Amor Prohibido

This article is about the Selena album. For other uses, see Amor Prohibido.

Amor Prohibido
A picture of a woman holding and compressing a small portion of her white shirt outwards while posing.
Studio album by Selena
Released	March 13, 1994
Recorded	1993-1994
Genre	Tejano, Mexican cumbia, dance-pop
Length	32:32
Language	Spanish
Label	EMI Latin
Producer	A.B. Quintanilla, Jorge Alberto Pino, Guillermo Johnson Page, Gregg Vickers, Brian "Red" Moore
Selena chronology
17 Super Exitos (1993)17 Super Exitos1993 Amor Prohibido (1994) 12 Super Exitos (1994)12 Super Exitos1994
Singles from Amor Prohibido
"Amor Prohibido" Released: April 13, 1994 "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" Released: August 13, 1994 "No Me Queda Más" Released: November 10, 1994 "Techno Cumbia" Released: December 26, 1994 "Fotos y Recuerdos" Released: February 14, 1995 "Si una Vez" Released: March 21, 1995 "El Chico del Apartamento 512" Released: March 30, 1995

Amor Prohibido (English: Forbidden Love) is the fourth studio album by American Tejano music singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, and was released in the United States on March 13, 1994, through EMI Latin. Selena's idea to record a new Spanish-language album began after the launch of her Selena Etc. boutiques and her southern US clothing venture, and the release of her 1993 album Live!. She wanted the set to draw in audiences who were not acquainted with her music and had little or no knowledge of Tejano music, and she desired to release an album more musically diverse than her previous works. The singer wrote material throughout 1993 and 1994, together with Selena y Los Dinos members Ricky Vela and Pete Astudillo, but Selena's brother and principal record producer, A.B. Quintanilla, was the main songwriter of Amor Prohibido.

Amor Prohibido is composed mainly of Mexican cumbia and dance-pop songs sung in Spanish, and helped to expand the Tejano music movement in the US. The album's central themes center on family history, unrequited and adrenaline-fueled love, and unfaithful romantic partners, and its lyrical content suggests female empowerment. Several of its songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart over the next two years. Its title track stayed at number one for nine consecutive weeks, was nominated for a Grammy Award, sold over 400,000 copies in the US, and according to Billboard magazine was the most successful Latin single of 1994.

The album itself debuted at number one on Billboard's Latin Regional Mexican Albums and Top Latin Albums chart in April 1994, a month after its release. It also peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 chart a year afterward, with sales of 54,753 copies in one week. Reviews of Amor Prohibido were generally positive. Ramiro Burr of Billboard called it Selena's "crowning achievement". Amor Prohibido sold over 500,000 copies in its first year. It became the best-selling Latin album of all time, and has since been surpassed only by her posthumous album, Dreaming of You (1995). It was certified 20× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in February 2010, denoting shipments of 2,000,000 copies.

A worldwide tour to promote the album began in January, 1994. This tour included a performance at the Houston Astrodome on February 26, 1995, which broke American audience records, and is notable as her final televised concert. Amor Prohibido was nominated in the category of "Best Mexican American Album" at the 37th Grammy Awards. It won all awards for which it was nominated at the 1995 Tejano Music Awards, 1995 Lo Nuestro Awards and the 1995 Billboard Latin Music Awards. Amor Prohibido was re-released on September 24, 2002, as part of the Selena: 20 Years of Music collection, which included music videos and spoken liner notes by her family, friends and former band members.

Production and development

Amor Prohibido's production was delayed because of the launch of Selena's fashion clothing line and her Selena Etc. boutiques, and her extensive tour in support of Live!. Selena's brother, A.B. Quintanilla, was the main producer and songwriter. Two of Selena's band members, backup singer Pete Astudillo and lead keyboardist Ricky Vela, contributed songwriting ideas. Selena's husband, Chris Pérez, to his surprise was approached by Quintanilla III to collaborate on a Spanish-language rock song, "Ya No".

Quintanilla III had too few tracks to complete a full-length album, and began to write songs that departed from the Tejano music genre, and branched into Contemporary Latin pop music. When asked if it was an attempt to change Selena's style of music, he replied that he did not want to write "the same songs continuously", but would keep Selena's image fresh and "cool", and accessible to a younger audience. Amor Prohibido helped to spread the Tejano music movement beyond its Texas origins, into popularity in new markets. Quintanilla III broadened the album through his mixture of genres such as Latin pop, dance-pop, ballads, and a variety of Mexican music.

Sessions were recorded and remixed between November 1993 and mid-February 1994 at Q-Productions, the recording studio owned by Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr.. Some recording sessions took place at Tejano singer Manny Guerra's recording studio, and in Hollywood, California. Producers involved with the album include Quintanilla III, Bebu Silvetti, and Jorge Alberto Pino. Gregg Vickers, Roger Emerson, Steven Torres and James Moore worked with Selena for the first time on Amor Prohibido.

Some songs, such as "Corazon de Hielo" and "Desprecios y Desaires", were written for the album but were not included in its final version, and were planned for inclusion on a future Tejano-influenced album to be issued several months after the initial release of Selena's crossover attempt. This album was never made, due to Selena's March 31, 1995 murder by former friend and boutique manager Yolanda Saldívar, and the tracks remain unreleased.

Recording and composition

Structure and style

Amor Prohibido was a more diverse collection than previous efforts. John Lannert, of Billboard, wrote that Amor Prohibido "... contained songs ranging in style from rancheras to hip-hop music." Frank Hoffmann wrote in his Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound that the album "demonstrated the band's wide range of styles". James McConnachie, in The Rough Guide to World Music, wrote that the album captures Selena's sex appeal, and had an "authentically Tejano sound". Michael Clark, of Houston Chronicle, wrote that "she and Los Dinos took Tejano to an unprecedented level of mainstream success with the 1994 release of Amor Prohibido. [Quintanilla III] added even more world-music flourishes to songs like 'Bidi Bidi Bom Bom', 'Fotos y Recuerdos', 'No Me Queda Más' and the title track ..."

The title track and "El Chico del Apartamento 512" were based on dance-pop and house music. Hoffmann described "Fotos y Recuerdos" as a "hard-edged rock" song, "No Me Queda Más" as a "torchy ballad", and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" as "reggae-inflected dance fare". "Ya No" was one of two rock en Español songs on the album, while the ballads, "No Me Queda Más" and "Si Una Vez", contained influences from rancheras to flamenco. "Cobarde" and "Tus Desprecios" contain traditional mariachi influences, while "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is in a roots reggae style. Quintanilla III wanted, from the beginning, to include a technocumbia-styled song that would attract young adults. He believed that "Techno Cumbia" could be popular in hip-hop clubs, and could attract other ethnics to the Tejano genre. Sara M. Misemer and Walter Aaron Clark wrote in Secular saints: performing Frida Kahlo, Carlos Gardel, Eva Perón, and Selena, that "Techno Cumbia" reminded them of Guillermo Gómez-Peña's suggestion that "cultures are being superimposed", because of its fusion of genres from different regions. Selena explained to La Nación why she wanted to record "El Chico del Apartamento 512":

I really wanted to record this song when I first heard it. I was sitting down eating breakfast with my husband, Chris Pérez, when A.B. and Ricky came rushing in. I asked him "what's wrong?" and he replied telling me that I have to hear one of the songs that he and Rick had just wrote. So I walked over to A.B.'s house, keep in mind we are neighbors (laughs). When A.B., had given me the song to look at. I was already in love with it. I was glad that my brother and Rick had written the song, because, I wanted to get more fans who aren't fans of Tejano music. I wanted to show other Hispanics of this different type of sound. Like, there's salsa, merengue and bachata, but there's also "Tejano". So I instantly wanted to record "El Chico del Apartamento 512". I hope all my fans and the new ones cross my fingers (laughs), will enjoy this song. I literally recorded two takes on the song, and A.B., like always, wanted me to keep going. A.B., had liked the third take and we went with it.

Songs and lyrics

The album's title track was written mostly by Quintanilla III, and later Astudillo, and produced by Quintanilla III, Gregg Vickers, and Jorge Alberto Pino. An uptempo dance-pop track, it combines Top 40 melodies and rhythms of Colombian cumbia, and uses electronic keyboards, accordions, bass guitar, flutes, drums and other percussion instruments. It is considered to be one of Selena's best love songs, with lyrics, based on the true story of Selena's grandparents, that are reminiscent of the Romeo and Juliet story. Its protagonist suffers an emotional banishment from her family and culture because of her feelings for a man whose social class differs from hers, while the couple's romantic love transcends boundaries that are based upon social divisions, class and race. The lyrics are related to by many females with controlling parents who forbid them to love a man believed to be "trouble".

"No Me Queda Más", the album's second track, was composed by Vela, who had fallen in love with Suzette Quintanilla, who was Selena's sister and the band's drummer. Vela was disappointed to learn that Suzette was married. Frustrated, Vela wrote down his feelings on paper, and later turned them into a ballad-style song of unrequited love. The downtempo song includes orchestral instrumentation. Selena's emotive vocalization was praised by critics, who believed it to emphasize the song's central theme. Lyrically, "No Me Queda Más" expresses the feelings of a woman who is distraught following a breakup with her boyfriend due to his upcoming marriage to another woman. "Cobarde", the album's third song, was written by José Luis Borrego and produced by Quintanilla III. It uses a traditional Tejano sound backed with mariachi music, and its lyrics describe a cowardly boyfriend who cannot move on from his previous relationship and be happy with the woman he is now with.

"Fotos y Recuerdos" is a rewrite of the 1982 Pretenders single, "Back on the Chain Gang", originally composed by Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde, but with Spanish lyrics by Vela. Selena's version of the song is about a lonely woman who kisses pictures of a beloved boyfriend every night before she goes to sleep, and reminisces over memories that she cherishes. It is one of Selena's best-known songs, and has been favored by music critics over the original version. "El Chico del Apartamento 512" was written by Vela together with Quintanilla III, who produced the track. Its arrangement includes french horn, violin and piano. It depicts a curious woman whose heart is broken when she finds that a man she likes is married to another woman.

"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" was written by Selena and Pete Astudillo, and produced by Quintanilla III. It was originally a jam that was only used for sound checks, and had lyrics about a fish swimming freely in the ocean. It uses the violin and the hi-hat cymbal as its musical foundation, while the backing vocalist uses harmonic hymn tunes that are accompanied by Selena's singing. Its lyrics describe a woman whose heart palpitates every time the man she likes walks nearby. "Techno Cumbia" was written by Astudillo and Quintanilla III, who also produced the song. The arrangement includes piano, güira, tambourine, french horn, drums, horns and a heavier beat with some scratching, reggae fusion sounds and uptempo one drop rhythms. Its lyrics depict Selena's arrival at a club that is not favored among young adults, where she teaches the "Techno Cumbia" dance.

"Tus Desprecios" was written by Vela and Quintanilla III, and has a traditional Tejano sound, similar to "Cobarde". Its lyrics describe an ill-fated relationship, in which both parties disagree on what to do as a couple. "Si una Vez", written by Astudillo and Quintanilla III, is about a wrongful relationship, and has a theme of female empowerment. "Ya No", by Vela, Perez and Quintanilla III, shares these themes.

Release

Amor Prohibido was released in the United States and Mexico on March 13, 1994 in CD format, through EMI Latin. It was re-released in the US on September 22, 2002, with the addition of "Donde Queira que Estés", the music videos for "Amor Prohibido" and "No Me Queda Más", and spoken liner notes that contain commentary reviews of each song, provided by Selena's family, friends, and her former band. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard Top Latin Albums chart of April 9. It was named "Greatest Gainer" on April 16, for its fast rise to number two, where it stayed behind Gloria Estefan's Mi Tierra for two consecutive weeks. Amor Prohibido fell to number three the following week, then regained the second slot for five consecutive weeks before it reached number one on June 11, 1994. It returned to the top of the chart three weeks after Selena's death, and held the number one spot for 16 consecutive weeks, replaced eventually by her posthumous crossover album, Dreaming of You.

Amor Prohibido debuted at number one on the Regional Mexican Albums chart on April 9, 1994, and stayed there for 48 consecutive weeks. The album had sold more than 500,000 copies by December 1994, a rare feat which, among Tejano artists, had previously only been accomplished by Selena and La Mafia. It was also a commercial success in Mexico. The album spawned five number-one singles in the US, and made Selena the only Hispanic artist to have done so, until Enrique Iglesias tied the record with five number-one singles from his 1996 self-titled debut. Amor Prohibido sold over 50,000 copies in the US, and was awarded gold status (RIAA) in April 1995, certified platinum in May and quadruple platinum (Latin) in April 1995, and in October 2002 was certified double platinum and 20× Disco De Platino, for shipments of 2,000,000 copies in the US.

The album debuted at number 183 on the Billboard 200 chart in its third month of release in the US, and re-entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 92 following Selena's murder. Before Selena's murder, Amor prohibido sold approximately 2,000 units a week; after her death, sales of the album increased by 135%. In April 1995, 28,238 copies were sold in one week. It peaked at number 29 after selling 54,753 copies, and rose to number 18 on the Heatseekers Albums chart in 1994. The album sold more than 500,000 copies in Mexico alone.

Amor Prohibido was among the best selling US albums of 1995. The album's success helped Tejano music to become accessible to a younger and wider audience than at any other time in its history, and was believed to have "opened the doors" to other Latin artists, such as Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, and Ricky Martin. Jose Behar, who had signed Selena to Capitol EMI Latin, said that Gloria Estefan opened the door, but Selena "blew it wide open" with Amor Prohibido.

Singles

"Amor prohibido" was released as the album's lead single on February 11, 1994. It debuted on the Hot Latin Songs chart on April 23 at number 13, the highest debut of any single on that chart that year. Overall, "Amor Prohibido" became Selena's best-charting song after it spent nine consecutive weeks at number one, one week short of the record for most weeks at number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart. The single sold 200,000 copies in 1994, another 200,000 in 1995, and as of 2005 has sold well over 500,000 copies. "Amor prohibido" debuted at number five on the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay chart, and held that position for 44 consecutive weeks. "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", the album's second single, won an award from BMI, and became Selena's most widely known song. It reached number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart, became the album's second consecutive number-one single, and rose to number four on the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay chart and number 11 on the Latin Pop Airplay charts. The song was played 1.5 million times a week in January and February 2001, to a peak of 2 million times a week in June 2001. "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" was listed at number 38 in Texas Monthly magazine's 2004 list, "100 Best Texas Songs".

"No Me Queda Más" was released as the third single. It and "Amor Prohibido" were the most successful US singles of 1994 and 1995, according to Billboard. It reached the top of both the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay and Hot Latin Songs charts, and was the third consecutive number-one single from the album. It also peaked at number 13 on the Latin Pop Airplay chart. The fourth single was "Fotos y Recuerdos", which hit number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart. It was Selena's fourth number-one single, and her first to achieve that status after her death. It also peaked at number 34 on the Hot Single Sales chart. "El Chico del Apartmento 512" served as the b-side track for "Fotos y Recuerdos". "Si una Vez", released as the fifth single, is considered, along with "Amor Prohibido", to be one of the album's signature songs, and peaked at number four on the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay chart. "Techno Cumbia" was released as a promotional single, and reached number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart, Selena's second posthumous single to peak at number one, and her fifth number-one single. Selena became the only Hispanic singer to have four number-one singles from a Spanish-language album in a single year.

Amor Prohibido Tour

Selena promoted the album with an international tour that encompassed US, Mexican, and Central and South American venues. The Amor Prohibido Tour started in Denver, Colorado, on January 10, 1994, two months before the album release. The first leg of the tour continued through Texas and California in early 1994. Selena then performed in Miami, Florida, and continued on to Mexico and the second leg of the tour, in South America. The tour included Selena's first appearances in Guatemala, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina, and a return to El Salvador. Concert debuts in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic were given during the summer, and further dates in Mexico and Texas continued until August. Selena appeared in New York City in September, then returned to Texas for the rest of the year and continued to perform in Mexico during the winter. The tour broke several attendance records, notably at the Houston Astrodome, where Selena performed to a record audience of over 65,000 and outsold country stars George Strait, Vince Gill, Clint Black and Reba McEntire. Michael Clark, of the Houston Chronicle, wrote that "[h]er appearance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on February 26, 1995, was supposed to be not only a celebration of Amor Prohibido's success, but also a preview of things to come". Clark also stated that the concert became "historic", as her final televised concert. Ramiro Burr, of Billboard, called the Amor Prohibido Tour a "tour de force".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Billboard	(favorable)
Spin	(favorable)
The Dallas Morning News	(favorable)
Entertainment Weekly	B

John Lannert, of Billboard, wrote that Amor Prohibido "firmly established [Selena] as the preeminent female star in the U.S. Latin market". According to Mario Tarradell, of The Dallas Morning News, "Selena had conquered the Latin pop landscape and was poised to cross over to mainstream" after the release of Amor prohibido. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, of Allmusic, wrote: "[w]hile the album is slightly uneven, she was a dynamic, charismatic singer and is able to pull across the weaker material. Indeed, the record is her strongest album and shows why she was the biggest Tejano star of the '90s." Erlewine wrote that Amor Prohibido was a more consistent release than the later Dreaming of You, and was an "effective introduction and showed why she was so beloved by Tejano fans".

Ed Morales, in The Latin Beat: The Rhythms and Roots of Latin Music from Bossa Nova to Salsa and Beyond, wrote that much of the album was recorded in the minimalist Tejano style, and that there were "hints of a subtle evolution in her music". Morales felt that the only disappointment in the album was that it led to Selena's best works, which she did not get to do. Herón Márquez called Amor Prohibido a landmark success. Spin magazine considered Amor prohibido to be her "most interesting" album, in comparison to Dreaming of You and 12 Super Exitos. Ramiro Burr, in The Billboard guide to Tejano and Regional Mexican Music called Amor Prohibido Selena's and Los Dinos' "crowning achievement". Kristine Helen Burns wrote in her 2002 book Women and Music in America Since 1900, that "No Me Queda Más" and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" aided the growth in Selena's fan base.

Antonio Morales, of Gringo Gazette, called "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" one of his favorite songs. "Selena was having fun with this track. You could really hear her excitement, enthusiasm and lovely voice in this gem". He particularly enjoyed her laughter during the guitar solo. Fellow Gringo Gazette writer Aaron Sebastian Cruz felt that "Selena's passion and conveying abilities, helped her with recording 'Bidi Bidi Bom Bom'". For Cruz, the "fun reggae track" fits any social gathering. Polish newspaper Onet.pl, on the 16th anniversary of Selena's death, described "No Me Queda Más" as one of the biggest hits that Selena produced for Amor Prohibido. Burr praised "No Me Queda Más" as a "lovely and stoic song facing the end, yet keeping a sense of dignity and self-worth". Raúl Manuel Rodríguez described it as a lovely ballad. Michael Joseph Corcoran, in his book about heroes in Texas music, wrote that "Techno Cumbia" had Michael Jackson-like trills. Nathan Cone, from Texas Public Radio, said the song resonates best with South Texas. Paul Verna, of Billboard magazine, called Amor Prohibido Selena's "blockbuster album".

Amor prohibido received a number of awards and nominations. At it won "Album of the Year (Orchestra)" and "Record of the Year" at the 1995 Tejano Music Awards, and "Regional/Mexican Album of the Year" at the 1995 Lo Nuestro Awards. The album was nominated as "Best Mexican-American Album" at the 37th Grammy Awards.

Legacy

Selena was considered to be "bigger than Tejano itself", and broke barriers in the Latin music world. "Amor Prohibido" continues to receive extensive airplay in South Texas and at Tejano nightclubs. The 2002 "Con Tanto Amor Medley" is a mash-up of "Amor Prohibido", "Si Una Vez" and "Como La Flor" that was released to favorable criticism. The title track and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" have been favored in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities, due to their lyrical content of forbidden love and "butterfly feelings" for a man. These songs continue to be played at LGBT clubs and at drag shows across the US. Sale of the album and its titular single represented Tejano music's first commercial success in Puerto Rico. After Selena's death, Q-Productions marketed an Amor Prohibido doll and perfume. Selena was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard, for achievements that included her five number-one singles from Amor Prohibido.

"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" has been covered by more artists than any other song on the album. It has attracted a diverse group of artists, ranging from Haitian Creole to French singers, and from African-Americans to Andalusians. Samuel "Samo" Parra, lead vocalist of Camila, recorded a duet version of "Amor Prohibido" that was released as the lead single of the 2012 album Enamorada de ti, a tribute album in which other artists sing duets with Selena's original vocal tracks. This version peaked at number 8 on the Latin Pop Airplay chart, and number 25 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. Puerto Rican merengue musician Manny Manuel covered the song on his 1994 debut album, El Rey de Corazones. His cover was the second single released from the album in 1995, and was his first song to reach number one on the Latin Tropical Airplay charts.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Amor Prohibido"	Selena Quintanilla, A.B. Quintanilla, Pete Astudillo	2:49
2.	"No Me Queda Más"	Ricky Vela	3:17
3.	"Cobarde"	José Luis Borrego	2:50
4.	"Fotos y Recuerdos"	Chrissy Hynde, Vela	2:33
5.	"El Chico Del Apartamento 512"	Quintanilla III, Vela	3:28
6.	"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom"	Selena, Astudillo	3:25
7.	"Techno Cumbia"	Quintanilla III, Astudillo	3:43
8.	"Tus Desprecios"	Quintanilla III, Vela	3:24
9.	"Si una Vez"	Quintanilla III, Astudillo	2:42
10.	"Ya No"	Quintanilla III, Vela, Chris Pérez	3:56

20 Years of Music Version
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Donde Quiera Que Estés" (duet with Barrio Boyzz)	K. C. Porter, Miguel Flores, Desmond Child	4:29
12.	"Spoken Liner Notes"	Brian "Red" Moore	24:02
13.	"Amor Prohibido (music video)"	Selena, Quintanilla III, Astudillo	2:50
14.	"No Me Queda Más (music video)"	Vela	3:49

• Later pressings of the album replace the original marachi-flavored version of "No Me Queda Más" with the pop-oriented "New Version".

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the album's liner notes.

Performance credits

• Vocals – Selena
• Background vocals – Selena, Rick Alvarez, Stephanie Lynn, Rock 'n' Roll James

Visuals and imagery

• Art direction, make-up – Lisette Lorenzo
• Clothing design – Selena, Martin Gomez (stylist)
• Hair stylist – Rosa Sullivan, Mark Duncan
• Logo – Grafika (Miami, Florida)
• Photography – Maurice Rinaldi

Instruments

• Drums – Suzette Quintanilla
• Guitar- Chris Perez, A.B. Quintanilla III, Henry Gomez
• Keyboards – Joe Ojeda, Ricky Vela

• Accordion- Johnny Saenz
• Trumpet – Rene Gasca
• Trombone – Gilbert Garza
• Bajo Sexto - A.B. Quintanilla III

Technical and production

• Arrangement – Joe Ojeda, Chris Pérez, Ricky Vela
• Engineering – Brian "Red" Moore
• Engineering assistants – Suzette Quintanilla, Abraham Quintanilla Jr

• Executive producers – Jorge Alberto Pino
• Mixing – Manny Guerra
• Mixing assistants – A.B. Quintanilla III
• Production – A.B. Quintanilla III, José Behar, Jorge Alberto Pino, Guillermo Johnson Page, Gregg Vickers, Brain "Red" Moore
• Liner notes: Suzette Quintanilla, Nir Seroussi
• Concept: Gregg Vickers
• Reissue Producer: Guillermo J. Page

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1994)	Peak position
US Regional Mexican Albums (Billboard)	1
US Top Latin Albums (Billboard)	1
US Top Heatseekers	18
US Top Heatseekers (South Central)	1
US Billboard 200	181
Chart (1995)	Peak position
US Billboard 200	29
US Top Latin Albums	1
US Regional Mexican Albums	1
Chart (1996)	Peak position
US Top Latin Albums (Billboard)	4
Chart (1997)	Peak position
US Regional Mexican Albums (Billboard)	10

Year-end charts

Chart (1994)	Peak position
US Regional Mexican Albums (Billboard)	1
US Top Latin Albums (Billboard)	2
US Heatseekers South Central (Billboard)	6
Chart (1995)	Peak position
US Top Latin Albums (Billboard)	1
Chart (1996)	Peak position
US Regional Mexican Albums (Billboard)	1
Chart (1997)	Peak position
US Top Latin Albums (Billboard)	2
US Regional Mexican Albums (Billboard)	1
Chart (1998)	Peak position
US Top Latin Albums (Billboard)	3
US Regional Mexican Albums (Billboard)	1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)	2× Platinum	2,000,000
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Chart procession and succession

Order of precedence
Preceded by Mi Tierra by Gloria Estefan Mi Tierra by Gloria Estefan Mi Tierra by Gloria Estefan Mi Tierra by Gloria Estefan Segundo Romance by Luis Miguel	Billboard Top Latin Albums number-one album June 11, 1994 – June 18, 1994 June 25, 1994 – July 2, 1994 July 9, 1994 - July 16, 1994 September 10, 1994 - September 17, 1994 April 15, 1995 - August 5, 1995	Succeeded by Mi Tierra by Gloria Estefan Mi Tierra by Gloria Estefan Mi Tierra by Gloria Estefan Segundo Romance by Luis Miguel Dreaming of You by Selena
Preceded by Pura Sangre by Grupo Bronco Rompiendo Barreras by Grupo Bronco Solo Para Ti by Mazz	Billboard Regional Mexican Albums number-one album April 9, 1994 – March 4, 1995 April 1, 1995 – October 7, 1995 October 14, 1995 – February 17, 1996	Succeeded by Rompiendo Barreras by Grupo Bronco Solo Para Ti by Mazz Un millón de rosas by La Mafia
Preceded by Wegonefunkwichamind by Big Mello	Billboard Top Heatseekers (South Central) number-one album July 16, 1994 – August 27, 1994	Succeeded by You Might Be a Redneck If ... by Jeff Foxworthy

See also

• Music of Mexico
• List of number-one Billboard Top Latin Albums from the 1990s
• List of best-selling Latin albums in the United States

Notes

1.^ Some music critics have stated that four released singles from Amor Prohibido, with the exclusion of "Techno Cumbia", reached number one on the Hot Latin Tracks charts. Billboard credits five singles from the album, "Amor Prohibido", "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", "No Me Queda Más", "Techno Cumbia" and "Fotos y Recuerdos", as having reached number one on the Hot Latin Tracks charts. Two of these, "Fotos y Recuerdos" and "Techno Cumbia", did this after her 1995 death.

External links

• Amor prohibido at AllMusic. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
• Amor prohibido (20 Years of Music) at AllMusic. Retrieved 23 January 2012.