- Dreaming of You (album)
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Dreaming of You Studio album / Compilation album by Selena Released July 18, 1995 (U.S.)
(see release history)Recorded 1994–1995
Various recording locationsGenre R&B, Pop, Latin pop, Caribbean, Techno, Tejano pop, Rancheras, Mexican music Length 49:14 Label EMI, EMI Latin Producer Keith Thomas, Guy Roche, Rhett Lawrence, Arto Lindsay, Susan Rogers, David Byrne, A.B. Quintanilla III, José Hernàndez, José Behar Selena chronology Las Reinas Del Pueblo
(1995)Dreaming of You
(1995)Exitos y Recuerdos
(1996)Singles from Dreaming of You - "I Could Fall in Love"
Released: October 17, 1995 - "Dreaming of You"
Released: August 14, 1995 - "I'm Getting Used to You"
Released: November 26, 1995 - "Tú Sólo Tú"
Released: July 5, 1995 - "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)"
Released: August 8, 1995 - "Techno Cumbia"
Released: September 5, 1995 - "El Toro Relajo"
Released: December 24, 1995 (Mexico only) - "Sukiyaki"
Released: January 8, 1996 (Japan only) - "Captive Heart"
Released: January 12, 1996 (Canada and United Kingdom only)
Dreaming of You is the sixth and final studio album, and second posthumous album, by American Tejano pop singer Selena, and was released on July 18, 1995, by EMI Records and EMI Latin. Dreaming of You comprises previously unreleased English- and Spanish-language songs, and previously released tracks that were remixed with a Caribbean influence from the dance hall and reggae genres. The first half of the album incorporates slow and mid-tempo R&B ballads and pop songs, and the remainder incorporates Latin-inflected grooves. The album was re-released on September 24, 2002, as part of the Selena: 20 Years of Music collection, the re-release included one music video and spoken liner notes by her family, friends and her former band, Selena y Los Dinos.
By 1993, EMI Latin thought Selena should release a crossover album. She had proven her capacity for success; she had won a Grammy Award, and several other accolades, signed a sponsorship tour with Coca-Cola, dominated the Latin music charts, and expanded the "Tejano Music Movement" across the United States. EMI Latin thought that she had reached her peak in the Spanish language market and it wanted to launch her into a career as a mainstream American solo pop artist. Selena was partnered with major pop music producers, some of whom were Grammy Award winners. EMI Latin and EMI Records wanted to change Selena's musical styles from Tejano and Latin Pop to Pop and contemporary R&B, and to facilitate her own crossover dream. Recordings had been made and a crossover tour was being planned. On the morning of March 31, 1995, Selena was murdered by Yolanda Saldivar, a friend and employee at her Selena Etc. boutiques.
"Dreaming of You" debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, and sold more than 331,000 units in its first week. Selena was the first Hispanic singer to have an album, mostly in Spanish, debut at number one. The album made the second-highest chart debut in the world after Michael Jackson's HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), and Selena became the second-fastest-selling female artist, after Janet Jackson's janet. (1993). The album was among the top ten debuts of all time and among the best-selling albums for a female artist. On its release date the album sold more than 175,000 copies, a record for a female pop singer. Critics gave the album mixed to positive reviews; many said that Dreaming of You was not Selena's peak as an artist. Her previous record, Amor Prohibido (1994), was considered a more consistent release and a good introduction to her work. Several tracks from the album were released as singles in the United States and other countries.
Contents
Production and development
Selena performed at the 1989 Tejano Music Awards, which was attended by Jose Behar, the former head of Sony Music Latin who had recently launched EMI Latin Records, and the new head of Sony Music Latin.[1][2] Behar was searching for new Latin acts, and wanted to sign Selena to EMI's Capitol Records, while Sony Music Latin was offering double Capitol's amount to Selena's father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla Jr.[2][3] Behar thought that he had found the next Gloria Estefan, and told his superior that he had found what he was looking for. Behar's superior replied that Behar was crazy as he had been in South Texas less than a week.[2][3] Quintanilla Jr. chose EMI Latin's offer because of the potential for a crossover, and he wanted his children to be the first artists to sign with the company.[2][3]
Before Selena signed her contract with EMI Latin in 1989, her first major contract, Behar and Stephen Finfer requested Selena for a crossover album[4][5] and she recorded "Only Love", "Is It the Beat?", and "Where Did the Feeling Go?" for the heads of EMI Records' pop division.[6] Behar's request for a major crossover album was denied and Selena was told that she needed a bigger fan base to sell a major album.[3] Behar said later that he thought that EMI Records, and people in general, did not believe that a Mexican American woman could be of "crossover potential".[3] By 1993 Selena had won a Grammy Award for Selena Live! (1993), won several accolades, signed a sponsorship tour with Coca-Cola, dominated the Latin music charts, and expanded the "Tejano Music Movement" across the United States.[7][8][9][10] EMI Latin thought that Selena should release a crossover album,[2] and believed she had reached her peak in the Spanish language market and wanted to launch her career as an American solo pop artist.[2][3] Selena said in interviews that the album would be released during 1994,[3] though following the release of Amor prohibido in March 1994, she said that the crossover album was still being developed.[3][11] During a private dinner in a Thai restaurant in 1994, Selena was very upset about the pressure she was under from the press about the album.[3] She said that she had told numerous news crews that the album was about to be released, but she had not recorded one song for the album.[3] Behar thought Selena was joking because of her bubbly personality, and said that Selena was correct. He subsequently told the chairman of EMI Records, Charles Koppelman,[12] that Selena and her band Los Dinos would leave EMI and find a record company willing to record an English language album for Selena. Behar had lied to the chairman to force the crossover album to begin.[3] EMI relented and the recording sessions began.[3] Selena was signed to EMI's SBK Records in November 1993 after less than twenty-four hours in Los Angeles.[13][14] The news of Selena's new deal was front-page news on Billboard.[15][16] Selena said she felt intimidated by the recording deal because the situation was new to her and that only a few people had believed she would achieve success in the pop world.[16]
Selena began recording the first song for the album, "I Could Fall in Love", in late 1994.[2] Selena was paired with major pop music producers, some of which were Grammy Award winners.[3] Selena's sister Suzette Quintanilla stated that Selena would take a very long time before deciding that a song represented what "Selena was all about"; however, SBK Records controlled the entire project and allowed Selena to choose only one song.[17] This was because, SBK knew what they were doing for a crossover event.[17] Recording sessions for the album took place at several recording studios during 1994 to 1995, including: her father's Q-Productions studio 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.[17] 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., Franne Golde, Tom Snow, Full Force, Brian "Red" Moore, A.B. Quintanilla III, Barrio Boyzz, K.C. Porter, Felipe Bernmejo, Jose Hernandez and Felipe Valdes Leal.[17] Amy Grant[18] and Vanessa Williams[19] were both in the process of writing songs for Selena to be included on the album. Dreaming of You was the first album that Selena's family did not produce,[2] as Selena's family stepped down prior to the albums recording sessions; as they wished to allow professional pop producers to work her.[2] Selena found this decision stressful, and felt the decision was forced on her in order to sell records.[3]
The songs for the album were in a different style from those she had previously sung,[3] being mostly pop love songs. Selena co-wrote with David Byrne, former lead vocalist of Talking Heads 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.[3] Before choosing the song "Dreaming of You" for the album Selena's husband Chris Pérez and brother A.B. Quintanilla III, then her producer, told Selena that they both disliked the song. A.B. Quintanilla III would later state, after Selena's murder, that he "now understood" why Selena choose the song[17] and Pérez stated that he grew to love it.[3][17] Keith Thomas stated that every time Selena would walk in the recording studio that all eyes would be on her because of her smiles, energy, and eager to succeed, who made everyone laugh. Thomas also said that there were no ego problems with her.[2] Selena began recording songs in late 1994 and had recorded six songs[20] by January 20, 1995.[21] Selena was scheduled to record "Oh No (I'll Never Fall in Love Again)" on the morning of March 31, 1995, but was killed on the same day by Yolanda Saldivar, a prior friend and manager of her boutiques.[2] "Oh No" was later recorded in Spanish by her brother's band, Kumbia Kings, on their album Amor, Familia Y Respeto (2009).[22] The composer Keith Thomas, who wrote "I Could Fall In Love", never finished his second song intended for Selena to record and revealed the song's fate when he made an appearance on a show which talked about Selena's life and death for the A&E series Biography .[2] In 2008, freestyle singer Brenda K. Starr, revealed that she was supposed to guest starred in two unrecorded songs slanted for Dreaming of You.[23] In June 2011 Dominican American Latin soul singer TeCheetah Lopez was given a demo of "Love Me Now", which was intended for Dreaming of You.[24] The song was never produced and was written by Christopher Troy and Zac Harmon. According to Jose Behar Dreaming of You was projected to be released in September or October 1995.[25] In April 1995 EMI Latin decided to only release four out of the six English-language songs Selena had recorded for her crossover album;[26] the song "Siempre Hace Frio" ("It's Always Cold") was pulled from the album for unknown reasons.[27]
Composition
The crossover album was planned as a pop album, consisting of confessional love songs and contemporary R&B duets.[2] Betty Cortina from People magazine wrote: "It was really a transition not only from a marketing point-of-view but really from a creative point-of-view, in the most fundamental ways for her ... ".[2] Selena told numerous interviewers that she was going to sing a pop ballad with John Secada.[2] After Selena's murder SBK Records proposed that EMI Latin finish the album and update SBK on its progress, while SBK Records removed themselves as affiliates; however, Selena's contract with EMI Latin was still active and EMI Latin took control of the project and collaborated on remix sessions with Q-Productions.[2] EMI Latin and EMI Records wanted to transform Selena's musical style from Tejano-pop to Pop and contemporary R&B, which would give Selena her desired crossover. The album's booklet states that Selena displayed an instinctive ability to convey passion and sentiment in a variety of ways, and that the first half of the album, " ... 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."[17]
Musical style and lyrics
"I Could Fall in Love", the first promotional single[28] off Dreaming of You, was written by Keith Thomas and incorporates elements of soft rock, pop, R&B and soul, and the song is set in E Major with a moderate groove. Selena's vocal range spans four octaves with music notes F#3-A4, .[29] The lyrics describe a woman who is in love with someone who does not know about it. She tries to confess her feelings for him, but is afraid of rejection, and decides not to tell him. According to The Billboard book of number one albums, "I Could Fall in Love" was regarded as the prime song of Dreaming of You and " ... could melt the hearts of millions around the world". [30] Kathleen Tracy wrote that "I Could Fall in Love" and "Dreaming of You" were two hit ballads.[31] Vibe editor James Hunter wrote: "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."[28] After Selena's death the piece became a popular wedding song.[32]
"Dreaming of You", the lead single from the album, is a power ballad derived from the genre of contemporary R&B. The song features piano and guitar as its foundation, wind chimes and funk-influenced bass instrumentation are also present.[33] The song was composed by Franne Golde and Tom Snow.[33] Dreaming of You is set in Ab Major and begins in the key of G♯(Ab), changing to the key of A♯(Bb) after the bridge.[34] Selena's vocal range spans Eb3-Eb5.[33] The Los Angeles Times placed "Dreaming of You" at number five out of its top-ten singles of 1995.[35] "Dreaming of You" is about a lonely and depressed woman in her room at night, who dreams endlessly of being with her boyfriend. Dreaming of You begins with a low-key instrumentation, which provides emphasis for Selena's vocals. Geraldo Martinez of El Dictamen wrote that the opening structure of the song was astonishingly tantalizing.[36]
"I'm Getting Used to You" was the second promotional single released from Dreaming of You. It was composed by Diane Warren, produced by Rhett Lawrence, and arranged by John Brimhall.[37] Four dance re-mixes by David Morales were commissioned for promotional use. The song incorporates elements of Baroque- and Dream-pop sub-genres, and the lyrics describe a women who is in her first real relationship. Her boyfriend helps her change her views about love. Set in F Major, the song's tempo is moderate.[37] Because of the music's easy piano notation I'm Getting Used To You was featured in the Top Pop Hits of 1996 for Easy Piano book.[37]
"Captive Heart" is an up-tempo song that incorporates elements of 1990s synthpop, electro and fast Rock.[38][39] Its lyrics are about a woman who is being controlled by her partner. She is unable to end the relationship because she is too much in love with him.[17] The song was released as a promotional single. Vibe editor Ed Morales compared the song with Evelyn "Champagne" King and "Wherever You Are", a duet with the Barrio Boyzz.[40] According to the Chicago Tribune, "Captive Heart" was destined for urban-contemporary radio.[39] The Daily Vault said: "A surprising and painful flaw at the end of "Captive Heart" shows that she is making a mistake many popular singers today are making; exerting too much throat is a one-way ticket to voice destruction. The flaw is never heard again, but an uncertainty lingers in the listener's mind." [41]
"God's Child (Baila Conmigo)", a duet with David Byrne, was originally recorded for the motion picture soundtrack "Don Juan DeMarco", in which Selena made a cameo appearance with Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway. After Selena's murder, EMI Records decided to use the song on the crossover album. Byrne recorded his vocals in New York, while Selena recorded her verse in Corpus Christi, Texas, at her father's recording studio.[42] The song was used on the soundtrack of the 1995 film, Blue in the Face. [43] According to the Chicago Tribune, "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)", is an energetic, dark and mysterious song that combines elements of the rumba flamenca with rock and R&B undertones. [39] Time states that the song is a " ... giddy soulful song".[44]
"El toro relajo" (English: "The Crazy Bull"), an unreleased Spanish-language Mariachi-ballad, was composed by Felipe Bermejo, produced by José Hernàndez, and engineered by Bruce Robb. It was the sixth single release from the album. Its lyrics are about a woman warning a man, during a bullfighting competition, that the bull is not tame. The woman wants to tame the bull so that her lover can ride it. Mariachi Sol de México were the back-up vocalists. "El Toro Relajo" was recorded for the movie soundtrack of Don Juan DeMarco.[40] The Daily Vault said: "The most impressive track on the entire album is "El Toro Relajo", which switches conventional man-woman roles and has Selena singing as a toreador ... The track is short, amusing, and dedicated."[41] El Toro Relajo became a traditional Cinco de Mayo celebration song.[45] Brennan told Time magazine that he believes the company who dropped the song from the Don Juan DeMarco soundtrack, regrets ever doing so.[44] "Tú sólo tú" was released as the seventh single off of Dreaming of You.[44] Billboard magazine called it a classic emotive ballad,[46] Time said that "Tú sólo tú" is a spirited mariachi song.[44]
Dreaming of You was planned to include a greater number of English language tracks. However, on March 31, 1995, when she was scheduled to record "Oh No (I'll Never Fall in Love Again)" at her father's recording studio, Selena was killed by Yolanda Saldívar.[2] The album was shelved until the reactions to Selena's murder forced EMI Records to release Dreaming of You as it was. EMI re-released Selena's most popular and famous works, some of which were remixed using elements of Caribbean music genres such as dancehall and reggae.[2][17] The Barrio Boyzz, who had originally recorded "Donde quiera que estés" with Selena, re-recorded the song in English, titled "Wherever You Are", and left Selena's Spanish verse as it was. Full Force were asked to sing more melodies on the contemporary R&B remix of "Missing My Baby". "Como la flor", "Techno Cumbia", and "Bidi bidi bom bom" were also remixed with dancehall and reggae elements.[2][17][44] The Chicago Tribune called "Techno Cumbia" a " ... synthed-up cumbia ... ".[39] The Daily Vault wrote: "A track that utilizes the rhythmic nature of Spanish, namely "Techno Cumbia" is a little underproduced in a bad way but Selena compensates the lack of background beautifully." Naming the upbeat songs as dance tracks, the Daily Vault said that the rest of the songs shared the under-produced quality.[41]
Release
Dreaming of You was scheduled to be released sometime in 1994 but it was delayed until after the release of Selena's last entirely Spanish language studio album, Amor prohibido. In an interview on January 20, 1995, Selena said the album would be released in July.[47] EMI Records and EMI Latin released Dreaming of You on July 18, 1995. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, displacing the Pocahontas (1995) soundtrack and Michael Jackson.[48][49][50][51][52] The album was among the ten best-selling debuts ever, and was the best-selling debut by a female artist.[53] Fans in Dallas, Texas, began lining up to purchase the album hours before stores were due to open.[54] The album sold more than 331,000 copies in its first week. It became the biggest first-week seller by a female artist since SoundScan began monitoring US sales in 1992, and the first album by a Hispanic artist to debut at number one, according to EMI Records.[55] EMI estimated that sales exceeded 400,000, because many copies were sold at small stores that were not tracked by SoundScan.[51][56]
"Dreaming of You" was well-received by critics.[57][58] It debuted at number one on the Billboard Latin Albums and Billboard Latin Pop Albums music charts, staying on the charts for nearly two-hundred weeks.[59] Stores across Austin, were sold out of Dreaming of You within minutes on the day the album was released,[60] even though Austin stores limited purchases to two copies per costumer.[60] Fans in Corpus Christi began celebrating the release of Dreaming of You at 19:00 in the parking lot of "Craig's Record Factory" the day before the release of the album.[61] Some lip-synced and danced to Selena's music that was being played[61] and when the doors opened at midnight, fans swarmed in and bought all the album copies in the store.[61]
The album was sold in approximately fifteen countries, and in the months following its release, Selena became more widely known. "Dreaming of You" and "I Could Fall in Love" were extensively played on major English speaking radio stations, preferably Adult contemporary music radios.[62][63] Dreaming of You sold half a million copies in Texas.[64]
Within ten months of release, Dreaming of You was nearing triple-platinum status.[65] The album was certified 3.5 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipping more than 3,500,000 copies in its first year.[66] Billboard named "I Could Fall in Love" and "Dreaming of You" the number one and two spot, respectively, in the Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits.[67][68] Upon the release the album sold over 2,000,000 copies,[53][69] and EMI Latin was inundated with orders of 500,000 units from retail stores, such as Abdelsayed's Counterfeit Factory, who were unable to fill their back-orders. The Counterfeit Factory, and another small Providence, Rhode Island music store, were broken into by fans who stole approximately 35,000 cassettes, which were mostly of Dreaming of You. The criminals were arrested and charged with felony offenses.[70] The album was the highest selling Latin album since Julio Iglesias recorded his first English-language record, 1100 Bel Air Place (1984).[71]
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, simultaneously and Selena had became the first female artist to do so.[72] The album peaked at number one.[53][67][69] The album is the first to be mostly recorded in Spanish to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, making Selena the first Latino artist to accomplish that feat.[69][73][74] Two years after Selena's murder Dreaming of You and Siempre Selena (1996) occupied the third and fourth slots respectively on the Billboard Top 50 Latin Albums.[75] Dreaming of You was certified gold in Canada, selling 50,000 copies.[76] Some Texas retailers criticized sale figures for their state as Dreaming of You had sold poorly at their music stores.[25]
Promotion
Crossover Tour
Main article: Crossover TourThe Crossover Tour (TCT) was a scheduled world tour to promote Dreaming of You. It was scheduled to begin in mid-1995,[42] after the initial release of the crossover album. TCT would promote Selena in countries where Selena was not well-known.
Commercial promotion
Several commercials were released in the US, Mexico and South America to promote the album.[77] Jose Behar of EMI Latin said that promotion " ... will be on the superstar scale" and that "[We] didn't put this marketing campaign behind it because there was a tragedy. ... We put this marketing campaign behind it because we believed that this was going to be a huge album because of the music. This is a record that we're going to work over the next 10 months."[25]
In Texas and Mexico, bootleggers sold counterfeited copies of Dreaming of You. A bootlegger in Corpus Christi, Texas, approached Selena's father, without knowing who he was.[60][77][78][79] Quintanilla Jr. took all available copies and reported the man to local police.[77] In Texas, counterfeit merchandise from Dreaming of You, such as shirts, bootleg copies and key chains, were sold from vehicles, trailers, and independent stores.[77][36] There are no known reports of the public reporting bootleggers, although Quintanilla Jr reported any he found to the police.[77] By 1996, 50,000 counterfeited copies of Dreaming of You were thought to have been sold[77] at five dollars each.[36]
Singles
EMI Latin released the lead single, "Dreaming of You" on August 14, 1995. It peaked at number one on the French Singles Chart and the Spanish Singles Chart. In 2008, the song peaked at number one on the Latin Rhythm Airplay Chart. It then peaked at number nine on the US Billboard Hot Singles Recurrents, Latin Pop Airplay and the UK Singles Chart in 1995.[80][81] Within weeks of the song's release, a double single version of "Dreaming of You", which included "Techno Cumbia" and additional remixes, was released on August 28, 1995.[63] The song was also featured in the book Greatest Love Songs of the 90's.[34] "Dreaming of You" won a BMI Millionaire Awards for selling two million copies in the Untied States.[82] Known as one of Selena's signature songs, it received extensive airplay on English-language radio stations after its release in the US.[2] To date, "Dreaming of You" and "I Could Fall in Love" receive extensive airplay throughout the United States, especially on Oldies stations.[83]
"I Could Fall in Love" was ineligible for the US Billboard Hot 100 at the time, but reached number eight on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. It became a promotional single on October 17, 1995.[81][84] "I Could Fall in Love" peaked at number ten for eight weeks on the New Zealand Singles Chart, starting on October 22, 1995.[85] The song was the highest ranking English language single, at the time, on the Hot Latin Tracks chart.[53] "I Could Fall in Love" entered "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits".[86] In 1997 Thomas was awarded "Among most played song" at the ASCAP pop awards for "I Could Fall in Love",[87] and the single posthumously won the Tejano Crossover of The Year at the 16th Tejano Music Awards.[88]
EMI Latin released "I Could Fall in Love" as a double single, coupled with "Tú sólo tú", on the same day. "Tú sólo tú" peaked at number one on the Hot Latin Tracks and the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay charts.[89][77][81][90] The song won the "Song of the Year" award posthumously in 1996 at the 17th Tejano Music Awards.[91] It had also won the "Regional Mexican Hot Latin Track of The Year" and "Regional Mexican Hot Latin Video of The Year" posthumously at the International Billboard Latin Music Awards.[92]
Selena's three top-five singles made her runner-up to Shania Twain on UU-BRU Radio Playlist's "Top Female Act of the Year" in 1995.[93] "Dreaming of You" and "I Could Fall in Love" were EMI Records' top selling downloads for the first quarter 2005, and the year-to-date top seller in April 1, 2004 to March 31, 2005. For the week ending April 9, the two songs continued to chart on the list.[94]
"I'm Getting Used To You" was released as the album's second promotional single on November 26, 1995. The single included four dance mixes by David Morales. The song peaked at number seven on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, number twenty seven on the Rhythmic Top 40 and number twenty three on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts.[95][77] The song also peaked at number one on Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts (Maxi-Single Sales) in 1996.[96] "I'm Getting Used To You" entered the BPM List 2006: Main Edition in the top 100.[97] "El toro relajo" became the lead single released from Dreaming of You in Mexico, and became a promotional single in the US on December 24, 1995. The song peaked at number fourteen on the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay chart.[89][77]
"Sukiyaki" was released as a maxi single in Japan on January 8, 1996, and included radio edits of "I Could Fall in Love" and "Dreaming of You".[98][77] "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" was released as a promotional single in the UK and Canada in January 1996.[77] "Captive Heart" was released as a promotional single in Canada and the UK. It peaked at number ninety six on the Canadian Hot 100 and number thirty on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart in the United States.[77]
Reception
Commercial performance
Dreaming of You sold 175,000 copies on its first day of release, a record for a female pop singer.[56][5][99] The album was Selena's last studio album and her second posthumous album, which followed Las Reinas Del Pueblo (1995).[100] The album was the number seventy five top-seller in the US for the BMG Music Club.[101] Dreaming of You debuted at number one on the US Latin Albums chart[102] for 128 weeks, and the US Latin Pop Albums chart for 104 weeks.[103] Dreaming of You became the best-selling Spanish language album to chart on the Billboard Top Latin Albums.[104] For selling 1,700,000 copies in the US, Dreaming of You was listed as one of the "Best-Selling Records of 1995" on Nielsen SoundScan and in Billboard magazine.[105] Dreaming of You had sold over 400,000 copies in Argentina according to Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers (CAPIF),[106] over 500,000 copies in Mexico by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON),[107] over 300,000 copies in Italy by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry (FIMI),[108] and over 100,000 copies in Spain by the Productores de Música de España (PROMUSICAE).[77][36] The album has been certified diamond in three countries [36] and was downloaded over one million times on the iTunes Store, as of 2005.[36] Rhapsody reported that the album was downloaded over 400,000 times on its online store.[36]
Dreaming of You became the second-fastest-selling album by a female artist, behind Janet Jackson's janet. (1993) which had then sold 350,000 copies.[55][109][110] The album was predicted to sell 400,000 in the first week, however it only sold 331,000 copies. The album helped Selena to break several sales records.[111][112] Dreaming of You outsold Mariah Carey's Music Box (1993) and Whitney Houston's The Body Guard (1992). A percentage of the proceeds from the album's sales was donated to the EMI Records Group's "Selena Scholarship Fund".[113][114]
According to EMI, Dreaming of You sold 120,000 copies on the day of its release, followed by 40,000 copies the next day.[115] US chain Musicland sold 23,000 copies in twenty four hours, exceeding Michael Jackson's HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995) which had sold 17,000 copies. Musicland's telephone lines were inundated by fans calling a month in advance to order the album.[115] In New York, radio airplay of "Dreaming of You" and "I Could Fall in Love" surpassed expectation,[115] while radio stations in Texas tried to outdo each other's airtime plays of songs from Dreaming of You when it was first released.[116]
Critical response
Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic[99] Entertainment Weekly[117] (B) Chicago Tribune[39] Los Angeles Times[118] Daily Vault[41] (B) Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic wrote that most Americans first learned about Selena because of her murder, and Dreaming of You was the first record of Selena's that they heard. He wrote, "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." [99] Billboard stated that Dreaming of You " ... captured Selena stepping from her Tejano roots into today's world of pop".[53] Vibe editor, Ed Morales called the album a " ... brief recap of Selena's cumbia flavored, Tex-Mex excellence and a poignant glimpse of the exploratory path her career was beginning to take."[119] James Hunter, also from Vibe, commented on Selena's death and the effect it had on his listening experience, and wrote, "In light of the young singer's tragic end, you almost can't listen to the damn thing."[28]
The Chicago Tribune's Achy Obejas wrote that Dreaming of You was " ... an incomplete work. It's a record about Selena's past and about what might have been. It's full of promise and flaws, ... "'Dreaming of You' is not, as so many have proposed, the great Latino crossover. Indeed, even if Selena had lived, that road had already been paved by Gloria Estefan. But unlike Estefan, Selena—who was slain March 31, allegedly by the president of her own fan club—didn't get to take the next step: mainstream stardom and smashing sales figures while effortlessly balancing on the hyphen between Latino styles and American pop."[39] Obejas also wrote: "It's not a masterpiece, or definitive, or even a testament to Selena's talents."[39] Christopher John Farley of Time believed Dreaming of You " ... undoubtedly [had brought] her music to a far wider audience than she ever had when she was alive ... ",[120] and placed Dreaming of You nine out of Farley's "Top 10 Posthumous Albums" chart in 2010; following the posthumous release of Michael.[52] Farley wrote that Dreaming of You, " ... contains some of Selena's finest, most enjoyable work; it's a commendable but sorrowful accomplishment".[121] Contrasting her Tejano and English-language songs, Farley stated that her Tejano songs was sometimes clumsy, whereas her English pop songs were " ... sweet, pure and clear, and on the mariachi numbers, Selena shows off a voice that is sexy, strong and gracefully maturing."[121]
Enrique Lopetegui of The Los Angeles Times wrote that Dreaming of You was Selena's " ... most eclectic and satisfying album ... ", and also said that it lacks cohesion.[118] Lopetegui also wrote: "Still, the need to fill the rest of the album with Spanish songs makes for a collection even more interesting than the original [crossover] idea.", and "In the English songs [Selena] blossoms into a full-fledged soul singer, with an aggressiveness seldom shown before."[118] Mary Talbot of the New York Daily News wrote: "Listening to this album is akin to sifting through a dead woman's scrapbook. Like a collection of disparate jottings and snapshots some artful, some light, all weighted with nostalgia "Dreaming of You" shows Selena's past and outlines what could have been her future. But because she wasn't there to put them in order, the pieces don't tell a full or coherent story."[122] Dave Hoekstra of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: " ... ['Dreaming of You'] deserves all the attention it's receiving. At her death, Selena was poised to take Tejano music to a higher level. "Dreaming of You" achieves that goal with dignity and delight."[123]
Mario Tarradell of the Dallas Morning News wrote that the album contains, " ... breathy, love-struck vocal performances that sound like tepid imitations of Amy Grant or Paula Abdul.[124] Ernesto Portillo Jr of the The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote: "The four new English tracks should capture significant airplay on pop radio, although none breaks any new musical ground. On all four, Selena gives musical nods to Madonna, Gloria Estefan and Mariah Carey. Yet she manages to create some sense of self- identity."[125] Alisa Valdes of the Boston Globe wrote: "['Dreaming of You'], carefully produced by some of the biggest heavies in the biz, slams."[126]
Track listing
Standard edition
No. Title Writer(s) Length 1. "I Could Fall in Love" Keith Thomas 4:41 2. "Captive Heart" Mark Goldenberg, Kit Hain 4:23 3. "I'm Getting Used to You" Diane Warren 4:03 4. "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)" (featuring David Byrne) Selena Quintanilla, David Byrne 4:15 5. "Dreaming of You" Franne Golde, Tom Snow 5:14 6. "Missing My Baby" A.B. Quintanilla III 4:13 7. "Amor prohibido" A.B. Quintanilla III, Pete Astudillo 2:55 8. "Wherever You Are (Donde quiera que estés)" (featuring Barrio Boyzz) K. C. Porter, Miguel Flores, Desmond Child 4:29 9. "Techno Cumbia" A.B. Quintanilla III, Pete Astudillo 4:44 10. "El toro relajo" Felipe Bermejo 2:20 11. "Como la flor" A.B. Quintanilla III, Pete Astudillo 3:04 12. "Tú sólo tú" Felipe Valdés Leal 3:12 13. "Bidi bidi bom bom" Selena Quintanilla, Pete Astudillo 3:41 Japan Special Edition No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length 14. "Sukiyaki" Rokusuke Ei, Hachidai Nakamura, Abraham Quintanilla Jr, Pete Astudillo 3:11 20 Years of Music Edition No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length 14. "Spoken Liner Notes" (This track includes spoken words by Selena's family, friends, and band) Brian "Red" Moore 17:35 15. "Dreaming of You" (Music Video) Franne Golde, Tom Snow 5:24 Personnel
Credits are taken from the album's liner notes.[17]
- Vocals
- Selena Quintanilla-Perez – main and back-up vocalist, composer, and ideal
- Trey Lorenz – back-up vocalist
- David Byrne – composer, guitar, harmonium, percussion, writer, vocals
- Barrio Boyzz – vocals, scats
- Full Force – back-up vocals, co-producer, additional arranger, additional keyboards, drum programming, remixer
- Mariachi Sol de Mexico – chorus, back-up vocalist
- Donna De Lory – back-up vocalist
- Instrumentals
- Pete Astudillo – composer, back-up vocals, tambourine
- Marc Antonie – guitar
- Neil Stubenhaus – bass
- Art Meza – percussion
- Luis Conte – percussion
- Jerry Hey – horns
- Dan Higgins – horns
- Gary Grant – horns
- Bill Reichenbach Jr. – horns
- Paul Socolow – bass
- Todd Turkisher – drums
- Valerie Naranjo – marimba
- Ricky Vela – keyboards, additional keyboards, drum programming
- Joe Ojeda – keyboards
- Chris Perez – guitar
- Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga – drums
- Nick Moroch – additional guitar
- Producers
- Keith Thomas – composer, producer
- Kit Hain – composer
- Tom Snow – composer
- Franne Golde – composer
- Mark Goldenberg – composer
- Diane Warren – composer
- K.C. Porter – composer, engineer
- Felipe Valdés Leal – composer
- Guy Roche – producer, keyboards, synthesizer
- Nathaniel "Mick" Guzaski – mixer
- Mario Luccy – engineer
- Brian "Red" Moore – engineer, mixer, recorder
- Moana Suchard – engineer and assistant engineer
- Rhett Lawrence – producer, arranger, synthesizers, drums, programming
- A.B. Quintanilla III – producer, arranger, bass
- Jose Hernandez – arranger, producer
- Rokusuke Ei – composer
- Hachidai Nakamura – composer
- A&R
- Delphine – synth programming
- Jake Lee – A&R manager
- Engineer
- Abraham Quintanilla Jr – management
- Dan Garcia – engineer
- Bruce Robb – engineer
- Carl Harris Jr – assistant engineer
- Joanie Smith – production coordination
- Chris Kholer – computer technician
- Bob Ludwig – mastering and digital Remastering
- Arto Lindsay – producer
- Susan Rogers – producer, engineer
- Kurt Lundvall – assistant engineer
- Tim Conklin – additional engineer
- Perry Tembelis – assistant engineer
- Mixers
- Michael Brauer – mixer
- Gerry E. Brown – re-mixer
- Bill Molina – digital editing
- Tony Peluso – mixer
- Mike Aavold – mixing assistant
- Art
- Nancy Brennan – art, concept
- Jose Behar – art direction
- Barbie Insua – art direction
- Margo Chase – packaging deisgn
- Brian Hunt – packaging deisghn
- Marucie Rinaldi – photography
- Charles Koppelman – EMI Records
- Manolo Gonzalez – EMI Latin
- Mario Ruiz – EMI Latin
- Davitt Sigerson – EMI Records
- John Lannert – biography
Charts
Album charts
Categories:- Albums certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
- Albums certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
- Albums certified quintrigenuple Disco De Platino by the Recording Industry Association of America
- Albums certified platinum by the Productores de Música de España
- Albums certified diamond by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry
- Albums certified diamond by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas
- Albums certified diamond by the Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers
- 1995 albums
- Selena albums
- Albums certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan
- Albums produced by A.B. Quintanilla
- Albums produced by Guy Roche
- Albums produced by David Byrne
- EMI Records albums
- EMI Latin albums
- English-language albums
- Spanish-language albums
- Concept albums
- Latin pop albums
- Albums published posthumously
- "I Could Fall in Love"
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