| Para Siempre | ||||
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 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 18, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Studio | JS Studios,Cuernavaca, Morelos | |||
| Genre | Bolero,mariachi | |||
| Length | 36:14 | |||
| Label | Sony BMG Norte | |||
| Producer | Joan Sebastian | |||
| Vicente Fernández chronology | ||||
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| Singles fromPara Siempre | ||||
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Para Siempre (English:Forever) is the 79thstudio album released by Mexican singerVicente Fernández on September 18, 2007, bySony BMG Norte. Written and produced byJoan Sebastian, and co-produced by Jesús Rincón, the album was met with instant success. It has sold two million units worldwide, and is one of the best-selling albums by Fernández. It spawned four hitsingles: "Estos Celos", "La Derrota", "Un Millón de Primaveras", andthe title track, the latter of which was used as the main theme to thetelenovelaFuego En La Sangre, which brought the wider exposure to the album and helped it to stay on charts for over two years. It was named the best-selling Regional Mexican Album of the decade byBillboard magazine.
Originally conceived as abanda music project, the album earned Fernández aLatin Grammy Award for Best Ranchero Album, fourPremios Oye! and aGrammy nomination.Para Siempre is considered responsible for bringing Mexican traditional music to a younger audience that had never listened to the singer before. Fernández releasedmusic videos for the twelve tracks and recorded a TV special on his ranch inGuadalajara, Jalisco. A sold-out promotional tour led to the recording of thelive albumPrimera Fila, Fernández' follow up album.
Two recognized artists worked together for the first time onPara Siempre:Vicente Fernández, the "king" of Mexico's traditional ranchera music and one of that country's most recognizable and influential cultural icons, and singer-songwriterJoan Sebastian. Since Fernández's emergence in the mid-1960s, his popularity among Mexicans and Mexican-Americans has been likened to that ofFrank Sinatra andElvis Presley in the United States. His concerts both in Mexico and the United States routinely sell out and his 100-plus albums (includingcompilations) have reportedly sold 50 million copies.[1] Sebastian has been celebrated by critics for his contribution to Mexican culture, thanks to his successful singer career and his work producing artists such asAntonio Aguilar,Pepe Aguilar,Lucero andRocío Dúrcal; he is also a three timeGrammy winner.[2][3]Para Siempre, the 79th studio album by Fernández, was released in September 2007 in several countries. It was recorded to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his singing career, and is, according to Fernández's record label, one of his most important albums.[4][5] Nevertheless, Sebastian said that the label did not have high expectations for the album.[6]
Fernández has stated that the album was conceived as abanda album with original music by Sebastian, a first for the singer;[7] before this, in 1993, he included acover of a song written by Sebastian titled "Verdad Que Duele" ("It Hurts") on his albumLástima Que Seas Ajena (A Shame You Belong to Another).[8] Fernández' fans kept asking to record banda songs and written by Sebastian, prompting him to record the album. Fernández was not pleased with the idea of trading his classic mariachi style for banda, but agreed to record with Sebastian as a "thank you" to his fans.[7] In the album liner notes the singer dedicated the album to his wife and included a message for this fans: "As long as you keep applauding, I will be singing 'forever'."[9]
In late 2006, on Fernández' ranch in Guadalajara, Jalisco, he asked Sebastian for songs to record on his next album and they agreed that his next project would be to work with Fernández on the album. Sebastian began preparing thedemos along with Beto Jiménez,[9] and in early 2007 he told Fernández that the songs were ready. The singer flew to the producer's studio and recorded them.[7] Fernández has said of working with Sebastian: "He is more than a friend, he is my brother, he writes excellent songs and has a great sensibility."[7]
The album was recorded inCuernavaca, Morelos at the JS Studios.[9] "I went to one of his houses for a day and in less than seven hours my part of the album was ready, he put everything on the table, it's very good and romantic."[7] Fernández kept his mariachi style on the album and the producer only added moretamboras;[7] the singer was confident that this album was going to be a success, since his audience was demanding his union with Sebastian.[7]
From the 12 tracks included, onlythe title track presents a successful love relationship; while Sebastian's lyrics contain popularslang.Guitars,trumpets,violins and anaccordion create themariachi sound. The last track, "El Chofer" ("The Driver"), is a resemblesJosé Alfredo Jiménez lyrical style, since Fernández travels "throughLaredo toMichoacán."[6] Some inspiration for the tracks came from the writer's crush on the Mexican actressSalma Hayek.[10]
The album debuted on September 15, 2007, in a live concert at theArena VFG inGuadalajara, Jalisco.[11] Due to his dislike of massive tours, Fernández did not hold a large promotional campaign. Despite this, he performed live in the Mexican cities ofCiudad Juárez,Reynosa,Ciudad del Carmen,Lagos de Moreno,Sahuayo,Jiménez,Tijuana,Ensenada,San Luis Potosí,Mexico City,Guadalajara,Pachuca, and the American citiesPhoenix,Denver,Atlanta,New York City,Miami,Chicago,Dallas,Houston, Los Angeles,Las Vegas andSan Jose.[12] This short tour garnered a nomination for Latin Tour of the Year at theBillboard Latin Music Awards.[13] Vicente Fernández recorded a TV special on his ranch inGuadalajara, Jalisco, which was broadcast in late September 2007 and December 25, 2007, byTelevisa.[14]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [15] |
| About.com |  [16] |
On his review forBillboard En Español, Joel Brito declared that the tracks, "Un Millón de Primaveras" ("A Million Springs") and "El Último Beso" ("The Last Kiss"), are tender and desperate, with Vicente's voice powerful, sweet and cheerful; while "Estos Celos", was one of his best performances, along with "Niña Hechicera" ("Wicked Girl").[6] Jason Birchmeier ofAllMusic gave the album four stars; he described it as "near-perfect" and "stellar". He praised the singing, the songwriting, and the instrumentation.[15] Tijana Ilich ofAbout.com gave the album a four and a half stars calling "Para Siempre for a melody as lovely as the story".[16] According to the Colombian newspaperEl Tiempo,Para Siempre was one of the most memorable albums of 2008, since Fernández dominates the "formula for success".[17] For theGrammy Awards of 2008 the album received a nomination forBest Mexican/Mexican-American Album[18] which it lost to100% Mexicano byPepe Aguilar. For theLatin Grammy Awards of 2008Para Siempre won forBest Ranchero Album, and the first single "Estos Celos" won a Latin Grammy asBest Regional Mexican Song. The album was also nominated forAlbum of the Year, which was awarded toLa Vida... Es un Ratico, by Colombian singer-songwriterJuanes.[19][20] In Mexico, the album won fourPremios Oye! in the following categories: Album of the Year, Song of the Year ("Estos Celos"), Best Ranchero Solo Artist and BestTelenovela, Movie or Series Song ("Para Siempre").[21][22] Joan Sebastian also received two awards by theAmerican Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for the title track: Song of the Year and Best Regional Music Song.[23]
Vicente Fernández received five nominations for the11th Billboard Latin Music Awards for his work on this album: Hot Latin Songs Artist, Hot Latin Song, Male ("Para Siempre"), Top Latin Albums Artist and Regional Mexican Airplay Song, Male ("Para Siempre" and "La Derrota"); Joan Sebastian was nominated for both Songwriter and Producer of the Year.[13][24] On April 23, 2009, Fernández won the awards for Top Latin Albums Artist and Regional Mexican Airplay Song for the title track.[25]
The standard CD track listing was released on September 18, 2007, inMexico, September 25, 2007 in United States and on February 26, 2008, in Spain[26] with an album cover featuring the performer on a red background. On April 15, 2008, a CD/DVD format, with a black background on the cover was released, which includedmusic videos for the 12 tracks recorded onPara Siempre, directed by Benjamin Hidalgo.[9][27] Akaraoke version of the album, with a yellow background, was released in April 2008.[28]
The recording debuted at number 51 on theAsociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y VideogramasMexican Album Chart in October 2007 and climbed to the top position 21 weeks later; it spent a total of 14 weeks (non-consecutive) at the top of the chart.[29]Para Siempre was certifieddiamond in Mexico for sales of 600,000 units.[30] The sales were, according to Sony BMG Marketing Vice-president andA&R Nir Seroussi, a "phenomenon" because "the music market in Mexico is completelypirated" and Fernández's albums usually sell only 50,000 units per album.[14]
In October 2007, the album debuted at number two on theBillboard Top Latin Albums and spent almost its entire chart run in the Top Ten; it topped the chart for five non-consecutive weeks, three weeks in 2008 and two in 2009, when it replacedPrimera Fila, Fernández' follow-up live album, at the top of the chart, being the first time that a male performer replaces himself at number-one, and the first time sinceSelena did it in 1995.[31] According toSony BMG Norte, with over one million copies sold worldwide,Para Siempre is the most successful release by Vicente Fernández since 2000. Only seven other recordings by Fernández sold more units in the United States.[14] It was the best-selling Regional Mexican album of 2008 and at theBillboardTop Latin Albums Year-end chart the album ranked at number two, behindLos Extraterrestres byWisin & Yandel.[32][33]Para Siempre was purchased on 50,000 mobile phones in Mexico, a "novelty" for a regional Mexican album.[14] The album's success is attributed to a change in the sound; instead of employing multiple composers and producers as in previous albums,Para Siempre was written and produced entirely by Joan Sebastian. Miguel Trujillo, Sony BMG México CEO, commented about the album, "This album connected to a new generation that probably never listened to Vicente before."[14]Para Siempre was named the best-selling Regional Mexican album of the decade in the United States.[34] The album was the best selling Latin album of 2008 with 316,000.[35]
On August 10, 2007, "Estos Celos" ("This Jealousy") was released in Mexico and United States as thelead single from the album.[36] It peaked at number three in theBillboard Hot Latin Tracks, spent 40 weeks on the chart.[37] "Estos Celos" ranked 28th in 2007 and 5th in 2008 in theBillboard Hot Regional Mexican Songs Year-end charts and itsringtone has been one on the top two sellers for Sony BMG Norte since the album release.[14][38][39] InColombia, broadcast of a cover version of this single performed by 'El Cape' Medina and Sneider Geles—recorded invallenato style and included on the albumPor Siempre y Para Siempre—was not allowed by the Colombian Music Association. The song was recorded without a planned commercial release, and the album recorded by Medina and Geles was only given to their friends, but the song unexpectedly achieved success on the Internet and some radio stations in Colombia. 'Cape' Medina said that the song may have been restricted out of the original Mexican publisher's jealousy.[40] This version can still be found onfile sharing websites and in thevideo sharing websiteYouTube.[41] The second single released, "La Derrota" ("The Defeat"), peaked at number seven in the Hot Latin Tracks chart and number one in Mexico and Colombia.[12][42] The third single, "Para Siempre", was featured as the main theme for the MexicantelenovelaFuego En La Sangre[26] and hit the number two spot in the Latin charts in United States and number one in Mexico and Colombia.[12][43] The fourth single yielded from the album was "Un Millón de Primaveras" which did not chart in United States, but peaked at number one in Mexico and Colombia.[12] On theBillboard Year-end charts of 2008, Vicente Fernández appeared three times within the Top 25 with three singles from this release: the title track ranked at number six, "Estos Celos" at number 10 and "La Derrota" ended at number 25.[44] The ringtones for "Estos Celos" and "Para Siempre" received a platinum certification for sales over 25,000 units.[12]
All tracks are written by Joan Sebastian.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "La Derrota" | 3:17 |
| 2. | "A Quién Vas a Amar Más Que a Mí" | 2:48 |
| 3. | "Los Cazahuates" | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Niña Hechicera" | 3:05 |
| 5. | "Amor Sin Cuenta" | 3:27 |
| 6. | "Para Siempre" | 2:52 |
| 7. | "Estos Celos" | 3:11 |
| 8. | "Adorado Tormento" | 2:43 |
| 9. | "El Último Beso" | 2:53 |
| 10. | "Un Millón de Primaveras" | 2:54 |
| 11. | "El Último en la Fila" | 3:22 |
| 12. | "El Chofer" | 2:17 |
The following information is fromAllMusic and fromPara Siempre liner notes.[9][45]
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Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Colombia[12] | Gold | |
| Mexico (AMPROFON)[54] | Diamond+Gold | 550,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[55] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
