Amor Prohibido (song)

"**Amor Prohibido**"[[#Notes|[p] ]] () is a song by American singer Selena. The song was written by Selena, her brother A.B. Quintanilla III, and Pete Astudillo. It became the lead single from the album of the same name (1994). "Amor Prohibido" is about the relationship between a man and a woman. Their love is put to the test. These include problems over money, and their parents not supporting their relationship because they both come from different places. Some music reviewers believe the song is similar to the *Romeo and Juliet* story because of its theme of forbidden love.

"Amor Prohibido" became one of the most successful singles, along with "No Me Queda Más", of 1994 and 1995. It later became one of Selena's signature songs. The song won awards at the Tejano Music Awards and at the Premio Lo Nuestros in 1994 and for the next three years. "Amor Prohibido" reached number one on the U.S. Hot Latin Songs and number five on the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay charts on *Billboard*.

The song helped Selena attract larger and younger audiences to her concerts because of its different sounds. Selena chose to explore Latin dance-pop music with the song. She had usually recorded Tejano sounds. Non-Mexicans also started liking Tejano music because of the new sounds in Selena's music. The music video was filmed in Joshua Tree, California. It was released on all the Spanish-language television channels in the United States and Mexico on Valentine's Day. It was later certified gold by AMPROFON, while 500,000 copies were sold in the United States. Several recording artists worldwide, including non-Hispanics, have since made cover versions of "Amor Prohibido".

## Background and inspiration 
"Amor Prohibido" was written by Selena's brother, A.B. Quintanilla III. A former Selena y Los Dinos backup singer, Pete Astudillo, also helped. It was recorded at Q-Productions, a small studio label founded by Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. It was mixed by Brian "Red" Moore, a family friend. "Amor Prohibido" was based on Selena's grandparents, Mexican immigrants, who were not allowed to be together. Their parents, Selena's great-grandparents, had forbidden them to love each other. This was because they were different from each other. When interviewed about the song, Selena said "Amor Prohibido" meant a lot to her and her family, and that it is one of her favorite songs. "Amor Prohibido" became the most successful single, along with "No Me Queda Mas", of 1994 and 1995.

The song was officially finished after she had won a Grammy Award for "Best Mexican/American Album" for *Selena Live!* (1993). "Amor Prohibido" had a lot of  after it was released as a promotional single on April 13, 1994. It became one of Selena's signature songs, and a fan favorite.

Selena promoted "Amor Prohibido" during her Amor Prohibido Tour.

## Critical reception 
"Amor Prohibido" helped Selena attract bigger crowds to her concerts. Selena also began to attract younger audiences to her music. Selena explored other Latin genres, such as Latin dance-pop with "Amor Prohibido". This new type of sound was given positive feedback by music critics. The song had South American rhythms and sounds. With this new type of sound, more Hispanics became fans of Selena.

Selena was named the "Top Latin Artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by *Billboard*. This was because she had fourteen top-ten singles in the "Hot Latin Songs" chart, including seven number one hits. Music Choice On Demand selected several Selena music videos, including "Amor Prohibido", as a tribute which was watched in over 42 million homes nationwide in 2010. The *Daily Vault* called "Amor Prohibido" a " track", which made them wonder about Selena's father, Quintanilla Jr, and called him an "over-" on Selena. "Amor Prohibido" became one of the most successful singles, along with "No Me Queda Más", of 1994 and 1995. Philip Holahan filmed the video, and Clayton Halsey edited the video after it was filmed. Filming began on February 6, 1994. The music video was released on all major Spanish-language television channels in America on Valentine's Day.
* **A**  The certification is for digital downloads and not for the number of shipments or copies the single sold in that country.
* **B**  "Amor Prohibido" sold 200,000 copies in late-1994 and in late-1995 the single had sold 400,000 copies in the United States. As of 2005, "Amor Prohibido" has sold more than 500,000 copies.
* **C**  Duet version with Selena and Mexican singer Samo.

## References 
## Books and articles 
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## Other websites 
*Official Selena Website