| "Donde Quiera Que Estés" | |||||||||||
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| Single by Selena and Barrio Boyzz | |||||||||||
| from the album Dondequiera Que Estés | |||||||||||
| Released | January 30, 1994 (see release history) |
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| Format | CD, 12" | ||||||||||
| Recorded | April 12, 1993 Avatar Studios (Manhattan, New York City) |
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| Genre | New jack swing, Urban pop, | ||||||||||
| Length | 4:25 (Spanish version) 4:30 (English version) |
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| Label | EMI Latin, SBK Records | ||||||||||
| Writer(s) | K. C. Porter, Miguel Flores, Desmond Child | ||||||||||
| Producer | A.B. Quintanilla III, Domingo Padilla, Bebu Silvetti | ||||||||||
| Certification | Gold (AMPROFON) Gold (PROMUSICAE) Gold (CAPIF) |
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| The Barrio Boyzz chronology | |||||||||||
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"Donde Quiera Que Estés" (English: Wherever You Are) is a duet by American Tejano pop singer Selena and Nuyorican band the Barrio Boyzz, released as the lead single from the Barrio Boyzz album Dondequiera Que Estés (1993). It was written by K. C. Porter, Miguel Flores, Desmond Child, and produced by A.B. Quintanilla III, Domingo Padilla and Bebu Silvetti. EMI Latin wanted Selena to record the song with the Barrio Boyzz because of the band's popularity in the Northeastern United States, where Selena was not well known, and it could help boost her fame, fan base and bookings in cities like New York City, Boston and Philadelphia. SBK Records accepted the offer because the Barrio Boyzz were not recognized in the Southern United States, Selena's home ground.
After Selena was murdered while working on a crossover album, EMI Latin wanted to release the unfinished album, but they were short of songs. They contacted the Barrio Boyzz to re-record their verse of "Donde quiera que estés" in English, while Selena's Spanish verse remained the same. The song was subsequently named "Wherever You Are". "Donde quiera que estés" is an urban fusion song performed in a moderate R&B pop groove. It was promoted through the Barrio Boyzz' Donde Quiera Que Estés Tour in 1993–94 and Selena's Amor Prohibido Tour in 1994–95. All performances were in the style of urban dance. The song, and its music video released in December 1993, received positive reviews from music critics.
The song was nominated for "Vocal Duo of the Year" at the 1994 Tejano Music Awards, and again for the same category in 1995 and posthumously in 1996. The song was certified Gold in Mexico and Argentina in the digital download category, and Gold in Spain for selling more than 20,000 copies. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks and Latin Pop Airplay, number thirty-six on the Rhythmic Top 40, number eighty-nine on the Canadian Hot 100, number two on the Spanish Top 50 Songs and number four on the SP Airplay Chart. It has been covered by many artists since its release.
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"Donde quiera que estés" was one of the first songs composed for Dondequiera Que Estés (1993), the second studio album of Nuyorican hip hop group the Barrio Boyzz. It was also included in Selena's crossover attempt Dreaming of You (1995).[1] It was originally written by K. C. Porter.[2] In early 1993 the Barrio Boyzz began preparations for their second studio album, and they wanted to include a duet with a popular singer who could help expand their fan base, bookings and fame.[3] After Porter had written a collaboration for lead singer David Davilla, the group began searching for a female popular singer to perform a duet with.[3] When EMI Latin heard that the band were looking for a female Hispanic singer, they quickly contacted SBK Records to suggest Selena.[4] EMI wanted Selena to record the song with the Barrio Boyzz because of the band's popularity in the Northeastern United States, where Selena was not widely recognized. They considered that it might help to increase her fame, fan base and bookings in cities like New York, Boston and Philadelphia.[3] SBK Records accepted the offer because the Barrio Boyzz were not recognized in the Southern United States, where Selena was known as the "Queen of Tejano music", dominated music charts, and was known to have millions of fans, which became a great asset to Selena and the Barrio Boyzz.[3]
Selena flew from Corpus Christi International Airport, Texas, to New York City to begin recording the song.[5] During the flight, Selena decided to perform for the passengers. She sang "Como la flor", "Missing My Baby", "No debes jugar", "La llamada", "Baila esta cumbia" and "No quiero saber", while passengers sang along.[5] She also asked the flight attendants if she could help with passing food and favors to the passengers, because she was bored and wanted to help out; she was allowed to do so, wearing an apron.[5] While serving food, pillows and other items requested by the passengers, Selena gave compliments to each person she met. When the flight landed, Selena was taken to Avatar Studios and met the Barrio Boyzz.[5] They soon became close friends and were in constant contact after recording was finished.[2] The Barrio Boyzz told reporters that "... Selena came in full of energy, charisma and her practical jokes. We all loved her and loved hanging out with her. She had everyone in the studio laughing ..."[3] The song was produced by Selena's brother and music producer, A.B. Quintanilla III and Domingo Padilla, who filled in for Brian "Red" Moore as the remixer. It took Selena and the Barrio Boyzz several hours to finish recording it.
After Selena was murdered while working on a crossover album, EMI Latin wanted to release the unfinished album, but they were short of songs.[3][5] They contacted the Barrio Boyzz to re-record their verse of "Donde queira que estés" in English, while Selena's Spanish verse remained the same. The lyrics were written by Porter with help from Miguel Flores and Desmond Child. The remix was recorded within a few hours and was then called "Wherever You Are".[5]
"Donde queira que estés" is an urban fusion song performed in a moderate R&B pop groove,[6] influenced by new jack swing, freestyle and pop.[6] Both the Spanish and English versions are in E minor and in common time, to be played at a tempo of 90 beats per minute.[7] The music uses instruments such as piano and drums. The English version had scats, which were absent from the Spanish version. Both versions were performed at a fast tempo.[7]
The lyrics convey the love felt by two people separated by vast distances. The song starts off with a boy waking up thinking about his ex-girlfriend, while she sings that she is crying for his love and that pictures of them together, smiling and hugging, still hang on her walls. The chorus begins with the boy singing that, wherever she may be, he will remember her and that he will always be her first love, while Selena repeats. The boy then sings that only loneliness lives inside him and that only memories of her are still in his mind, while her kisses still linger on his lips. After this he asks "will time and distance make you want me more? and bring me back your love?" while Selena sings that "only time will tell". He then repeats that he is her first love, before asking her for the last time "will time and distance make you want me more? and bring me back your love?", ending the song.
"Donde queira que estés" was released on radio stations in August 1993.[3] The track was released as a CD single and cassette single on March 30, 1994, in Mexico.[8] AMPROFON did not issue any certification for the single, but in November 2002 they gave the song Gold certification for more than 1,500 digital downloads.[9] The song was released as a 12-inch single in the United States, but it sold poorly and received no certification from the RIAA.[10] A promotional single was released in Spain at the same time as Selena's album Amor Prohibido (1994).[11] It subsequently sold over 20,000 copies and was certified Gold by PROMUSICAE.[9] In January 2003 the song was certified Gold by CAPIF for more than 10,000 digital downloads.[9]
Raúl Manuel Rodríguez of the Mexican newspaper El Dictamen praised the chemistry between Selena and the Barrio Boyzz felt on the song.[12] Carlos Meléndez, of El Nuevo Día, believed that Selena was the true gem in the duet and that she was the right person to be featured on "Donde queira que estés". Meléndez stated that "... It was imperative that Selena was chosen to collaborate in "Donde queira que estés". If Selena wasn't on this track, it would have been a mere waste and unsatisfying. Don't get me wrong, the Barrio Boyzz are very talented, but what Selena brought to this track is what really blew me away.[13] Antonio Morales of Gringo Gazette stated that the song is "... an R&B-funk song, [that] helped the Barrio Boyzz crossover to the south, while it also benefited Selena, who expanded her fan base in the north ..."[14] He also wrote that "... although [the song was] a hit in the United States and Mexico, the two companies failed to promote the song further, damaging Selena and the Barrio Boyzz' chances of international recognition ..."[14] Throughout March 2010, "Donde queira que estés" and a few other Selena music videos formed part of a tribute to mark the fifteenth anniversary of Selena's death. It was broadcast to 42 million homes nationwide on Music Choice On Demand.[15]
"Donde queira que estés" has been recorded or performed live by popular Latin American and American artists. Salsa singers Isidro Infante and La Elite covered the song for the album Familia RMM Recordando A Selena (1996).[16] Aleks Syntek and Fey covered it during the Selena ¡VIVE! tribute concert on April 7, 2005, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Selena's death.[17]
The music video for "Donde queira que estés" was filmed on November 10, 1993, with Laurice Bell directing.[18] It was released on Latin American music channels a month later.[18] Selena arrived in New York City to film the video at around 9 a.m., while the temperature was around 30 °F (−1 °C).[18] She wore dominatrix-type clothing with no jacket; she told her brother that she was freezing the whole time, as the video took about twelve hours to shoot, finishing at around 9 p.m.[18] The video was produced by Tango Productions and EMI Latin in partnership with SBK Records.[19] The dance moves used in the video were in urban-dance and pop styles and included New York City dance moves, which were influenced by hip hop and rap artists.[19] Aaron Brennan choreographed the video.[19]
The video opens with David Davilla holding a portrait and singing to it behind a tall complex building in New York City, while Angel Ramirez sings in harmony in front of a portrait. Seen next are Selena's mouth and lower jaw, and her hair moving with the wind. She then speaks her line while touching one side of her face, slowly moving her hands downward. The Barrio Boyzz and Selena then dance in urban style. In the next scene, Selena and Davilla sing together, and in the next, Selena is sitting on the steps outside an apartment building, resting her head on the top step, singing and appearing depressed. Later, she rejoins the Barrio Boyzz and dances urban style again. The video ends with Selena and the Barrio Boyzz singing in the sunset, behind a busy road.
The video was received positively by music critics. In his one-page special dedicated to Selena, Raúl Manuel Rodríguez of El Dictamen wrote that the song "... was the crossover video for both Selena and the Barrio Boyzz', as it served to help boost their performances worldwide ..."[12] Rodríguez placed the song at number seven in his "Top 10 Selena music videos".[12] Juanita Carmen Jimenez of Furia Musical stated that the music video had instantly made her want to dance and commented that "... Selena and the Barrio Boyzz' chemistry is very tantalizing and amusing. I just love Selena's sexy moves and fierce facial expressions. They had me on my feet and dancing along ..."[20]
Certifications and sales
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Charts
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| Year | Awards ceremony | Award | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Tejano Music Awards | Vocal Duo of the Year[23] | Nominated |
| 1995 | Tejano Music Awards | Single of the Year[23] | Nominated |
| Tejano Music Awards | Song of the Year[23] | Nominated | |
| Tejano Music Awards | Vocal Duo of the Year[23] | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Tejano Music Awards | Vocal Duo of the Year[23] | Nominated |
| Tejano Music Awards | Song of the Year[23] | Nominated |
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| Book: Amor Prohibido | |
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