimhall,[38] became the fifth single released from Dreaming of You, with four commissioned dance mixes by David Morales were created for promotional use. Working with Baroque and Dream pop, the lyrics describes a women who is in a real-relationship for her first time. Her boyfriend helps hinder her pass and opens her eyes to true love. He also helps her change her views about love. Set in F Major, the song's tempo is moderately with easy piano notation.[38] I'm Getting Used To You was featured on the Top Pop Hits of 1996 for Easy Piano book.[38] While peaking at number twenty-three on Billboard Adult Contemporary charts,[39] the single climbed to number-one on Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts (Maxi-Single Sales) in 1996.[40] I'm Getting Used To You made it on BPM List 2006: Main Edition in the top 100.[41]

"Missing My Baby (Full Force Remix)" (1995)
"Missing My Baby", similar to "Techno Cumbia", was given Dance hall styles with Full Force's back-up vocals to the song.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"God's Child (Baila Conmigo)", a duet with David Byrne, was originally recorded for the motion picture soundtrack "Don Juan DeMarco", which Selena made a cameo appearance in with Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway. After Selena's death, EMI Records decided to use the song to finish off the crossover album. Byrne recorded his vocals to the song in his hometown in New York, while Selena recorded the rest of the song in Corpus Christi, Texas at her father's recording studio.[42] Byrne claimed the song was about "two young transvestites" who used to live in his neighborhood in New York City.[42][43] According to the Chicago Tribune, "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)", is a energetic, dark and mysterious song that combines elements of the rumba flamenca with rock and R&B undertones,[35] while Time states that the song is a "giddy soulful song".[44] God's Child (Baila Conmigo) is a Gospel pop song, and lyrically describing a young child who wears adult clothes and make-up while walking down the streets in New York City alone at night, who should be attending school.[42] The song uses fantasy to describe the little girl, Selena sings "she was bit by a vampire" in her Spanish verse.[42][45] "El Toro Relajo" (English: The Crazy Bull), an unreleased Spanish-language Mariachi-ballad song, was composed by Felipe Bermejo and produced by José Hernàndez. Mariachi Sol de México were the back-up vocalist in recording sessions, it was engineered by Bruce Robb. EMI Records decided to release the song to be part of the crossover album. Similar to "God's Child", El Toro Relajo was recorded for the movie soundtrack "Don Juan DeMarco".[36] The Daily Vault believed El Toro Relajo was the most impressive track on Dreaming of You, which switches conventional man-woman roles, having Selena being a toreador. They also believed that the song is short, amusing, and dedicated.[37] El Toro Relajo became a traditional Cinco de Mayo celebration song.[46] The single peaked at number twenty-four on Billboard Hot Latin Songs.[47] It became the sixth single released from the album. It's lyrics describes a women warning a man, during a bullfighting competition, that the bull is not tamed and is very demented. The women is then determined to tame the bull for her love to ride it. "Tú Sólo Tú", composed by Felipe Valdés Leal and produced by José Hernàndez, used Mariachi Sol de México as back-up vocalists. According to Billboard magazine, Tu Solo Tu is a classic emotive ballad,[48] while Time states that "Tu Solo Tu" is a spirited mariachi song.[44] Becoming the seventh single (single only) released from the album, it peaked number-one on both Billboard Hot Latin Tracks and Regional Mexican Songs.[47] Being another Mariachi-ballad song and originally recorded for the movie soundtrack "Don Juan DeMarco",[36] winning the "Song of The Year" at the 36th Tejano Music Awards, "Tú Sólo Tú", won "Regional Mexican Hot Latin Track of The Year" and "Regional Mexican Hot Latin Video of The Year" at the International Billboard Latin Music Awards.[49] Brennan told Time magazine that he believes the company who dropped the song from the Don Juan DeMarco soundtrack, regrets ever doing so.[44]

Originally, the album was going to enlist more English language tracks. However, during the morning hours of March 31, 1995, while being scheduled to appear at her father's recording studio to record another song called "Oh No (I'll Never Fall in Love Again)", Selena was shot to death by her fan club president and employee for Selena's boutiques, Yolanda Saldivar.[13] The album was then once again put on hiatus until the reactions of Selena's death embarked EMI Records to release the album and its progress, while doing so, the company re-released Selena's most toping and famous works which mostly were remixed with Caribbean music like Dance hall and Reggae.[13][14] The Barrio Boyzz, who originally recorded Dondequiera Que Estes with Selena, re-recorded the song in English entitled "Wherever You Are", while Selena's Spanish verse stood apparent. Full Force were asked to sing more melody in the contemporary R&B remix of "Missing My Baby". Songs like, "Como La Flor", "Techno Cumbia" and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" were remixed with Dance hall and reggae.[13][14][44] The Chicago Tribune nicknamed "Techno Cumbia" as a "synthed-up cumbia", which showcases Selena's voice in a supple and rich, gritty and strong tone, which they stated was no surprise.[35] As well as the Daily Vault, who named "Techno Cumbia" as a "dance song" which utilizes the rhythmic nature of Spanish, believed the track was underproduced in a bad way, but also states that Selena compensates the lack of background beautifully.[37] Naming the rest of the songs as "dance tracks", the Daily Vault, believed the rest of the songs shared the underproduced quality.[37]

Release

The album was scheduled to be released sometime in 1994; however, it was delayed after Selena released her last Spanish language studio album, "Amor Prohibido". In a January 20, 1995 interview, Selena said the album would be released in July,[17] and three months after her death, EMI Records and EMI Latin officially released Dreaming of You on July 18, debuting at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and knocking off the Pocahontas soundtrack and Michael Jackson from the top spot.[50][51][52] By selling 331,000 copies, the collection not only became the biggest first-week seller by a female artist since SoundScan began monitoring U.S. sales in 1992, but also became the first album by a Hispanic artist to debut at No. 1, according to EMI Records. The label estimates that actual sales topped 400,000 because many copies were sold at small stores that were not tracked by SoundScan.[51][53] EMI Latin's president estimated that the album had actually sold more than 700,000 copies the first week, as Billboard did not include discount stores or the small shops specializing in Latin music. Well received by critics,[54][55] the album also debuted at number one on the Billboard Latin Albums and Billboard Latin Pop Albums music charts, maintaining on the charts for nearly two-hundred weeks.[56]

The album itself was sold in more than fifteen different countries around the world. In the months following the album's release, Selena became more known due to her songs. "Dreaming of You" and "I Could Fall in Love" had heavy airplay throughout major English language speaking radios, preferably Adult contemporary music radios.[57][58] Dreaming of You sold half a million copies in the state of Texas alone.[59] The album was certified 3.5 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, for selling more than 3,500,000 copies in its first year.[60]

Within ten months of the release, Dreaming of You was nearing triple-platinum status.[61] Billboard named "I Could Fall in Love" and "Dreaming of You" the number one and two spot, respectively, in their "Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits".[62][63] Upon the release of the album, EMI Latin was backed up with orders of 500,000 units from retail stores, when the album sold over 2,000,000 copies,[4][64] which then small retail stores like Abdelsayed's Counterfeit Factory were unable to fill. The Counterfeit Factory, and another small Providence, Rhode Island music store, were broken into by fans of Regional Mexican music who netted over 35,000 cassettes, mostly Selena's album "Dreaming of You"; the criminals were arrested with felony charges.[65] The album was also the "biggest Latin album" since Julio Iglesias recorded his first English-language record, 1100 Bel Air Place.[66]

In July 1995, Dreaming of You joined five of Selena's studio albums that remained in the top ten of Billboard Top 50 Latin Albums; the album peaked at #1.[4][62][64] The album itself archived two unprecedented chart achievements, and is the first album to be mostly recorded in Spanish to debut number one on the Billboard 200, making Selena the first Latino artist to accomplish that feat.[64][67][68] Two years after Selena's death, "Dreaming of You" and "Siempre Selena" took on the third and fourth slots, respectively, on the Billboard Top 50 Latin Albums.[69] Dreaming of You reached gold status in Canada, selling more than 50,000 copies in that country.[70] Some Texas retailers, criticized on sale figures for their state, when Dreaming of You sold poorly at their music stores.[19]

Promotion

Crossover tour

Main article: Crossover tour

The Crossover Tour (Abbreviated: TCT) was a scheduled world crossover tour for the album Dreaming of You. The tour was scheduled to begin in the summer of 1995, after the initial release of the crossover album. "TCT" was also going to promote Selena in other countries that the singer was not recognized. Touring was scheduled to begin in July 1995.[42]

Singles

"Dreaming of You" (1995)
One of Selena's English songs, "Dreaming of You peaked at #21 in the Billboard charts. 34 second sample.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
"I Could Fall in Love" (1995)
"I Could Fall in Love" became the second leading single off of the album on October 17, 1995. "I Could Fall in Love" peaked #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Tracks the single also reached top ten and top twenty in many other charts.[57]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

EMI Latin released the first leading single, "Dreaming of You" on August 14, 1995. The song later peaked at #9 on both the U.S. Billboard Hot Singles Recurrents and U.S. Billboard Latin Pop Airplay.[58] The single also reached top ten and top twenty in many other charts. Within weeks of the song's release, a double single version of "Dreaming of You", which comprised "Techno Cumbia" with added remixes, was released on August 28, 1995.[58] "I Could Fall in Love" became the second leading single off of the album on October 17, 1995; EMI Latin also re-released it as a double single, comprising "Tú Sólo Tú", on the same day. "I Could Fall in Love" peaked #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Tracks; the single also reached top ten or top twenty in many other charts.[57] "I Could Fall in Love" also peaked #10 for eight weeks on the New Zealand Album Charts starting on October 22, 1995.[71] The song was also the "highest ranking English language single" on the Hot Latin Tracks.[72]

"I'm Getting Used To You" became the album's fourth single released from Dreaming of You, on November 26, 1995. "El Toro Relajo" became the first single off of Dreaming of You to be released in Mexico, and the single was also released as a promotional single in the United States, on December 24, 1995. "Sukiyaki" became the first single released off of Dreaming of You for Japan only, on January 8, 1996; the single also comprised "Dreaming of You" and "I Could Fall in Love".[73] The singles "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" and "Captive Heart" were both released only for the U.K. and Canada during early January 1996. These singles became the final singles to be released from the album. "Tú Sólo Tú" won Song of the Year during the 1996 Tejano Music Awards,[74] while "I Could Fall in Love" won Tejano Crossover of the Year.[74] During Selena's fifteenth anniversary, Popmatters stated: "Even the most sheltered English-speaking music fan might not know Selena's name, but if you mention her hit singles, "Dreaming of You", or "I Could Fall in Love," they'll likely respond with I remember that song!, or I love that one!"[75] The singles "Dreaming of You" and "I Could Fall in Love" were EMI Records' "top selling downloads" for the first quarter of the year 2005, as well as the year-to-date, which covered a period of April 1, 2004 through March 31, 2005. For the week ending April 9, the two songs continued to chart on the list.[76]

Reception

Commercial performance

Dreaming of You made its debut at number-one on Billboard 200 in the United States for 49 weeks,[77] selling 175,000 copies on the first day, a record for a female pop singer.[5] Eventually, Selena became the first recording artist to place five Spanish-language albums simultaneously on Billboard 200.[78] The album was also the number-75 top-seller in the United States for BMG Music Club.[79] Dreaming of You also debuted at number-one on both the Latin Albums,[77] for 128 weeks, and Latin Pop Albums charts, for 104 weeks, in the United States.[77] For selling 1,700,000 copies in the United States alone, Dreaming of You was listed as one of the "Best-Selling Records of 1995", according to Billboard magazine and SoundScan.[80] To date, the album has sold over twelve million copies.[81]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[82]
Entertainment Weekly[83](B)
Chicago Tribune[35]
Los Angeles Times[84]
Daily Vault[37](B)
TopTen[85]464/465,924 (All Time Best Album)
TopTen[85]228/166,475 (Best 1990s Album)
TopTen[85]19/15,654 (Best 1995 Album)

Stephen Erlewine, who reviewed the album, expressed that producers Keith Thomas and Guy Roche envisioned Selena as a dance-pop diva, similar to pop recording artists Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, but with a Latin twist. Allmusic stated that most Americans first learned about Selena because of her murder, and hence, Dreaming of You was also the first record they ever heard of Selena. Allmusic also states that the English songs are very different from her Spanish songs, and that the album Dreaming of You could have been a stronger album if she had lived.[82]

Dreaming of You would have been a stronger album if she had lived, but it still stands as a powerful – and touching – testament to her talents.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic

In Entertainment Weekly, David Browne complained that the album was "one of the quickest posthumous albums ever cobbled together". Browne stated that "[T]he "true" unbridled Selena can be found on her old hits, remixes, and soundtrack songs that fill out the rest of the album", and that "[W]hether Selena is belting out at traditional ballads or tropical fantasies, she evokes lust and passion", which he believed were both absent from her English tracks. Browne viewed "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" as "a playful, galloping duet" that "hints at what the right producer – and fewer commercial concerns – could have done for Selena's sadly never-to-be-realized crossover dreams."[83] Billboard stated that Dreaming of You captured Selena stepping from her Tejano roots into today's world of Anglo pop.[4] Vibe editor, Ed Morales, stated that the album was a short review of Selena's cumbia flavored, Tex-Mex songs that poignant the path Dreaming of You was taking during its release.[86] Vibe also commented on the sadness of Selena's tragedy by stating that "you almost can't listen to the damn thing" due to Selena's death.[20]

Chicago Tribune, reported that Dreaming of You was an "incomplete work", showcasing Selena's past accomplished works and "what might have been" unreleased English-language songs.[35] While stating that the album is full of promise and flaws, "[Dreaming of You] isn't what so many had proposed, "the great crossover", even if Selena had lived, that road was already paved by Gloria Estefan. [But unlike] Estefan, Selena didn't get the chance to take the next step: mainstream stardom and smashing record sale figures while effortlessly balancing on [the hypen] between Latino-styles and American-pop."[35] The Tribune also noted that the album wasn't a masterpiece, definitive, or even testament to Selena's talents. After reviewing some of the songs listed on Dreaming of You, Chicago Tribune believed that Selena was getting "funky" and "soulful".[35] "[E]veryone isn't coming into the store asking for the album by the dead Latin singer. They're coming in asking for the album with the single they heard on the radio.", a record-shop owner's comments towards the raise of fame for Dreaming of You, which was featured in the New York Times.[87] Time believed Dreaming of You "undoubtedly brought her music to a far wider audience than [Selena] ever had when she was alive",[88] while placing Dreaming of You nine out of their "Top 10 Posthumous Albums" chart in 2010, following the posthumous release of Michael.[52] Time believed that Dreaming of You "[c]ontained some of Selena's finest, most enjoyable work; it's a commendable but sorrowful accomplishment".[89] Contrasting her Tejano and English-language songs, Time stated that her Tejano songs was sometimes "clumsy", whereas her English pop songs were "sweet, pure and clear, and on the mariachi-influenced songs, Selena shows off a voice that is sexy, strong and gracefully maturing."[89] Selena's three top-five singles made her runner-up to Shania Twain for UU-BRU Radio Playlist's "Top Female Act of The Year" in 1995.[90]

The Los Angeles Times, believed Dreaming of You ended up being Selena's most eclectic and satisfying album that lacks cohesion.[84] When EMI Records decided to fill the rest of the album with Spanish-language songs, L.A. Times stated that it made Dreaming of You even more interesting than the original idea of a crossover.[84] They also stated that, Selena blossoms into a "full-fledged soul singer" with an aggressiveness seldom, in her English-language songs.[84] However, the L.A. Times instated that the two Ranchera songs, which were backed by El Monte's Mariachi Sol de Mexico, are the most impressive, "[a]s Selena effortlessly adapted to a difficult style, she wasn't familiar with".[84] Ending their review, the L.A. Times believed that the three biggest Spanish hits completed a fine presentation of a "legend whose magnitude will grow in time".[84] The Los Angeles Times placed Dreaming of You on their top ten Latin albums.[30] The Daily Vault reviewed Dreaming of You stating that it is easy to say the album was a fluke just as it's easy to say it was inevitable.[37] The Vault, also instated that the were some obvious signs of "superstardom"; an original song written by Diane Warren, the inevitable showcase ballads and the "most obvious one": Trey Lorenz, who was back-up vocalist for the first track "I Could Fall in Love", is pop with a refreshing Tejano lacing, proving Amy Tan's "it's hip to be ethnic".[37] Amor Prohibido is a "seamless track" reviewed the Daily Vault, which made them wonder about Abraham Quintanilla Jr, believing he was a professional, albeit over-influential.[37] Dreaming of You, has a problem with coherence, believed the Daily Vault, stating that Selena needed to be hooked up with a producer who could've brought her ambiguity to full potential.[37]

Controversies

Billboard John Lanert, was asked by Abraham Quintanilla Jr to write Selena's biography so that it could be included in Dreaming of You. After Lanert had written Selena's biography, Quintanilla Jr hired another editor to take Lanert's place. When Lanert had heard that Quintanilla Jr had hired another editor without his consent, he filed a law-suit against Quintnailla Jr. Within a month, Abraham apologized to Lanert, and went with his biography that he had written. Lanert then dropped the charges against Abraham Quintanilla Jr.[91]

Artwork

For the album, no photo shoots were taken due to Selena's death while the album was still in progress. EMI Records and EMI Latin choose a photo shoot that Selena took with Maurice Rinaldi in 1994 for Selena's greatest hits album, 12 Super Exitos (English: 12 Super Hits). The art direction were Jose Behar and Barbie Insua. The picture used was also cropped in a small old 18th century picture frame that is located at the right of the artwork for the album. The styles around Selena illustrate as if she were an angel in the stars, which also describes how the song "Dreaming of You" is mainly about. The U.S. edition paper that was used for the artwork design was white paper that had touches of stains throughout the art work to express the feeling of an old story. Inside the book includes a short and long version of her biography told by John Lannert. Lyrics to all songs are also included, and the Spanish songs are also translated in English. At the end of the book, fans alike were also given the chance to collect official Selena merchandise. The artwork for the Japanese edition was similar in design to the U.S. version, but they consisted of a mixture of hardcover and softcover booklets. The biography and lyrics are written in Japanese, similar to the Korean release.[92]

Use of styles

Throughout the book (artwork), fans of Selena can spot old style mini-bronze replicas of a ballerina, guitar, crown, heart chain, hands, and the Selena lapel pin metallic which is seen golden. Both the album and singles used the new "Selena" logo; however, the album used the color red for the logo, while the singles used a golden color. The logo used script, papyrus, monospaced and Old English typefaces for her name.[93]

With your farewell you take with you my heart

— back of the album

The text above was sampled by "Como La Flor", one of Selena's signature songs; the text can be seen at the back of the booklet. The Spanish verse is sampled at the bottom of each word in red, while the English text is an Arial font. Most texts found in the book are lowercase Old English fonts.[93]

The discs for both the album and singles, except the disc for the single "El Toro Relajo", use the Latin old English, with a red or golden color. "S" is surrounded by unreadable words that comprised each other. To make it more unreadable, some ink splats are also visible on some words. The singles that were released sampled the same picture frame that was used for the album, with a few minor exceptions. The singles' artworks are equivalent of old 20th century frames, with signs of decay. For "I'm Getting Used To You", the front cover was given the same treatment as the album's disc. On the back of the singles' artworks, and inside, a small portion of the paper is seen with smoulder. The single, "El Toro Relajo", includes a picture of Selena (from the same photo shoot), with her full name in golden and Old English fonts, and "golden water" that raises from the letter "L". For the single, "Captive Heart", pink "kiss" marks are seen fading away. This is the only single to have only the letter "S" on the front cover. The picture, similar to "I'm Getting Used to You", includes a different photo shoot that Selena took for her Amor Prohibido album. The album also includes the heart-shaped locket, which is also seen inside the main album's booklet. On "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)", the artwork is seen entirely similar to the main album, unlike the main album. "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" consists of purple text, with flowers visible in the background.[93]

Track listing

Standard edition

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Could Fall in Love"Keith Thomas4:41
2."Captive Heart"Mark Goldenberg, Kit Hain4:23
3."I'm Getting Used to You"Diane Warren4:03
4."God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" (featuring David Byrne)Selena Quintanilla, David Byrne4:15
5."Dreaming of You"Franne Golde, Tom Snow5:14
6."Missing My Baby"A.B. Quintanilla III4:13
7."Amor Prohibido"A.B. Quintanilla III, Pete Astudillo2:55
8."Wherever You Are (Donde Quiera Que Estés)" (featuring Barrio Boyzz)K. C. Porter, Miguel Flores4:29
9."Techno Cumbia"A.B. Quintanilla III, Pete Astudillo4:44
10."El Toro Relajo"Felipe Bermejo2:20
11."Como La Flor"A.B. Quintanilla III, Pete Astudillo3:04
12."Tú Sólo Tú"Felipe Valdés Leal3:12
13."Bidi Bidi Bom Bom"Selena Quintanilla, Pete Astudillo3:41

Japan edition

Source:[94]

Japan Extra Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Could Fall in Love"Keith Thomas4:41
2."Captive Heart"Mark Goldenberg, Kit Hain4:23
3."I'm Getting Used to You"Diane Warren4:03
4."God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" (featuring David Byrne)Selena Quintanilla, David Byrne4:15
5."Dreaming of You"Franne Golde, Tom Snow5:14
6."Missing My Baby"A.B. Quintanilla III4:13
7."Amor Prohibido"A.B. Quintanilla III, Pete Astudillo2:55
8."Wherever You Are (Donde Quiera Que Estés)" (featuring Barrio Boyzz)K. C. Porter, Miguel Flores4:29
9."Techno Cumbia"A.B. Quintanilla III, Pete Astudillo4:44
10."El Toro Relajo"Felipe Bermejo2:20
11."Como La Flor"A.B. Quintanilla III, Pete Astudillo3:04
12."Tú Sólo Tú"Felipe Valdés Leal3:12
13."Bidi Bidi Bom Bom"Selena Quintanilla, Pete Astudillo3:41
14."Sukiyaki"Rokusuke Ei, Hachidai Nakamura, Abraham Quintanilla Jr, Pete Astudillo3:11

20 Years of Music edition

Source:[95]

Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Could Fall in Love"Keith Thomas4:41
2."Captive Heart"Mark Goldenberg, Kit Hain4:23
3."I'm Getting Used to You"Diane Warren4:03
4."God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" (featuring David Byrne)Selena Quintanilla, David Byrne4:15
5."Dreaming of You"Franne Golde, Tom Snow5:14
6."Missing My Baby"A.B. Quintanilla III4:13
7."Amor Prohibido"A.B. Quintanilla III, Pete Astudillo2:55
8."Wherever You Are (Donde Quiera Que Estés)" (featuring Barrio Boyzz)K. C. Porter, Miguel Flores4:29
9."Techno Cumbia"A.B. Quintanilla III, Pete Astudillo4:44
10."El Toro Relajo"Felipe Bermejo2:20
11."Como La Flor"A.B. Quintanilla III, Pete Astudillo3:04
12."Tú Sólo Tú"Felipe Valdés Leal3:12
13."Bidi Bidi Bom Bom"Selena Quintanilla, Pete Astudillo3:41
14."Spoken Liner Notes" (This track includes spoken words by Selena's family, friends, and band)Brian "Red" Moore17:35
15."Dreaming of You" (Music Video)Franne Golde, Tom Snow5:24

Personnel

Credits are taken from the album's liner notes.[14]

Album credits
  • Selena Quintanilla-Perez (main and back-up vocalist, composer, and ideal)
  • Keith Thomas (Composer, producer)
  • David Byrne (Composer, guitar, harmonium, percussion)
  • Kit Hain (Composer)
  • Tom Snow (Composer)
  • Pete Astudillo (Composer)
  • Franne Golde (Composer)
  • Mark Goldenberg (Composer)
  • Diane Warren (Composer)
  • K.C. Porter (Composer, engineer)
  • Felipe Valdés Leal (Composer)
  • Los Kumbia Kings (Composer)
  • Trey Lorenz (back-up vocalist)
  • Guy Roche (producer, keyboards, synthesizer)
  • Nathaniel "Mick" Guzaski (mixer)
  • Mario Luccy (engineer)
  • Brian "Red" Moore (engineer, mixer, recorder)
  • Moana Suchard (engineer and assistant engineer)
  • Marc Antonie (guitar)
  • Neil Stubenhauss (bass)
  • Art Meza (percussion)
  • Delphine (synth programming)
  • Donna Delorey (back-up vocalist)
  • Rhett Lawrence (producer, arranger, synthesizers, drums, programming)
  • Dan Garcia (engineer)
  • Carl Harris Jr (assistant engineer)
  • Luis Conte (percussion)
  • Jerry Hey (horns)
  • Dan Higgens (horns)
  • Gary Grant (horns)
  • Bill Reichenbac (horns)
  • Joanie Smith (production coordination)
  • Chris Kholer (computer technician)
  • Arto Lindsay (producer)
  • Susan Rogers (producer, engineer)
  • Paul Socolow (bass)
  • Todd Turkisher (drums)
  • Valerie Naranjo (marimba)
  • Michael Brauer (mixer)
  • Full Force (back-up vocals, co-producer, additional arranger, additional keyboards, drum programming, remixer)
  • A.B. Quintanilla III (producer, arranger, bass)
  • Ricky Vela (keyboards, additional keyboards, drum programming)
  • Joe Ojeda (keyboards)
  • Chris Perez (guitar)
  • Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga (drums)
  • Gerry E. Brown (re-mixer)
  • Kurt Lundvall (assistant engineer)
  • Bill Molina (digital editing)
  • Nick Moroch (additional guitar)
  • Barrio Boyzz (back-up vocalist)
  • Tim Conklin (additional engineer)
  • Perry Tembelis (assistant engineer)
  • Tony Peluso (mixer)
  • Mike Aavold (mixing assistant)
  • Manuel Hernandez (English translation)
  • Maria Grever (English translation)
  • Jose Hernandez (arranger, producer)
  • Mariachi Sol de Mexico (chorus, back-up vocalist)
  • Robb Bros. Productions (mixer)
  • Bruce Robb (engineer)
  • Nancy Brennan (art, concept)
  • Abraham Quintanilla Jr (management)
  • Jose Behar (art direction)
  • Barbie Insua (art direction)
  • Margo Chase (pacakage deisgn)
  • Brian Hunt (pacakage deisghn)
  • Marucie Rinaldi (photography)
  • Charles Koppelman (EMI Records)
  • Manolo Gonzalez (EMI Latin)
  • Mario Ruiz (EMI Latin)
  • Daviit Sigerson (EMI Records)
  • John Lannert (biography)
  • Rokusuke Ei (composer) Japan release
  • Hachidai Nakamura (composer) Japan release
  • Hitoshi Namekata (managing) Japan release
  • Amaya Haruka (Japanese translation) Japan release
  • Emi Natsuki (Japanese translation) Japan release
  • Eun Jung (Korean translation) Korean release
  • Sun P. Jung (Korean translation) Korean release
  • Jake Lee (A&R Manager) Korean release

Charts

Album charts

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dreaming_of_You_(Selena_album)&oldid=432638537"