"Amor Prohibido" () is a song by American Tejano singer Selena. It was released on April 13, 1994, by EMI Latin as the lead single from her fourth studio album of the same name. The track was written by Selena, her brother and music producer A.B. Quintanilla III, and her band's backup vocalist Pete Astudillo. A popular interpretation compares it to Romeo and Juliet.

The Tejano cumbia dance-pop song was acclaimed by music critics, who cited it as one of the singer's most popular singles. It topped the United States Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart for nine consecutive weeks, becoming her first number-one as a solo artist, and became the most successful US Latin single of 1994. It has since been certified 7× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of 420,000 copies. A duet version with Samo was posthumously released in 2012, reaching number eight on the US Latin Pop Songs chart.

"Amor Prohibido" received the Tejano Music Award for Single of the Year, and was Regional Mexican Song of the Year at the Lo Nuestro and Billboard Latin Music Awards. "Amor Prohibido" was the first Spanish-language song to receive a Broadcast Music Award in the pop field in 1996. Many musicians have covered "Amor Prohibido", including Mexican pop singer Thalía, glam rock band Moderatto, Finnish singer Meiju Suvas, and American entertainers Jennifer Lopez and Keke Palmer.

Background and production Selena wanted to write and record a song based on the story of her grandparents, who fell in love despite their different social classes. The singer was inspired by love letters written by her grandmother who wrote about her experiences as a maid to a wealthy family and her infatuation with their son. Her grandmother was forbidden to formulate a relationship with him because of her social class and described it as a "forbidden love". The singer suggested the idea to her brother and music producer A.B. Quintanilla, who began co-writing the track with her and Selena y Los Dinos backup vocalist Pete Astudillo. "Amor Prohibido" was recorded at a studio in San Antonio, Texas. Selena's husband, Chris Pérez wrote in his 2012 memoir that during its recording session "there was a noticeable difference between her voice on ["Amor Prohibido"] and [the songs on] Entre a Mi Mundo (1992), especially. I can't say that it was an improvement, exactly, because I always thought that Selena's voice sounded incredible. It's just that her voice was richer and more mature than before, and her singing was more emotional and powerful as a result."

While recording the song, Selena ad-libbed "oh baby" after the track's refrain; her brother believed that the recording would "not have been the same if she had not added [that part]." A.B. said in a 2002 interview that he wanted "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" to be the leadoff single, but Selena and EMI Latin insisted on "Amor Prohibido". The single was released on April 13, 1994, in the United States and Mexico.

Composition

Instrumentation "Amor Prohibido" is a Spanish-language Tejano cumbia and tecnocumbia dance-pop song. According to Mario Tarradell of The Dallas Morning News, it is a "synthesizer-heavy cumbia piece that's so catchy it's sinful". Tarradell called the recording "Tejano-like" and a "pop-styled opus". A Daily Democrat article said that "Amor Prohibido" had a mixture of sounds which included a modernized version of cumbia music with guitars, accordions, bass guitar, flutes, drums, and other percussion. Billboard singles editor Paul Verna called the song a "spunky cumbia", and John Lannert, also from Billboard, called it "peppy". Written in common time in the key of E minor, its tempo moves at a moderate 90 beats per minute and it features a descending keyboard hook. In a San Antonio Current interview, A.B. said that he added a cencerro which, he believed, attracted Cubans and Puerto Ricans to Selena's music. According to Quintanilla, his salsa-style cencerro was not "coincidental"; he believed that by incorporating it into "Amor Prohibido" and the singer's repertoire she "went from selling 25,000-50,000 to more than 500,000 [copies of her albums]".

Lyrics

Musicologist Howard Blumenthal interpreted "Amor Prohibido" as a "love forbidden" story by an unprivileged girl who is separated by social class from her love interest, and learns that true love is what really matters. Marco Torres of the Houston Press saw similarities between the song's lyrics and Selena and Pérez's relationship; her father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr., discouraged their romance before he accepted it. Its lyrics allude to female teenagers' "trouble[d]" partners and parents who forbid their relationship.

"Amor Prohibido" has become an anthem in the LGBT community. Deborah Paredez wrote in her 2009 book Selenidad that the song has "a legibly queer text" which resonates with that group. This was echoed by Emma Perez in her book, The Decolonial Imaginary: Writing Chicanas into History (1999), who found that the LGBT community had adopted the song and found it most popular with drag queens at nightclubs. Perez further explained that the lyrical content of forbidden love between two people of different social classes was altered with prohibited love between same-sex couples. Alejandra Molina of the Orange County Register reported on a tribute to Selena by LGBT fans in Santa Ana, California, who found her songs "ambiguous"; "Amor Prohibido" was interpreted "as a love that is forbidden due to a person's sexuality, race or class."

Other music critics have compared the song to Romeo and Juliet, with society opposing a relationship based on socioeconomic status, or called it a look into society's view of romantic relationships. Ellie D. Hernández wrote in her book about Chicano culture that "Amor Prohibido" addresses "social and cultural desire that transcends the boundaries of romantic love". According to Hernández, the song's central theme is class- and race-based social division "that divides [Selena] from her beloved" and "suggests [a] hegemonic crisis informing Selena's lamentations." Hernández wrote that the lyrics spoke about modern societal views on romantic relationships, and one must "live in accordance" with those views or face "emotional banishment from [their] family and culture ... Risking everything for this love is not at all an innocent choice but a decision abundant with agency and consciousness that begins as a consequence of the forbidden."

Critical reception Reviews "Amor Prohibido" received widespread critical acclaim, although Elizabeth Rodriguez Kessler and Anne Perrin called the song "soap-operaish" in Chican@s in the Conversations (2007). According to the South African magazine Drum, it was a "gently rocking song". Billboard Latin-music editorial division head Leila Cobo called the song "catchy". Marco Torres of the Houston Press wrote that "Amor Prohibido" was Selena's "most personal song", and Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune said it had "a bit more contemporary snap to it." Mary Talbot of the New York Daily News called "Amor Prohibido" and "Como la Flor" (1992) "two straight-up Tejano hits" and a "requiem to Selena's career". Writing for the San Antonio Express-News, Michael Clark complimented A.B. Quintanilla's use of "world-music flourishes" on the song. Billboard John Lannert called "Amor Prohibido" a "great smash" during its tenure atop the Hot Latin Songs chart, and BuzzFeed contributor Brian Galindo called it an "awesome ode to star-crossed lovers everywhere." Ashley Velez of Neon Tommy called the recording "a true testament to the forbidden love" and "proves that love conquers all." Emmanuel Hapsis posted on the KQED-FM website that anyone visiting a karaoke bar would probably hear someone sing "Amor Prohibido" or Selena's posthumously released single, "Dreaming of You" (1995).

The Daily Vault called "Amor Prohibido" a "seamless track". Ed Morales wrote that the song is a "classic mass market hit that inhabits the memory, easily floating in the summer air of radios on the streets." Don McLeese of the Austin American Statesman called it "compelling". According to Billboard Latin music editor Ramiro Burr, the song "marked Selena's ascendancy". Burr wrote for the San Antonio Express-News, "[Selena] balanced torchy ballads full of hurt and pain such as 'Amor Prohibido' with fun dance cumbias with a sense of humor"; "Songs such as 'Baila Esta Cumbia', 'La Carcacha', 'Como la Flor' and 'Amor Prohibido' had that instant appeal, that memorable melodic hook". Burr further wrote that "Amor Prohibido" and Selena's 1994 single "No Me Queda Más" were "heartbreaking ballads". Texas Monthly editor Joe Nick Patoski called "Amor Prohibido" the "perfect pop cumbia". "Con Tanto Amor Medley", a 2002 single from Ones, which is a mashup of "Amor Prohibido", "Si Una Vez" and "Como la Flor", was released to favorable reviews.

Recognition According to sales figures analyzed by Guadalupe San Miguel in 2002, "Amor Prohibido" is Selena's best-selling cumbia single. It was the singer's "biggest hit of her career", topping the Hot Latin Songs chart for a cumulative twelve weeks. Music critics have called "Amor Prohibido" Selena's "best known" love song, one of her signature songs and her most successful single. It is believed by Mario Tarradell of The Dallas Morning News that singles released from Amor Prohibido had alleviated Selena into Latin radio success–who previously did not take the singer seriously. The album and its titular single marked Tejano music's first commercial success in Puerto Rico. According to La Prensa, Selena put an "imprint on popular music" with "Amor Prohibido", "La Carcacha" (1990), "Como la Flor" (1992), and "La Llamada" (1993).

María Herrera-Sobek wrote in her book, Chicano Folklore: A Handbook, that "Como la Flor" and "Amor Prohibido" achieved national and international success. Billboards Ramiro Burr called "Amor Prohibido" one of Selena's "fan favorites". "Amor Prohibido" continues to receive extensive airplay in South Texas and at Tejano-music nightclubs. Sally Jacobs of the Sun Sentinel asserted that "Amor Prohibido" remains popular in Spanish-speaking countries.

Accolades "Amor Prohibido" has received awards and nominations, including the Broadcast Pop Music Awards in 1995 and 1996. "Amor Prohibido" became the first Spanish-language recording to win a Broadcast Music Award in the pop category based on airplay. It was recognized as being among the most performed recording of the year for two consecutive times by Broadcast Music. "Amor Prohibido" was Regional Mexican Song of the Year at the 1994 Billboard Latin Music Awards, and won in the same category at the 1995 Lo Nuestro Awards.

At the 1995 Tejano Music Awards, "Amor Prohibido" won Single of the Year and Record of the Year. In decade balloting at the 2010 Tejano Music Awards it was nominated for Best 1990s Song, losing to her 1994 single "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom". "Amor Prohibido" has appeared on several critics' "best Selena songs" lists, including OC Weekly (number one), Latino Post (number five), and BuzzFeed, Latina, and Neon Tommy (all number two). Rolling Stone listed the song at number 405 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Chart performance