Dreaming of You: Celebrating 28 Years of Selena’s Posthumous Album

Dreaming of You, the fifth and final studio album by Selena was released on July 18, 1995, four months after her tragic death at the age of 23. The album, which was her first to feature songs in both English and Spanish, became an instant commercial and critical success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and selling over three million copies in the US.

It also received positive reviews from critics, who praised Selena’s vocals, versatility, and crossover appeal. The album is widely considered one of the best and most influential Latin albums of all time, as well as a testament to Selena’s legacy and impact on music and culture.

The Making of the Album

Selena had always dreamed of recording an English-language album that would showcase her pop and R&B influences, such as Madonna, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey. She signed a contract with EMI Latin in 1989 and released four successful Spanish-language albums that established her as the “Queen of Tejano Music”. However, she faced resistance from her label and the Tejano industry to pursue a crossover career, fearing that she would lose her core fan base and identity.

In 1993, after winning a Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Album for Live!, Selena signed a deal with SBK Records, a pop division of EMI Records, to record her English-language debut album. She began working with several producers and songwriters, such as Keith Thomas, Guy Roche, Rhett Lawrence, Diane Warren, and David Byrne. She also continued to record songs in Spanish with her brother and producer A.B. Quintanilla III.

Selena had recorded four English songs (“I Could Fall in Love”, “Captive Heart”, “I’m Getting Used to You”, and “God’s Child (Baila Conmigo)”) and several Spanish songs for her upcoming albums by early 1995. She planned to release her English album in the summer of 1995 and a new Spanish album in 1996. However, on March 31, 1995, she was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldívar, her former friend and manager of her boutiques, who had been embezzling money from Selena.

After Selena’s death, EMI Records decided to release a posthumous album that would combine her English and Spanish songs. The album was titled Dreaming of You, after one of the songs that Selena had planned to record but never did. The song was originally recorded by American singer David Kersh in 1994 but was given to Selena by its writers Franne Golde and Tom Snow. Selena’s version was recorded on March 5, 1995, at Quintanilla’s studio in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was one of the last songs she ever recorded.

The Songs and Singles

Dreaming of You consists of 13 tracks that showcase Selena’s diverse musical styles and influences. The first six tracks are in English and feature pop ballads (“I Could Fall in Love”, “Dreaming of You”), dance-pop (“Captive Heart”, “I’m Getting Used to You”), rock (“God’s Child (Baila Conmigo)”), and doo-wop (“Wherever You Are (Donde Quiera Que Estés)”). The last seven tracks are in Spanish and feature Tejano (“Techno Cumbia”, “Tú Sólo Tú”), ranchera (“El Toro Relajo”), cumbia (“Como la Flor”, “Amor Prohibido”), bolero (“Bidi Bidi Bom Bom”), and mariachi (“No Me Queda Más”).

Selena — “i Could Fall In Love” (Official Music Video)

Subscribe to Tejano Nation on YouTube

Six tracks from the album were released as singles between June 1995 and March 1996. The first two singles were “I Could Fall in Love” and “Tú Sólo Tú”, which were released simultaneously on June 26, 1995. Both songs became hits on various charts in the US and Latin America. “I Could Fall in Love” peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Hot Latin Tracks chart. It also received extensive airplay on mainstream pop and adult contemporary radio stations. “Tú Sólo Tú” peaked at number one on the Hot Latin Tracks chart for ten consecutive weeks, becoming the longest-running number-one song by a female artist at the time. It also reached number seven on the Regional Mexican Songs chart.

The third single was “Dreaming of You”, which was released on August 14, 1995. The song peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number nine on the Hot Latin Tracks chart. It also reached number one on the Latin Pop Songs chart and number two on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song was accompanied by a music video that featured clips of Selena’s performances and interviews, as well as scenes of a young couple falling in love.

Selena — “Dreaming Of Your” (Official Music Video)

Subscribe to Tejano Nation on YouTube

The fourth single was “Techno Cumbia”, which was also released on August 14, 1995. The song peaked at number four on the Hot Latin Tracks chart and number one on the Regional Mexican Songs chart. It also reached number 13 on the Latin Pop Songs chart. The song was a remix of Selena’s original version from her 1994 album Amor Prohibido, which featured a more traditional cumbia sound. The remix added electronic beats and rap vocals by Selena’s sister Suzette Quintanilla.

The fifth single was “El Toro Relajo”, which was released in November 1995. The song peaked at number 24 on the Hot Latin Tracks chart and number 15 on the Regional Mexican Songs chart. It also reached number 33 on the Latin Pop Songs chart. The song was a cover of a classic ranchera song by Mexican singer Lola Beltrán, which Selena recorded with mariachi singer José Hernández and his group Mariachi Sol de México.

The sixth and final single was “I’m Getting Used to You”, which was released on March 2, 1996. The song peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number eight on the Hot Latin Tracks chart. It also reached number two on the Latin Pop Songs chart and number seven on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song was a remix of Selena’s original version from her 1994 album Amor Prohibido, which featured a more pop-rock sound. The remix added R&B elements and new vocals by Selena.

The Legacy and Impact

Dreaming of You was a huge commercial and critical success, selling over three million copies in the US and over five million copies worldwide. It became the first album by a Hispanic artist to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling over 175,000 copies on its first day and over 331,000 copies in its first week. It also became the fastest-selling album by a female artist in US history at the time. It remained at number one for two weeks and stayed in the top ten for nine weeks. It also topped the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart for nine months and became the best-selling Latin album of all time in the US.

Dreaming of You received rave reviews from critics, who praised Selena’s vocals, versatility, and crossover appeal. The album was nominated for several awards, including Album of the Year at the 1996 Tejano Music Awards and Female Pop Album of the Year at the 1996 Billboard Latin Music Awards. It also won Album of the Year at the 1996 Premio Lo Nuestro Awards and Best Selling Album by a Female Artist at the 1996 American Music Awards.

Dreaming of You is widely considered one of the best and most influential Latin albums of all time, as well as a testament to Selena’s legacy and impact on music and culture. The album introduced Selena to a wider audience and helped pave the way for other Latin artists to crossover into the mainstream market, such as Ricky Martin, Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez, and Marc Anthony. The album also inspired many artists across different genres, such as Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Kacey Musgraves, Camila Cabello, Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and Rosalía.

Dreaming of You continues to be celebrated and honored by fans and critics alike, especially on its anniversary dates. In 2015, to commemorate its 20th anniversary, several events and tributes were held, such as a Google Doodle, a MAC Cosmetics collection, a Madame Tussauds wax figure, a Fiesta de la Flor festival, and a Billboard cover story. In 2020, to mark its 25th anniversary, several publications ranked it among the best albums of all time, such as Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, and Complex.

Sources

Follow Tejano Nation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with everything Tejano. Listen to new Tejano music first with our Spotify playlists and iHeartRadio podcast.