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No Me Queda Más

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"No Me Queda Más"
File:Nomequedamas.jpg
Single by Selena
from the album Amor Prohibido
Released 10 November 1994 (1994-11-10)
Format CD single, 12" single, cassette
Recorded 1993-1994
Q-Productions
(Corpus Christi, Texas)
Genre Tejano, Ranchera
Length 3:16 (original version)
3:49 (re-release version)
Label EMI Latin
Writer(s) Ricky Vela
Producer(s) A.B. Quintanilla, Bebu Silvetti
Selena singles chronology
"Bidi bidi bom bom"
(1994)
"No me queda más"
(1994)
"Fotos y recuerdos"
(1995)
Music video
"No me queda más" on YouTube

"No Me Queda Más" (English: "There's Nothing Left for Me") is a song recorded by American Tejano pop recording artist Selena from her fifth studio album Amor Prohibido (1994). It was released by EMI Latin on 10 November 1994, as the album's third single. "No Me Queda Más" was composed by lead keyboardist of Selena y Los Dinos, Ricky Vela; who had fallen in love with Selena's sister and drummer of the group, Suzette Quintanilla. Selena's brother and producer of her music, A.B. Quintanilla produced "No Me Queda Más" alongside Argentine arranger and composer Bebu Silvetti.

"No Me Queda Más" is a Spanish-language down-tempo ballad with influences of flamenco and ranchera music. The central theme and lyrical content of the song conveys the story of a bewildered fiancée whose ex-lover has left her for another women and keeps an illusion that he will one day go back with her; while her ex-lover denies even loving her, she wishes him happiness. "No Me Queda Más" peaked at number one on the US Hot Latin Tracks for seven non-consecutive weeks and the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay charts, giving Selena her third consecutive number one single from Amor Prohibido. "No Me Queda Más" became the number-one song on the Billboard Top Latin Songs Year-End Chart for 1995. It also peaked at number 13 on the Latin Pop Airplay chart.

"No Me Queda Más" was praised by contemporary music critics, who highly praised Selena's emotive vocalization she used to record the song. "No Me Queda Más" was nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 1994 Broadcast Music Latin Awards. With "No Me Queda Más" and thirteen other of Selena's top-ten singles in the Hot Latin Tracks chart she was named "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard. "Amor Prohibido" and "No Me Queda Más", became the most successful singles of 1994 and 1995, according to Billboard. There has been a number of covers by various artists ranging from Mexican to Dominican American musicians.

The song's accompanying music video was directed by Sean Roberts and features Selena in various locations in Texas, in some scenes Selena is reminiscing of her ex-lover while in others she is distraught and crying. The video was highly anticipated by EMI Latin to have been the "next big move" for Selena, as the label believed the video would be immensely popular in South American countries. It won "Video of the Year" at the 1995 Billboard Latin Music Awards and received favorable criticism from music critics.

Inspiration, writing and production

After Ricky Vela joined Selena y Los Dinos back in 1985 as the lead keyboardist, he quickly fell in love with Selena's sister and drummer Suzette Quintanilla.[1] Vela kept his feelings about Suzette to himself until she married Billy Arriaga in 1993[2] where Vela wrote about his frustrations on a piece of paper. Initially, Vela planned to give the paper to Suzette, but later changed his mind when Selena's brother and producer A.B. Quintanilla III came to Vela's house and had asked him if he had any songs he had written for Selena to record, as he was running out of songs for the next album. Vela then told Quintanilla III about his feelings for his sister and that he wrote his disdain about her getting married to Arriaga on paper. After reading the paper, Quintanilla III believed he and Vela could transform it into a ballad-type song and was fond of the idea as he was trying to enhance Selena's following album with new material that could boost her fan base and fame. Quintanilla III helped Vela with transforming the song into a ballad, it had taken them several hours to recreate the song. They also gave the song its title, calling it "No Me Queda Más" which means "There's Nothing Left For Me" on the same day.[3]

"No Me Queda Más" was one of the last songs produced for Amor Prohibido (1994). Vela handled sequencing, while Quintanilla III and Argentine arranger and composer Bebu Silvetti produced the song. Recording sessions for "No Me Queda Más" took place at Selena's father and manager's recording studio Q-Productions in Corpus Christi, Texas. Brian "Red" Moore, a family friend, mixed the song. Band members Arturo Meza and Jesse "O'Jay" Martinez utilized percussion instruments such as congas for "No Me Queda Más", while Freddie Corea and Don Shelton used tambourines.[3]

During an interview for Selena's collection 20 Years of Music, A.B. had told them about how he wanted Selena to record the song multiple times and Selena was too overcome with emotion to record a fifth take:

"When we were recording for "No Me Queda Más" - I believe she had recorded it in four takes - and I wanted her to do it again, and she got mad at me. She told me that she wasn't going to sing it again. She said "I already had it! As a matter of fact, I've had it with you, and this studio, I'm ready to get out of here" - she kind of threw a fit - well she kind of didn't throw a fit. We wouldn't want to say a fit, but "you know I'm gonna go to the mall, and I'm gonna head out so, what you got there is what you got" - and now looking back at "No Me Queda Más", she really did a beautiful job when recording the track, she had so much passion. The song became a classic. That's what I can remember from one of the beautiful memories I have of the Amor Prohibido album.[3]

Music, theme and lyrics

"No Me Queda Más" is a down-tempo[4] ballad that has influences of flamenco and ranchera music.[4] Written in the key of B minor, the beat is set in double time and moves at a moderate 95 beats per minute.[5] Selena's vocal range in the song spans two octaves.[5] "No Me Queda Más" uses the traditional instruments of violins, trumpets, and guitars as its musical foundation.[4] According to Lori Beth Rodriguez, in "No Me Queda Más" "Selena sings in a low, sober voice of unrequited love".[4] Howard Blumenthal wrote in his book The world music CD listener's guide that "No Me Queda Más" "is sung with an even more desperate, sentimental voice, and an arrangement that wishes for the best".[6] Mark Schone of Newsday wrote that ""No Me Queda Más", "... uses lush string arrangements to mask some very Mexican trumpets that might alienate the East Coast's Caribbean-Latino bedrock."[7] Ramiro Burr of San Antonio Express-News wrote that Selena had "overdubbed vocals" for "No Me Queda Más".[8] Burr also stated that Selena used "powerful emotive vocals to "No Me Queda Más," the bittersweet story about unrequited love."[9] Carlos Meléndez, of El Nuevo Día highly praised the songs "orchestra feels" and its string arrangements.[10] Jose Behar, former president of EMI Latin, asked Silvetti to "sweeten" "No Me Queda Más" in order to boost the song's chart performance. The mixed version was later added to Amor Prohibido and was dubbed on the front cover of the album as "new version".[11]

According to one of the writers of Encyclopedia of recorded sound, Volume 1 "No Me Queda Más" is a "torchy ballad",[12] while according to Ilan Stavans and Harold Augenbraum who wrote in their book Encyclopedia Latina: history, culture, and society in the United States, Volume 1 that "No Me Queda Más" is a "mariachi bolero".[13] Mario Tarradell of The Dallas Morning News wrote that "No Me Queda Más" is a "mournful mariachi-style ballad",[14] a "piercing ballad",[15] and a "heartbreaking mariachi ballad".[16] According to Bob Young of the Boston Globe, "No Me Queda Más" is a "mariachi" song.[17] According to one of the writers of the Lexington Herald-Leader "No Me Queda Más" is a "bolero-influenced" song.[18] Ramiro Burr of San Antonio Express-News wrote that "Amor Prohibido" and "No Me Queda Más" are "heartbreaking ballads",[19] and that "No Me Queda Más" is a "... lovely and stoic song facing the end, yet keeping a sense of dignity and self-worth".[20] Raúl Manuel Rodríguez of El Dictamen wrote that "No Me Queda Más" is a "lovely ballad".[21] Carmen Lopez of Novedades de México highly praised the song for its "ballads and soulful-rich sounds".[22]

Release and chart performance

Released on 10 November 1994 in the US, "No Me Queda Más" was the third single from Amor Prohibido. "No Me Queda Más" was the second single released from Amor Prohibido in international markets on EMI International.[7] Two versions of the single were released in Mexico on the same day of its US release. A CD single, which featured the album version of "No Me Queda Más". A promotional single, was later released featuring two versions of "No Me Queda Más", the album version and the "new version". A 12" single was released in South American countries the same day.[3]

The track debuted on the US Hot Latin Tracks chart on 12 November, 1994, at number 40, and peaked at number one for seven non-consecutive weeks,[23] giving Selena her third number one song off of Amor Prohibido.[24] The single fell from the chart on 1 April, 1995, but returned two weeks later at number five. Following Selena's death, the song spent another eleven weeks in the top ten, twenty-six weeks overall.[25] With this single, Selena became the first performer to achieve four number-one singles on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart in a single year.[23] Enrique Iglesias tied this record in 1996 with four number-ones from his debut album Enrique Iglesias.[26]

Critical reception

Jorge Velasquez wrote in his book Meditaciones Para Lograr Su Primer Millon that "No Me Queda Más" is a "bonafide hit".[27] During the 16th anniversary of Selena's death, Polish newspaper, Onet.pl described "No Me Queda Más" as one of the biggest hits that Selena produced for Amor Prohibido.[28] Raúl Manuel Rodríguez of El Dictamen wrote that "No Me Queda Más" "was an example of where Selena [was] heading to, and that was crossover super-stardom."[21] Diosdada Sagarra Díaz, of Adelante expressed that "No Me Queda Más" is a "... classic, one of Selena's best songs ever [produced] in her career" she also stated that the song is still being played in radio stations across Cuba.[29] Castro Fernando, of ¡Alarma! highly praised the song's conveying capabilities.[30] Antonio Morales of Gringo Gazette, stated that Selena's voice was very amusing and lovely, which gave him "chills" when he had first heard the song,[31] while Inez Guzman, also from Gringo Gazette, stated that the song helped Selena's acceptance in other Latino communities.[31] Esmeralda Rivera of Nuestro Diario also believed that "No Me Queda Más" helped advanced Selena in other Spanish-speaking countries.[32] Victoria Díaz of Grupo Reforma believed the song was "addicting and beautiful".[33] "No Me Queda Más" was included during a Selena tribute at a Corpus Christi Hooks game on 30 July 2010.[34]

Recognition and accolades

With "No Me Queda Más" and thirteen other of Selena's top-ten singles in the Hot Latin Tracks chart, the singer was named "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard.[35] During the entire month of March in 2010, "No Me Queda Más" and a few other Selena music videos were selected for a Selena tribute for her fifteenth anniversary of her death to 42 million homes nationwide on Music Choice On Demand.[36] "Amor Prohibido" and "No Me Queda Más", became the most successful singles of 1994 and 1995, according to Billboard.[37][38] In Orlando Sentinel's "Top 10 Spanish Hits of 1994", "No Me Queda Más" was placed at number two.[39][40]

"No Me Queda Más" was nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 1994 Broadcast Latin Music Awards[41] while the music video won "Video of the Year" at the 1995 Billboard Latin Music Awards.[42][43]

Music video

Background and production

The music video for "No Me Queda Más" was filmed from 11–18 June 1994, with Summit Productions, Inc with Sean Roberts serving as the director. During an interview, Selena was asked why she chose to do a music video for "No me queda más". Her response was that EMI Latin chose the song because they felt the song would be the "next big move" in Mexico, Central and South America. She also confessed that the company wanted to showcase the video internationally for publicity. The filming for the music video was done at the San Antonio Amtrak station, during the grand staircase scene with Selena wearing a white dress (originally worn at the 36th Grammy Awards in 1994), while being surrounded with an orchestra. On the same day, filming was being done during the intro of the music video at Casa Rio restaurant at the San Antonio River Walk. Production of the music video was postponed and stalled for a week because of Selena's upcoming fashion show tour in Mexico and the opening of her second boutique, Selena Etc. The "love," horse riding and marriage scenes were filmed at Breckenridge Park in San Antonio, Texas.[44][45][46]

During production, Selena's dress had to be re-sized due to gaining weight. She gave her response while cameras were still filming:

<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

This is what happens when you gain weight for a music video. [telling another production manager] I told Toby that the dress is too tight, "I think I gained weight". And he told me, no no honey its that the dress is too small, blame it on the damn manufacturer![45]

The location of the Amtrak train station for the music video was later adopted in the 1997 film about Selena's life, during the fashion show scene with Jennifer Lopez who took the role as "Selena".[45]

Synopsis

File:Selena No Me Queda Mas.jpg
The white dress Selena appeared in her music video for "No me queda más" was originally worn at the 36th Grammy Awards in 1994 and was noted by many music critics.

The video opens with Selena sitting down at an outside-restaurant, accompanied by a live Mariachi band performance. She is then introduced by a waiter who offers her a glass of water. The waiter then comes back to her with her ordered entrée, the woman then eats peacefully while enjoying the live entertainment. As she enjoys her dinner the waiter returns to give her a note that her fiancé had left for her. The woman was waiting for her fiancé to arrive and to accompanied her but was running late as she thought since she was looking down at her watch frequently. In the note, her fiancé tells her that he can no longer see her and nor does he want to be with her, officially ending the engagement. He tells her that he is in love with another woman and they are going to get married. Heartbroken, Selena takes a sip of water before exiting the restaurant, crying.

The song then plays slowly as Selena is seen in the dark, behind a busy high-way, pealing off a white rose, indicating "he loves me ... he loves me not ...", while crying. While doing so, a collage of memorable pictures and videos of Selena and her now ex-fiancé are seen throughout the video. Now the video shines on Selena wearing her white dress that she had picked out for her wedding day, singing on a staircase with an orchestra playing their instruments, below the staircase. Selena is then seen at the wedding of her ex-fiancé, she tries to enter the outside-wedding near the beach, but she is pulled away by her emotions and instead cries running. She then crouch down to the floor and cries. After this, Selena's ex-fiancé and his new fiancée acknowledge their marriage and share a kiss. After the wedding, the final video of Selena and her ex-fiancé is played, where he had given a kiss to Selena on her hands. The video then ends with him hugging his now wife, and Selena crying, looking down.

The video uses the "New Version" of the song; a pop/AC-oriented remix created especially for the video. An instrumental of the original album version was used during the intro for the mariachi performance during the restaurant scene.

Reception

The music video was welcomed with positive reception from music critics. Raúl Manuel Rodríguez of El Dictamen believed that the "No Me Queda Más" music video was one of the best Selena music videos. He also stated that "it really captures the audiences attention, and thirst for what's going to come next."[21] Victoria Díaz of Grupo Reforma highly praised Selena's "refreshing and exotic" clothing styles and noted that they were originally from her boutiques.[33] Antonio Morales of Gringo Gazette, believed the video was "exquisite" and that it had almost made him cry: "I felt bad for Selena, I wanted to go inside the video and just hug her. I feel in love with [the] video. Selena had touch many hearts with ["No Me Queda Más"], something you don't see a lot in [other] Hispanic videos, nowadays."[31] Javier Lopez, of TV Notas commented that "No Me Queda Más" is one of his favorite music videos and believed the video was "beautiful" and noted that the dress Selena worn was from the same dress she had worn at the Grammy Awards in 1994.[47] The video was named 12 on his "Top 100 Spanish-language music videos of all time".[47]

Cover versions

Dominican American singer Kat DeLuna (left) and Mexican American singer Pepe Aguilar (right) have sung "No Me Queda Más" live in their concerts.

Kat DeLuna sang the song during a children's singing competition and won first place.[48] In 1998, Los Tres Reyes, a mariachi group that Selena's father and manager Abraham Quintanilla, Jr., was producing recorded a duet-version of "No Me Queda Más".[49] In 1995, Puerto Rican salsa singer Tito Nieves recorded his version of "No Me Queda Más" for his album Un Tipo Común which peaked at #7 on the Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay chart.[50] As part of the tenth anniversary of Selena's death, Pepe Aguilar sang his version of "No Me Queda Más" at the Selena ¡VIVE! concert on 5 April 2005. Michael Clark of the Houston Chronicle wrote that "[Aguilar's] vocal on "No Me Queda Más" was reminiscent of Aaron Neville."[51] In the same year, Mexican group Paloma covered the song on their live album, En Concierto-En Vivo Desde L.A. which peaked at #19 on the Hot Latin Tracks chart and #6 on the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay.[52] Puerto Rican singer José Feliciano recorded his version of the song for his album Jose Feliciano y amigos in 2006.[53] Ramiro Burr of Chicago Tribune wrote that Feliciano's version was a "bittersweet ranchera".[54] Cuban-American singer Toñita recorded her version of the song for her album Desafiando al destino in 2007.[55] A year later, Mexican American singer Maria Williams recorded the song in English entitled "Nothing Left For Me" for her debut album Hybrid.[56] American singer David Archuleta sang the song several times on tour starting in 2010. Archuleta also sang the song in honour of Selena at the 2010 Tejano Music Awards.[57] Karen Rodriguez sang the song live during the tenth season of American Idol.[58][59] Dominican singer Prince Royce sang "No me queda más" during a number of concerts on his tour.[60] Norma Eliza Quintero covered the song during a live concert.[61] Marcel Rinde recorded the song as a tribute to Selena.[62] Graciela Beltran sang the song live during a memorial for Selena in Houston, Texas.[63]

Track listings and formats

Credits and personnel

Charts and Awards

See also

References

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  44. Luis Munoz
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  64. Luis Muñoz - GM Summit Productions and Puro Tejano
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Preceded by Billboard Hot Latin Tracks number-one single
17 December 1994 - 14 January 1995
28 January 1995 – 4 February 1995
Succeeded by
"Me Duele Estar Solo" by La Mafia