Ven Conmigo (album)

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This article is about the Selena album. For other uses, see Ven Conmigo.

Ven Conmigo
A.B. Quintanilla III
Selena chronology
16 Super Exitos Originales
(1990) 		Ven Conmigo
(1990) 		Entre a Mi Mundo
(1992)
Selena studio album chronology
Selena
(1989) 		Ven Conmigo
(1990) 		Entre a Mi Mundo
(1992)
Singles from Ven Conmigo
  1. "Ya Ves"
    Released: 1990
  2. "Baila Esta Cumbia"
    Released: 1990
  3. "La Tracalera"
    Released: 1991

Ven Conmigo (English: Come with Me) is the second studio album by American singer

love songs
or songs following a woman's struggles after many failed relationships.

After Ven Conmigo's release, the band hired guitarist Chris Pérez who introduced his hard rock sound to the band's music and performances, and further diversified Selena's repertoire. Her promotional tour for the album attracted upwards of 60,000 attendees to her shows, and critics praised the singer's stage presence. The album's single, "Baila Esta Cumbia" was the most played song on local Tejano music radio stations for over a month and helped Selena to tour in Mexico. Ven Conmigo peaked at number three on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart, her then-highest peaking album. It received critical acclaim, bringing Selena recognition as a Tejano singer and establishing her as a commercial threat.

In October 1991, Ven Conmigo went gold for sales exceeding 50,000 units, making Selena the first female Tejano singer to receive the honor. The event dissolved the male hierarchy in the Tejano music industry, which saw women as commercially inferior. Ven Conmigo received a nomination for the Tejano Music Award for Album of the Year – Orchestra at the 1992 annual event. The album peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums chart after it was ineligible to chart on the Billboard 200 following her shooting death in 1995. In October 2017, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album triple platinum, denoting 180,000 album-equivalent units sold in the United States. In 2019, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[2]

Production and development

In March 1989,

crossover album.[5] After recording three demos for the heads of EMI Records' pop division, Charles Koppelman rejected them and suggested Selena perform songs that appealed to her fan base.[6]

Before her

Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter.[8] Selena's debut album outperformed other recordings by contemporaneous female Tejano singers and enjoyed moderate success.[9][10] A.B. was allowed to continue as the singer's producer and songwriter for Ven Conmigo.[11]

Recording and composition

"Baila Esta Cumbia" (1990)
Selena began experimenting with
hit single that eventually opened the doors for her in Mexico.[11]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Ven Conmigo was recorded at record producer Joey Lopez' Zaz Studios in

Abraham Quintanilla Jr.—the group's manager and Selena's father—suggested the idea of having a variety of genres on the album: "I always felt that the buyer, the listener, would enjoy this and would not get bored hearing just one particular style of music."[11] The compositions for the album were musically varied— more "broader-based and more adventurous than any mainstream Tejano act" according to biographer Joe Nick Patoski.[12] Selena and her band were "evolving a rhythmic style that demonstrated its prowess for catchy cumbias".[14]

Ven Conmigo scrapped the conventional styles and track organization of the typical Tejano album of "a two-sided single sandwiched between a bunch of polkas and oldie-but-goodie [songs]".

pop ballads.[11]

Quintanilla III worked with

drums, and bajo sexto, respectively for the track[17] that gave it "a Tejano flavor".[15]

After discovering that Behar invited high-profile pop music executives to the

Suzette Quintanilla compared to a Top 40 recording that illustrated Selena's "soul side". Selena recorded the track before the Tejano Music Awards on March 9, 1990, and rehearsed a routine with backup dancers for the event.[11] Quintanilla Jr. suggested the idea of reworking the popular Cuban song "Guantanamera" into a house music track. Quintanilla III created an instrumental. Quintanilla Jr. liked it and encouraged Quintanilla III to write lyrics for it, resulting in "No Quiero Saber".[11] Astudillo recalled how he worked with Quintanilla III on the track, noting that "No Quiero Saber" was lyrically different from their repertoire of love songs and the heartache of failed relationships.[11]

Promotion

The night before the photo shoot for the album, Selena cut and dyed her hair jet black and stained a small patch of skin behind her ear. She insisted on a black-and-white photograph of her posing with a mohawk to distract from the stain.[11] EMI Latin was adamantly opposed to the singer shortening her hair and its styling. They wanted to market her based on beauty standards at that time,[18] and believed the style would have a negative impact on Selena's "good girl" image.[18]

Roger Garcia, the band's lead guitarist, got married before Ven Conmigo was released.[19][20] Quintanilla III discovered 17-year old Pérez, who was the guitarist for Shelly Lares.[21] He auditioned to be part of the group. Quintanilla III's music production style was Pérez' inspiration to become part of Selena y Los Dinos.[21] At first, Quintanilla Jr. dismissed Pérez, seeing him as more of a rocker, feeling he was ill-equipped for a Tejano band.[20] Betty Cortina, editor-at-large for People magazine, wrote that Pérez was the antithesis of Quintanilla Jr.'s "clean-cut good kids" image.[20] Quintanilla III persuaded Abraham that Pérez was capable of performing Tejano music, adding that his rocker image was harmless. Pérez was hired as the band's guitarist after the band finished recording Ven Conmigo.[19] Critics felt Pérez' hard rock style combined with Selena's basic Tejano sound, added to her already diverse musical repertoire.[4]

Selena's concerts began to attract upwards of 60,000 attendees.

KTXZ-AM for five consecutive weeks,[28] beginning on October 25, 1990.[29] While promotional singles "Yo Te Amo" reached number six,[30] and "Yo Me Voy" reached number eight.[31]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic
[32]

Following the album's release, Selena was called the Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson,[13] and Madonna of Tejano music.[4] Selena responded to these comparisons saying she did not like to be stereotyped.[13] She explained: "I think it's good to be different, and if you're first at it, it's even better."[13] Selena's popularity "surged" following Ven Conmigo's release.[33] It was the first album to bring her recognition within her field of music,[34] and established her name on the Tejano music scene "as a true artist to be reckoned with".[35] The album expanded Selena's "vocal talents",[4] and made her "unstoppable".[36] Ven Conmigo was nominated for the Tejano Music Award for Album of the Year – Orchestra, while its single "Baila Esta Cumbia" was nominated for Single of the Year and Song of the Year. The single "Yo Te Amo" was nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year at the 1992 Tejano Music Awards.[37] Selena received her third consecutive win for Female Vocalist of the Year and Female Entertainer of the Year.[38]

Ven Conmigo debuted at number eight on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart the week ending November 3, 1990.[39] It was the highest debut album of that week, and surpassed Selena as her highest debuting album on the chart at the time.[39] The following week, the album fell to number ten.[40] It reached number six on the Regional Mexican Albums chart in its sixth week, surpassing Selena as her highest charting album,[41] before peaking at number three.[42] Ven Conmigo remained in the top ten on the Regional Mexican Albums chart for 16 consecutive weeks before falling into the top 15.[43] It surpassed the record for most weeks on the chart for a female Tejano album—56 weeks. At the same time "Baila Esta Cumbia" reached number eight on local Tejano radio stations' list of the most requested songs for that week.[15] Ven Conmigo ended 1991 as the fourth best-selling Regional Mexican Album.[44]

In October 1991, Ven Conmigo

went gold for sales exceeding 50,000 units, the first Tejano album by a woman to receive a gold certification.[10][45][46] This dissolved the male hierarchy in the Tejano music industry where women were seen as commercially inferior. It also ended the long-standing view that a female performer could not draw comparable audiences to a man. Selena later said in an interview: "[T]he more doors they shut on us, the more determined we became. We've just started seeing a change." [45] She credited the gold certification to EMI Latin's marketing team, and felt it inspired other women in the field to believe they were capable of producing gold records.[46] Following the album's certification, Selena performed at a 2,000-seat McAllen, Texas venue owned by Nano Ramírez who had denied her the opportunity to play there earlier in her career.[45]

On March 31, 1995, Selena was

17 Super Éxitos (1993) compilation album spent its second week at number one.[49] In 1995, catalog titles made up nearly 50% of the music consumed in the United States. Ven Conmigo and 17 Super Éxitos contributed to the $5 billion revenue reported that year by the music industry.[50] The RIAA certified the album platinum for shipments of 200,000 units in the United States; her fifth platinum record.[51] In October 2017, the RIAA updated the certification to triple platinum, denoting 300,000 album-equivalent units sold.[27]

Track listing

All tracks are written by

Baila Esta Cumbia" 2:578."Yo Me Voy"Juan Gabriel3:289."No Quiero Saber
" 2:5410."Después de Enero"Herrera2:57Total length:31:53
2002 re-release bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
11."No Quiero Saber" (2000 mix)  3:34
12."Enamorada de Ti" (club mix)  6:07
13."Spoken Liner Notes" (commentary recollections provided by Selena's family, friends, and her band)
Suzette Quintanilla
13:39
14."No Quiero Saber" (music video)  3:37

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ven Conmigo.[11]

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[52] 3× Platinum (Latin) 180,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ "RIAA".
  2. ^ Anon. 2020.
  3. ^ Clark 2005.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Jones 2013.
  5. ^ Lopetegui 1995.
  6. ^ Minnick 2010.
  7. ^ Quintanilla 1989.
  8. ^ Ramirez 2015.
  9. ^ Peña 2002, p. 205.
  10. ^ a b Stacy 2002, p. 746.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Quintanilla 1990.
  12. ^ a b c Patoski 1996, p. 90.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Maldonado 1991a, p. 37.
  14. ^ Garza 1996, p. 80.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g Patoski 1996, p. 91.
  16. ^ Ruiz 1995, p. 42.
  17. ^ Blumenthal 1998, p. 149.
  18. ^ a b Richmond 1995, p. 54.
  19. ^ a b Anon. 1996.
  20. ^ a b c Anon. 2007.
  21. ^ a b Pérez 2012, p. 29.
  22. ^ Richmond 1995, p. 50.
  23. ^ a b c d e Patoski 1996, p. 93.
  24. ^ Anon. 1993.
  25. ^ Behar 1995, p. 64.
  26. ^ Maldonado 1991a, p. 39.
  27. ^ a b Anon. & n.d. (a).
  28. ^ Anon. 1990c, p. 105.
  29. ^ Anon. 1990a, p. 95.
  30. ^ Anon. 1990e, p. 108.
  31. ^ Anon. 1991a, p. 81.
  32. ^ Anon. & n.d. (b).
  33. ^ Jasinski 2012, p. 285.
  34. ^ Maldonado 1994, p. 64.
  35. ^ Tarradell 2000.
  36. ^ Ramirez 1997, p. 191.
  37. ^ Anon. 1992.
  38. ^ Anon. & n.d. (c).
  39. ^ a b Anon. 1990b.
  40. ^ Anon. 1990d.
  41. ^ Anon. 1991b.
  42. ^ a b Anon. 1991c.
  43. ^ Anon. 1991d.
  44. ^ a b Anon. 1991e, p. YE-42.
  45. ^ a b c Patoski 1996, p. 92.
  46. ^ a b Maldonado 1991b, p. 31.
  47. ^ Verhovek 1995, p. 1.
  48. ^ a b Anon. 1995a, p. 55.
  49. ^ a b Anon. 1995b, p. 74.
  50. ^ Tirella 1995, p. 138.
  51. ^ Anon. 2002, p. 34.
  52. ^ "American album certifications – Selena – Ven Conmigo". Recording Industry Association of America.

Bibliography


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