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El Chico del Apartamento 512

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"El Chico del Apartamento 512"
Song

"El chico del apartamento 512" (English: The Boy in Apartment 512) is a song by American Tejano pop singer Selena. "El chico del apartamento 512" was the sixth single released from Amor prohibido (1994). The song was written and produced by Selena's brother and music producer, A.B. Quintanilla III, lead keyboardist of the group, Ricky Vela, Joshua Munoz, Bebu Silvetti, Steven Torres and James Moore. It was released in the United States for Tejano and Contemporary Latin radio stations and was released as a promotional single a day before Selena was murdered on March 30, 1995. Selena promoted the song during her Amor Prohibido Tour, the song was included in every venue. Her final performance was on March 14, 1995 during her concert Calle Ocho Festival in Miami, Florida, which attracted over 100,000 fans.

In an interview with La Nación, Selena said that she recorded the song because she believed her fans would appreciate her choice in Latin dance-pop and wanted to gain fans, who weren't acquainted with her music. "El chico del apartamento 512" was given mixed to positive reviews. Because the single was released a day prior to the murder of Selena, the event jeopardized any further developments for a music video, to further promote the song. "El chico del apartamento 512" had never shared a position on Billboard and failed to impact any music chart globally. Quintanilla III stated that "El chico del apartamento 512" was a "Colombian cumbia" song, while being interviewed for Selena's collection, 20 Years of Music (2002). The song has been covered by many artists since its release.

Background and production

"El chico del apartamento 512" one of the first songs composed for Selena's fifth studio album, Amor prohibido (1994), incorporates cumbia pop, Latin pop and Latin dance.[1] Selena recorded the song at Q-Productions in Corpus Christi, Texas, which is her father's Abraham Quintanilla Jr's recording studio.[2] Brian "Red" Moore helped audio mix the song.[2] Selena told La Nación that she wanted to record the song because she believed her fans would appreciate her choice in Latin pop dance.[3] She also wanted to gain other Hispanics who enjoyed that genre into her music.[3] The song was written by lead keyboardist of the group, Ricky Vela with collaborative writing credits given to A.B. Quintanilla III, brother and music producer of Selena. While "El chico del apartamento 512" was produced by Joshua Munoz, Bebu Silvetti, Steven Torres and James Moore.[1] The single was released the day before Selena was murdered, which jeopardize any further development of a music video.[2] Selena expressed why she wanted to record "El chico del apartamento 512": ..."I really wanted to record this song when I first heard it. I was sitting down eating breakfast with my husband, Chris Perez, when A.B. and Ricky came rushing in. I asked him "what's wrong?" and he replied telling me that I have to hear one of the songs that he and Rick had just wrote. So I walked over to A.B.'s house, keep in mind we are neighbors (laughs). When A.B., had given me the song to look at. I was already in love with it. I was glad that my brother and Rick had written the song, because, I wanted to get more fans who aren't fans of Tejano music. I wanted to show other Hispanics of this different type of sound. Like, there's salsa, merengue and bachata, but there's also "Tejano". So I instantly wanted to record "El chico del apartamento 512". I hope all my fans and the new ones cross my fingers (laughs), will enjoy this song. I literally recorded two takes on the song, and A.B., like always, wanted me to keep going. A.B., had liked the third take and we went with it."[3]"'"

Composition and lyric content

Quintanilla III stated that "El chico del apartamento 512" was a "Colombian cumbia" song, while being interviewed for Selena's collection: 20 Years of Music (2002). Vela, stated in his interview that the song was the "lead Tejano song" because they had used more South American rhythms, in order to get a "different sound".[1] "El chico del apartamento 512" is an uptempo song, drawing influences from pop and dance music genres.[4] With 102 beats per minute, the song is set in common time and it is composed in C minor. It incorporates music from several musical instruments, including the french horn, violin and piano. During the beginning of the song, hymn tunes are accompanied by Selena's singing of being depressed.[4]

The song's lyrics describes a girl who lives in an apartment complex, and always get hit on by random guys she is not interested in. All of a sudden, a whistle blows from a handsome young man in the elevator and she is stuck with curiosity on who he is. She discovers it's her new neighbor from the apartment number 512. This triggers her to think about him and write him love letters. When she bumps into him in the apartment corridor she gets shy and acts like she is not interested in him. One day she gets the courage to knock on his door to confess her love for him. Her heart is broken when she knocks on the door and a blond haired woman opens the door. She wants to run away, but as she is about to, the blond girl asks her: "Were you looking for my brother?", and the song ends.[4]

Live performances

"El chico del apartamento 512" was the fifth song sung live during the Denver, Colorado concert on January 10, 1994. The next day, Selena gave fans in Stockton, California an extended version of "El chico del apartamento 512", which mainly had an alternative ending, with Suzette Quintanilla's drum solos. In the San Juan, Puerto Rico concert, fans sang periodically with Selena, since the song had just been released several weeks ago on radios. On February 26, 1995, Selena was scheduled to perform at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas. She wore a purple bodysuit.[2]

During the "Noche De Carnaval" concert in Miami, Florida, she wore a black see-through blouse with a bustier, black mini-skirt with black knee-high boots.[5] During Selena's half-hour spot on the Johnny Canales Show in mid-1994, she wore one of her original deigns from Selena Etc. Similar to the "Noche De Carnaval" concert, she didn't sing "Ya No", while also not including "Fotos y recuerdos" in the set list.[5] Her final performance was on March 19, 1995 during her concert Calle Ocho Festival in Miami, which attracted over 100,000 fans.[6]

Critical reception

Raúl Manuel Rodríguez of El Dictamen, believed "El chico del apartamento 512" was "... a wonderful piece from Ricky Vela, who had never let [us] down with his great works ..." and stated that "... and Selena's legacy was only growing before she was murdered by the president of her fan club. The song was released a day before she was killed. If she had lived, "El chico del apartamento 512" would have been a much better success [than what it was release] ..."[7] Victoria Díaz of Grupo Reforma, commented on Selena's loss and the song, stating that "... we know if Selena had lived to further promote her fifth studio album, that her singles "El chico del apartamento 512" and "Techno Cumbia" would have, without a doubt, appear on Billboard's Top Latin Songs at number-one ..."[8] She also stated that "El chico del apartamento 512" has gained popularity since its release, but failed to impact any music charts unlike Selena's other number-one singles from Amor prohibido (1994).

Carlos Meléndez, of El Nuevo Día commented on Quintanilla III's choice for selecting the song saying that "... Selena already had great songs on her Amor prohibido album, but if A.B. had picked another song similar to "Bidi bidi bom bom", the album would have been way better ..." Meléndez's comments towards the song were upsetting to some Puerto Rican fans, who wrote to the newspaper, many of them stated that Meléndez "does not know what music is". Meléndez also complained about the song, stating that "... "El chico del apartamento 512" is somewhat tiring after Selena had sung the chorus some multiple times. I think A.B., was trying too hard to show off Selena's musical abilities when he and Vela wrote this song ..." Meléndez then stated that the song "[is] not right for Selena".[9] Julio Ramírez of MTV Latin America praised the song, while stating that he can spot crossover-potential.[10] On La Jornada, editor Gabriela Herrera wrote that "El chico del apartamento 512" had showed off "Selena's talents as a musical performer".[11]

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Amor prohibido liner notes.[12]

Covers

Artist Album Year
Grupo Tijuana Canta Como: Selena 2002[13]
Banda El Grullo Lo Mejor De Selena Con Banda 2005[14]
Graciela Beltrán Selena ¡VIVE! 2005[15]
Antony Santos Ay! Ven 2006[16]
Nuevas Voces Latinas Exitos 2008[17]
The Latin Salsa Boys Latinos Con Sabor Vol. 1 2011[18]
Reyes De Cancion Remembering Selena: Un Homenaje 2011[19]

See also

References

Template:Wikipedia books

  1. ^ a b c EMI Telvisia (1995) Selena — Amor Prohibido (Liner Notes) EMI Records
  2. ^ a b c d John Lanner and Edward James Olmos (1997). "Selena Remembered". 127 minutes in. Q-Productions. Her Life ... Her Music ... Her Dream {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |began=, |episodelink=, |serieslink=, |ended=, |transcripturl=, and |seriesno= (help); Missing or empty |series= (help); Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c María Domínguez (20 February 1994). "La Reina Exclusivo". La Nación (in Spanish). {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  4. ^ a b c Quintanilla-Perez, Selena; Astudillo, Pete (1994). "Amor Prohibido: Selena Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Music Publishing. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |format= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. ^ a b Betty Cortina (26 November 2008). "Selena: Biography". Biography. 60 minutes in. A&E. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |episodelink= and |seriesno= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Patoski, Joe Nick (1995). Selena: Como La Flor. Little Brown and Company. p. 154. ISBN 0-316-69378-2. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ Raúl Manuel Rodríguez (17 March 2009). "La Música De La Reina Por Siempre Vivirá". El Dictamen (in Spanish). {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  8. ^ Victoria Díaz (11 May 1996). "No Ver El éxito De La Reina Del Tex-Mex (en Notas)". Grupo Reforma (in Spanish). {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  9. ^ Carlos Meléndez (30 July 1997). "¿Las Canciones De Una Reina?". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  10. ^ Julio Ramírez (26 May 2007). "La Musica Del Ano". Playlist. MTV Latin America. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |episodelink= and |seriesno= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Gabriela Herrera (8 August 1995). "Selena Su Vida En Retrospectiva". La Jornada (in Spanish). {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  12. ^ Amor prohibido (Media notes). EMI Latin. 1994. {{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |albumlink= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |artist= ignored (|others= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "iTunes > Music > Canta Como: Selena". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 27 December 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  14. ^ "iTunes > Music > Lo Mejor de Selena Con Banda". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 27 December 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  15. ^ "Las estrellas latinas le cantan a Selena". Terra. 10 April 2005. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  16. ^ "iTunes > Music > Ay! Ven (Live)". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 27 December 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  17. ^ "iTunes > Music > Latinas Exitos". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 27 December 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  18. ^ "iTunes > Music > Latinos Con Sabor Vol. 1". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 27 December 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  19. ^ "iTunes > Music > Remembering Selena: Un Homenaje". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 27 December 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
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