| All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | March 9, 1999 (1999-03-09) | |||
| Recorded | 1990–1995 | |||
| Studio | Zaz Studios,AMEN Studios,Q-Productions | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 1:01:21 | |||
| Language | English, Spanish | |||
| Label | EMI Latin | |||
| Producer | A.B. Quintanilla | |||
| Selena chronology | ||||
| ||||
All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos is agreatest hits album by American singerSelena. It was released posthumously on March 9, 1999, throughEMI Latin to commemorate its ten-year anniversary since entering the music industry. The album coincided with the fourth anniversary ofSelena's death, though then-presidentJose Behar rebuffed the idea that the album was an exploitive ploy by the company. Following Selena's death on March 31, 1995,Abraham Quintanilla expressed his interest in preserving his daughter's memory through her works. Selena's family has been criticized by fans and the media for exploiting the singer and cannibalizing her murder by commercializing her repertoire. According to the singer's brother,A.B. Quintanilla, one of Selena's wishes was for her to "never go away", citing a conversation he shared with Selena and their sisterSuzette Quintanilla, that if anything were to happen to any one of them, their wish would be to continue on with their music.
By 1999, Selena remained EMI Latin's top-selling act, outselling living musicians, and contributed to the company's dominance in the United States Latin music market. Behar wanted to release a commemorative album that would help continue to preserve Selena's music. He based his marketing strategy onCapitol Nashville'sThe Hits (1994) byGarth Brooks. He figured that a limited distribution run of three months and including a pin bearing Selena's name would generate interest. Lupe de la Cruz, marketing director for EMI Latin, believed the included pin would distinguish it from previous releases that contain unreleased material. A direct-TV campaign was headed by Castilian Music on English and Spanish-language networks in the United States, the first of its kind for a Latin album.
The recording includes 16 previously released songs that range from Selena's second studio albumVen Conmigo (1990) to the posthumous 1997Selena movie soundtrack. The album received a mixed reception among music critics,John T. Davis called the recording a solid release and applauded its wide marketing, though found it to be of no value to die-hard fans and found the quality subpar in comparison to its predecessors.All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos peaked at number one on the USBillboardTop Latin Albums andRegional Mexican Albums chart, selling 25,380 units on its first week of availability. It also peaked at number 54 on theBillboard 200 chart. The album provided Selena with her fifth number one album on the Top Latin Albums chart, the most of any artist at that time.All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos was the second-highest sold Latin album for the first quarter of 1999, despite its two months' availability.All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos ended 1999 as the top Regional Mexican Album of the year while ranking as the third-most sold album on the Top Latin Albums chart.
The recording provided Selena with her second consecutive album to place atop the year-end chart for the Regional Mexican Albums category, followingAnthology (1998).All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos sold 360,000 units by mid-December, contributing 40% of EMI Latin's cumulative units sold in the United States. The record company posted a sales gain for the first time since Selena's death in 1995, as a result ofAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos. In 2017, the album was certifieddiamond (Latin) by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting 600,000 units consisting of sales and on-demandstreaming.All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos has sold 100,000 units in Mexico, and received a platinum certification byMusic Canada for selling 100,000 units. The album was proceeded by a VHS tape of the singer's music videos andAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos Vol. 2 (2000).
On March 31, 1995, AmericanTejano music singerSelena wasshot and killed.[1] The crossover-planned albumDreaming of You was released posthumously on July 18, 1995, debuting and peaking atop the United StatesBillboard 200 albums chart, the first majority Spanish-language recording to do so in the chart's history.[2][3] The album's release started a "buying frenzy" for anything related or containing Selena amongHispanic and Latino Americans.[4] The releases of Selena's works continue a promiseAbraham Quintanilla told his family following his daughter's death, that he will continue to keep Selena's memory alive through her music.[5][6][7] According toA. B. Quintanilla,Suzette Quintanilla, and Selena collectively agreed that if anything were to happen to any one of them, their wish would be to continue on with their music.[8] A. B. said that one of Selena's wishes was for her to "never go away".[9] Since Selena's death, her family has been criticized by fans and the media for exploiting the singer and cannibalizing on her murder by commercializing her repertoire.[10]
By 1999, Selena remainedEMI Latin's top-selling artist, outselling living musicians such asThalía andCarlos Ponce.[11] In the past five years, Selena has been the record company's top-selling performer, according toNielsen SoundScan.[12] Then-president of EMI LatinJose Behar, who discovered the singer at the1989 Tejano Music Awards, recognized Selena for her contributions that made EMI Latin "the house that Selena built".[11] Industry executives collectively agreed on Selena's impact on EMI Latin, they credited Selena with propelling the label to the top of the US Latin music industry.[12]
The album contains 16 tracks ranging from Selena's second studio albumVen Conmigo (1990) to the posthumous1997 movie soundtrack. Offering listeners many of the singer's most recognizable songs,[13] the recording starts off with "Amor Prohibido". It is followed by themariachi track "Tú Sólo Tú", originally intended for theDon Juan DeMarco soundtrack, which was shelved by music producers. Following the impact of Selena's death,Christopher John Farley ofTime magazine, wrote how the producers were most likely regretting their decision.[14] The next track "Como la Flor", became Selena'ssignature song with essayistIlan Stavans suggesting the emergence ofLatin pop in the United States in the 1990s is attributed to the popularity of "Como la Flor".[15][16] The fourth song on the album, "I Could Fall in Love" was previously on the planned crossover albumDreaming of You. The fifth track, "El Chico del Apartamento 512", is a lighthearted and comical song following the protagonist's attempts at finding "the guy in apartment 512" (this track was also included in the volume 2 of All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos).[17] This was followed by "¿Qué Creias?", a song Selena often performed onstage with a male volunteer from the audience who portrayed her former lover, while Selena scorches them as the wronged partner.[18] The seventh track, "Baila Esta Cumbia" was written following amedley A. B. had in his head while resting.[19] "Dreaming of You" was among a selection of songs Selena was provided with from Capitol Records to choose from, the label vehemently controlled the entire crossover project and only allowed Selena to choose one song of her choice from this selection.[20]
Track number eight, "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" was improvised during a rehearsal starting off as a song with few, if any, lyrics. Selena started singing, coming up with lyrics "as ideas came to her". It started off with lyrics about a cheerful fish swimming freely in the ocean,[21] which Astudillo likened to anursery rhyme,[22] organized around awah-wah guitarriff using acrybaby improvised by Selena's husband and the guitarist of the groupChris Pérez.[21] "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" transitioned into acumbia andreggae song,[23] itsonomatopoeic title and its nonsensical lyrics suggest the sound of a woman's heart palpitating for the object of her affection.[24] The following track, "La Llamada" follows the protagonist's former lover calling her and protesting his innocence, not buying his excuses, she tells him to refrain from calling her again.[25] The eleventh song, "No Me Queda Más", was penned by keyboardistRicky Vela, who had romantic inclinations toward the drummer of the group, Suzette, which he kept private from her.[26] After hearing of her wedding to Bill Arriaga in September 1993, Vela wrote of his feelings of betrayal andunrequited love and hid the lyrics that he wrote based on these feelings. Vela eventually provided Selena with the lyrics and she recorded the song forAmor Prohibido. According to Abraham, Selena provided an emotional delivery while recording the track and was seen sobbing in the recording studio because "she knew how [Vela] felt" about Suzette.[27]
The next song, "I'm Getting Used to You" was written byDiane Warren and produced byRhett Lawrence. Writing forNewsday,Ira Robbins found the track'sarrangement to be "slightly outdated" that masked any indications of Selena's Hispanic background.[28] This was dramatized byChristian Serratos in theNetflix two-part limited dramaSelena: The Series (2020–21), where the singer felt a sense of dissociation with the song. Warren commented that the scene was not how she recalls her time with Selena, who in reality loved the song.[29] This was followed by "La Carcacha", which was inspired by a broken-down car inOvalo, Texas.[19] Biographer Joe Nick Patoski recognized that "La Carcacha" contained lyrics of teenage love that Selena never experienced. He wrote how A. B. would sometimes ask Selena about songs he should write for her, and Selena would request songs with storylines atypical of what she experienced.[30] The fourteenth track on the album, "Disco Medley", is a medley of disco-era songs "Last Dance" (1978) and "On the Radio" (1979) byDonna Summer, "The Hustle" (1975) byVan McCoy and the Soul City Symphony, and "I Will Survive" (1978) byGloria Gaynor and "Funkytown" (1979) byLipps Inc. "Disco Medley" was performed live at theHouston Astrodome on February 26, 1995, cited as her last concert before she was murdered.[31] Track number fifteen, "No Debes Jugar" was originally released as one of the studio tracks onSelena Live!. "Missing My Baby" finishes the tracklisting ofAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos.
On February 8, 1999, it was revealed thatAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos would be commercially available on March 9. It was hailed as the final release by the singer for the millennium.[32] The album marked EMI Latin's 10th anniversary in operation as a subsidy ofCapitol Records.All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos also coincided with the fourth anniversary of Selena's death.[13] EMI Latin rebuffed the idea that the album was an exploitive ploy on their part, citing thatAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos was originally planned for a January release, but was delayed due to packaging issues.[11] Behar wanted to release a commemorative album that was exceptional and would help continue to preserve Selena's music. He decided on mirroringCapitol Nashville's marketing strategy forGarth Brooks'sThe Hits (1994). He issuedAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos for a limited distribution release of three months and provided consumers who ordered the album through their TV advertisements, with a commemorative pin bearing Selena's name. Those who order the cassette variant from the direct-TV ads would receive the commemorative pin, while the CD version in-stores will include the pin. Behar wanted the album to be a collector's item and marketedAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos as containing a majority of Selena'shit singles. TV advertisements were released throughout the United States on March 15 through English and Spanish-language networks. Behar negotiated with network executives to pushAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos and promised a cut of the profits that were generated from the advertisements. John Lannert ofBillboard called the direct-TV campaign the first of its kind. The first two networks to air the advertisements were cable channelsGems TV and Spanish-language channelGalavisión. Other Spanish-language channels such asTelemundo andUnivision jumped on the campaign as well. English-language networks that participated includedLifetime,The Nashville Network,MTV, andVH1. The direct-TV campaign was headed by Castilian Music, who previously donePure Moods forVirgin Records.[12]
Lupe de la Cruz, marketing director for EMI Latin, hoped that the direct-TV campaign would generate interest. De la Cruz confessed that consumers haven't bought "as much as we would want them to" from previous direct-TV campaigns. He believes that consumers might make a connection when browsing through a music retailer and remembering that they sawAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos on TV and might be more inclined to purchase the album. He also hoped that with the push into English-language networks, those who saw theSelena film, might be interested in listening toAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos since it contains more of Selena's Tejano music repertoire.Ritmo Latino, a music chain mostly in California, believed the album will be "a strong seller". The company reported that they were supportingAll My Hits: Todos Mis Exitos with in-store ads, and radio and print advertisements.[12] The pin bearing the singer's name, provided "every young girl who's already a Selena fan" something they would want.[13] De la Cruz believed that the pin would help distinguishAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos from previous Selena releases that contained unreleased material.[11]All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos was expected by industry forecasters to debut atop theBillboardTop Latin Albums as well as debut within the higher reaches of the USBillboard 200 charts. On November 2, 1999, EMI Latin released the VHS tapeAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos on Video.[33] This was followed byAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos Vol. 2, a followup album toAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos on February 29, 2000, that included a heart-shaped pendant with a picture of Selena inside.[34]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [35] |
| Austin American-Statesman | [13] |
Writing for theAustin American-Statesman,John T. Davis proclaimed that the release ofAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos marked the day that Selena had more posthumous releases than those released during her lifetime. Davis noticed an uptick in sales for anything containing Selena during the annual markings of her death and felt that recent releases have suffered in quality in order to meet demand. He foundAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos as a solid release, containing much of the singer's best songs, though found that it was neither remarkable nor complete of Selena's best works. Davis opined the album for those curious on works done by Selena or casual fans. He found it peculiar that the recording was marketed for die-hard fans and believed that they were the least to benefit from the album. Applauding its wide marketing, Davis concluded thatAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos misses the mark in the quality afforded by the label.[13]
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez of theLos Angeles Times believed thatAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos, as well as her death anniversary, reintroduced Americans to Selena. Abraham was inundated with reporters worldwide on the well-being of the family, reporting that he feels horrible, though less so compared to the day of Selena's death. Abraham reported that his family's pain "comes and goes". Valdes-Rodriguez suggested that these feelings would be less severe ifAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos did not mark her death anniversary, calling it just "anothertribute album".[11] Writing forNewsday, Richard Torres believed that the album encapsulates Selena's versatility, calling the collection a "sharp compendium".[36] He named the release as one of the "movers and shakers" that markedLatin music in 1999.[37] Joey Guerra of theHouston Chronicle, rankedAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos as one of the best Selena albums and called it the first recording to contain the singer's signature songs.[38]
As a result of some retailers releasing the album ahead of its debut,All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos debuted at number 24 on the Top Latin Albums chart on the week ending March 20, 1999.[39] The album peaked at number one on the Top Latin Albums andRegional Mexican Albums chart the following tracking week. It received the greatest album sales gain for any Latin album on the chart from the previous tracking week.All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos unseatedRicky Martin'sVuelve from the top spot. Selena and Martin's albums contributed the most to the 167,500 units measured by Nielsen SoundScan of Latin albums sold in the United States for that week.[40] The album became Selena's fifth number-one album on the Top Latin Albums chart, the most any artist has placed on the chart, at that time.[41]All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos debuted at number 59 on theBillboard 200 chart selling 25,380 units in its first week of availability.[40]All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos provided Selena with 73 cumulative weeks atop the Top Latin Albums chart, extending her record for most logged weeks on the chart for any artist, at that time.[41]
EMI Latin shipped 500,000 units to retailers and by April 9, 1999,All My Hits/Todos Mis Éxitos sold 250,000 copies in the five weeks of availability, according to the label.[11] Selena and Martin contributed significantly toward Latin album sales in the first quarter of 1999, with Lannert noticing their respective albums were "blowing through the sales roof".[42] According to Nielsen SoundScan,All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos sold 176,705 units by May 22, 1999. The album represented 8% of the 1.5 million copies sold of Latin albums in the United States in the first quarter of 1999. It was the second-highest sold Latin album, behind Martin'sVuelve for the quarter, despite only being available for two months.[43]All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos received a platinum certification fromMusic Canada, selling 100,000 units in the country by June 12, 1999, and received agold certification from theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting 500,000 units shipped in the United States.[44] The album reclaimed the top spot of the Top Latin Albums chart for the week ending June 26, 1999, selling 11,500 units, a 26% increase from the previous week. Lannert called the sales spike surprising, though believed it could have been a result of the impending June 30 deadline, which would end production of the album. Nielsen SoundScan reported thatAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos sold 207,500 units by June 1999, ranking at number three on their year-to-date Top Latin Albums chart.[45]
By August 21, 1999,All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos sold 268,000 units, the second-most sales of a Latin album for the year, behind Martin'sVuelve. Music executives claim that the sales reported by Nielsen SoundScan only cover 30-45% of the Latin music market. The company responded that they believe their coverage is extensive, while Ritmo Latino argues that the actual numbers for Latin music are stagnant and the rise of sales is due to Martin andEnrique Iglesias who sell well in more accessible music retailers that cater to mainstream pop music.[46] EMI Latin albums sold a cumulative 422,000 units, making it the top Regional Mexican imprint and label by August 28, 1999. Selena'sAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos comprise 69% of those numbers, claiming the top Regional Mexican Artist category duringBillboard's recap reports.[47] By October 23, 1999,All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos sold 343,000 units, representing the second-largest sales for a Latin album so far for 1999, behind Martin'sVuelve. In October 1999, Latin albums sold in the United States broke 1998's record sales, Martin, Selena, andElvis Crespo, were the three biggest selling acts during a Nielsen SoundScan report.[48]All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos ended 1999 as the top Regional Mexican Album and the third largest-selling Top Latin Album of the year. Her second consecutive album to place atop the year-end chart for the Regional Mexican Albums category, followingAnthology (1998). EMI Latin's albums sold 893,000 units, and Selena's album contributed 40% of their revenue, selling 360,000 units by mid-December.[49] In 1999, EMI Latin posted a sales gain for the first time since Selena's death in 1995, as a result of her albumAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos.[50]All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos sold 386,500 units by January 1, 2000, it was the fifth largest-selling album in the United States in 1999.[51] Writing forThe Monitor, Vilma Maldonado believedAll My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos sold 600,000 units and claims that Nielsen SoundScan's report does not adequately represent the true number of units sold in the United States.[52] In 2017, the album was certified diamond (Latin) by the RIAA, denoting 600,000 units consisting of sales and on-demand streaming.[53]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Production | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Amor Prohibido" (previously onAmor Prohibido) | Selena Quintanilla-Perez,A.B. Quintanilla,Pete Astudillo | A.B. Quintanilla, Jorge Alberto Pino,Bebu Silvetti, Gregg Vickers | 2:48 |
| 2. | "Tú Sólo Tú" (previously onDreaming of You) | Felipe Valdés Lea | José Hernández | 3:11 |
| 3. | "Como la Flor" (previously onEntre A Mi Mundo) | A.B., Astudillo | A.B. | 3:02 |
| 4. | "I Could Fall in Love" (previously onDreaming of You) | Keith Thomas | Thomas | 4:41 |
| 5. | "El Chico del Apartamento 512" (previously onAmor Prohibido) | A.B.,Ricky Vela | A.B. | 3:26 |
| 6. | "¿Qué Creias?" (previously onEntre a Mi Mundo) | A.B., Astudillo | A.B. | 3:30 |
| 7. | "Baila Esta Cumbia" (previously onVen Conmigo) | A.B., Astudillo | A.B. | 2:56 |
| 8. | "Dreaming of You" (previously onDreaming of You) | Franne Golde,Tom Snow | Guy Roche | 5:21 |
| 9. | "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" (previously onAmor Prohibido) | Selena, Astudillo | A.B. | 3:27 |
| 10. | "La Llamada" (previously onSelena Live!) | A.B., Astudillo | A.B. | 3:10 |
| 11. | "No Me Queda Más" (previously onAmor Prohibido) | Vela | A.B. | 3:18 |
| 12. | "I'm Getting Used to You" (previously onDreaming of You) | Diane Warren | Rhett Lawrence | 4:01 |
| 13. | "La Carcacha" (previously onEntre a Mi Mundo) | A.B., Astudillo | A.B. | 4:08 |
| 14. | "Disco Medley" (previously onSelena: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | Dino Fekaris,Donna Summer,Freddie Perren,Giorgio Moroder, Paul Jabarra, Steve Greeberg,Van McCoy | A.B. | 7:41 |
| 15. | "No Debes Jugar" (previously onSelena Live!) | A.B., Vela | A.B. | 2:48 |
| 16. | "Missing My Baby" (previously onEntre a Mi Mundo) | A.B. | A.B. | 3:51 |
| Total length: | 1:01:21 | |||
| Quarterly charts[edit]
|
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Latin Albums[49] | 3 |
| US Regional Mexican Albums[49] | 1 |
| Chart (1999)[Note 1] | Peak position |
| US Top Latin Albums[51] | 5 |
| US Regional Mexican Albums[51] | 1 |
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
| US Regional Mexican Albums[55] | 10 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | — | 100,000[56] |
| Mexico | — | 100,000[57] |
| United States (RIAA)[53] | Diamond (Latin) | 600,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Abraham Quintanilla: And when she sang it or recorded it she put all her soul to it. And that she had tears in her eyes, you know, her eyes were watery because she knew how Ricky (Vela) felt. Suzette Quintanilla: I guess "Si Una Vez" because I think Selena really liked to give that attitude in that song.
| Studio albums | |
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| Soundtrack albums | |
| Live albums | |
| Remix albums | |
| Compilation albums |
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| Family |
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| Related articles | |
