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Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos
Greatest hits album by Selena
Released	September 17, 1993 (1993-09-17)
Recorded	1989–1992
Genre	Tejano
Length	54:07
Language	Spanish
Label	EMI Latin
Producer	A. B. Quintanilla
Selena chronology
Selena Live! (1993) Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos (1993) Amor Prohibido (1994)

Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos (English: My Best Songs – 17 Super Hits) is a greatest hits album by American singer Selena released on September 17, 1993, through EMI Latin. Beginning in January 1993, the label released a comprehensive collection that spotlighted its Latin music artists as part of its Latin Classics series. Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Exitos encompasses 17 tracks, ranging from songs recorded on her debut album with EMI Latin, to songs present in Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). The album received a positive response from music critics who enjoyed the label's catalog releases and praised the tracks on the album for showcasing Selena's early popular recordings. Following the shooting death of Selena on March 31, 1995, Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Exitos debuted at number one on the US Billboard Top Catalog Albums chart, the first Spanish-language recording to do so. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album diamond (Latin), denoting 600,000 units shipped in the United States.

Background and production

Selena y Los Dinos signed with EMI Latin following their appearance at the 1989 Tejano Music Awards. By 1993, the group, led by vocalist Selena, was approaching its pinnacle of success. While backup vocalist and dancer Pete Astudillo embarked on his solo career, he persisted as a member of the group and provided songwriting assistance. Selena's husband and guitarist, Chris Pérez, expressed a growing inclination towards quitting the band. In realizing that within Tejano music guitarists were not given ample room for experimentation, Pérez found himself confined to repetitious chord progressions alongside the band. Sensing a lack of artistic growth, Pérez confided with Selena about his boredom and yearning for something new. Pérez remained with the band after Selena expressed that their relationship would be over, stressing her concerns over Pérez's past behaviors around women and alcohol.

In May 1993, Selena released her live recording that was also supported by its two US top-five singles, "No Debes Jugar" and "La Llamada". Selena's first performance at the Houston Astrodome in February 1993 attracted over 60,000 attendees, an unprecedented feat. Selena's biographer, Joe Nick Patoski, found Selena Live! to have functioned as a proclamation that signaled Selena's preeminence as the most popular Tejano musician. The singer began garnering consistent airplay in New York City and Miami, areas where Tejano music had not previously gained significant interest. By August 1993, Selena ranked as the fifth best-selling Latin artist in the United States, behind Luis Miguel and Gloria Estefan. EMI Latin first issued its Latin Classics catalog series for Paloma San Basilio on January 22, 1993, before issuing it for the label's other artists beginning in the week of September 17, 1993, under the titles Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos. The company released an all-encompassing collection series showcasing their Latin music artists.

Music

The compilation encompasses 17 tracks, ranging from compositions present on Selena (1989) to her Entre a Mi Mundo (1992) recording. It commences with "Como la Flor" (1992). The track became a commercially and critically acclaimed piece and is widely regarded as Selena's signature song. Billed as the singer's "trademark", "Como la Flor" has become a posthumous epithet and swan song, as well as her most renowned recording. The second track, "Mentiras" (1989), is taken from Selena's self-titled debut album with EMI Latin. The following track, "¿Qué Creías?" (1992), functions as a "kiss-off anthem", that Selena claimed represents women on a collective scale. Patoski characterized the track as "all sass and fire" and noted its deviation from Selena's customary cumbia style. The fourth song, "Besitos" (1989), the first instance in which Astudillo provided production and songwriting assistance, served as a defining moment for Selena y Los Dinos, as it marked their distinctive cumbia sound in subsequent releases. Following this is the ranchera "Yo Fui Aquella" (1990), while the emotive sixth track, "Después de Enero", is taken from Ven Conmigo (1990). The eighth song on the compilation, "Vuelve a Mí" (1992), characterized as a polka, expresses Selena's yearning for a former lover to return. In a recitative preamble accompanied by the auditory backdrop of a thunderstorm, Selena remarks that the precipitation evokes memories of the day her lover departed, drawing a parallel between the raindrops and her tears.

"No Quiero Saber" (1990) opens the ninth track and is taken from Ven Conmigo, and is followed by the re-recorded rendition of "Costumbres" (1990). These are followed by Selena's "Tengo Ganas de Llorar" (1989) and Ven Conmigo's "Baila Esta Cumbia" (1990). Selena's cover of Juan Gabriel's "Yo Me Voy" (1990) opens the twelfth track off Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos. Following this is "La Carcacha" (1992), which originally appeared on Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). Tejano music often suffered from simplistic and generic lyrical content; however, Selena's brother A. B. Quintanilla and Astudillo overcame this stereotype by crafting songs that rendered vibrant depictions of life in the barrio. The following tracks, "Tú Eres" and the 1960s cover of Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki", are taken from Selena (1989). The penultimate piece, "Estoy Contigo", originally recorded in 1983 for Cara Records, was re-recorded for 16 Super Exitos Originales (1990). "La Tracalera" from Ven Conmigo (1990) serves as the concluding track for the compilation.

Release and critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos was released around the time Q-Productions, a production company and recording studio operated by Selena's family, was being built. The recording studio acted as "a new home" for the group to record and practice in. The album preceded Selena's appearance on the Johnny Canales Show, which attracted a capacity crowd, and her August 29 appearance on Veronica Castro's Y Vero América ¡Va!, which was shown throughout Latin America through Televisa. Writing for Vogue México y Latinoamérica, Esteban Villaseñor felt that Selena displayed "charisma, genuineness and talent" during her appearance on Castro's show. On its first day of release, Selena performed at La Feria de Nuevo León, drawing 70,000 attendees. Noticing a string of compilation releases, Ramiro Burr, writing for the Houston Chronicle, referred to Selena's release as being part of a "compilation craze", that offered an enjoyable range of options for listening. Howard Blumenthal included Selena's Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos in his listening guide on the best world music albums, describing it as a commendable assemblage that showcases the singer's early popular recordings.

On March 31, 1995, Selena was shot and killed, and media attention helped increase sales of her back catalog. Stores across the country reported emptied shelves of the singer's works as far away as Rhode Island. A music wholesaler in Manhattan, who constantly sold out of Selena's albums the same day they received them following her death, expressed to Newsday that "It used to be just the Mexicans . Now everybody likes her". As a result, EMI Latin increased the production of the singer's albums at their Los Angeles, and Greensboro, North Carolina plants. Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos debuted at number one on the US Billboard Top Catalog Albums chart, the first Spanish-language recording to do so, on the week ending May 6, 1995. It held the distinction of being the only Spanish-language album to reach atop the chart until Buena Vista Social Club's self-titled album reached the top spot in November 1999. Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos remained atop the chart for two consecutive weeks. In 1995, catalog titles made up nearly 50% of the music consumed in the United States. Selena's Ven Conmigo and Mis Mejores Canciones - 17 Super Éxitos contributed to the $5 billion (1995 USD) revenue reported that year by the music industry. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album diamond (Latin), denoting 600,000 units shipped in the US.

Track listing

Credits from the album's liner notes.

Chart performance

Certifications

See also

• Latin American music in the United States
• Women in Latin music

Notes

1. Incorrect credits; originally written by A. B. Quintanilla and Pete Astudillo.
2. Astudillo uncredited as co-writer.
3. Astudillo uncredited as co-writer.
4. Janice-Marie Johnson and Astudillo are uncredited as co-writers.

References

1. Patoski 1996, pp. 79–80.
2. Pérez 2012, p. 168.
3. Patoski 1996, p. 124.
4. Maldonado 1993, p. 74.
5. Pérez 2012, pp. 168–169.
6. Pérez 2012, p. 171.
7. Pérez 2012, p. 191.
8. Patoski 1996, p. 112.
9. Patoski 1996, p. 113.
10. ^ Maldonado 1993, p. 75.
11. Burr 1993a, p. 49.
12. Burr 1993b, p. 52.
13. Anon. 1993, p. 39.
14. Parédez 2009, pp. 1034, 1053.
15. Blanco-Cano & Urquijo-Ruiz 2011, p. 227.
16. Ragland 1996.
17. Patoski 1996, p. 100.
18. Garcia 1993, p. 1.
19. Patoski 1996, p. 101.
20. ^ Soriano 2021.
21. Huston-Crespo 2022.
22. Cabrera 1998, p. 66.
23. ^ Patoski 1996, p. 91.
24. Saldana 1995.
25. Oliva 2022.
26. Burr & Shannon 2003, p. 91.
27. Patoski 1996, p. 81.
28. Patoski 1996, p. 283.
29. ^ Quintanilla 1993.
30. Bogdanov 2001, p. 933.
31. Swift 2006, p. 1965.
32. Pérez 2012, p. 204.
33. Patoski 1996, p. 114.
34. Burr 1993c, p. 86.
35. Villaseñor 2021.
36. Patoski 1996, p. 103.
37. Burr 1993d, p. 26.
38. Burr 1993e, p. 2G.
39. Blumenthal 1998, p. 4.
40. Lannert, Bronson & Mayfield 1995, pp. 72, 80, 82.
41. Mahoney-Jones 1995, p. F4.
42. Schone 1995, p. 91.
43. Mejias-Rentas 1995, p. 31.
44. ^ Mayfield 1999, p. 112.
45. ^ Anon. 1995a, p. 55.
46. Anon. 1995b, p. 49.
47. Tirella 1995, p. 138.
48. ^ Anon. n.d.
49. Quintanilla 2002a.
50. Quintanilla 2002b.

Works cited

• Quintanilla, Selena (2002). Entre a Mi Mundo (Media notes). A. B. Quintanilla (producer), Suzette Quintanilla (spoken liner notes producer). EMI Latin.
• Quintanilla, Selena (1989). Selena (Media notes). A. B. Quintanilla (producer), Suzette Quintanilla (spoken liner notes producer). EMI Latin. 724354099403.
• Soriano, Ashley (May 5, 2021). "Former Selena band member looks back on a legacy". KGNS. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
• Oliva, John (August 25, 2022). "Selena: 11 deep cuts from the Queen of Tejano you should be listening to". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. ProQuest 2706102503 – via ProQuest.
• Saldana, Hector (October 27, 1995). "'Storm' in Liberty Band's musical forecast". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
• Huston-Crespo, Marysabel E. (March 31, 2022). "¿Cuál es la magia de Selena Quintanilla? El legado de la cantante tejana sigue intacto a más de un cuarto de siglo de su muerte". CNN en Espanol (in Spanish). Gale A698927110 – via Gale Research.
• Blanco-Cano, Rosana; Urquijo-Ruiz, Rita E. (2011). Global Mexican cultural productions (1st ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-37039-5.
• Parédez, Deborah (2009). Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the Performance of Memory. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-9089-3.
• Ragland, Kathy (March 24, 1996). "With respect: Patoski's 'Selena: Como la Flor' is a perceptive and sympathetic view of the life and death of the Tejano star". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. p. G6. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
• Garcia, Gus (July 26, 1993). "Selena, Sonny wow crowd". Del Rio News-Herald. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
• Burr, Ramiro; Shannon, Doug (2003). Encyclopedia Latina. Scholastic Library Publishing. ISBN 0717258157.
• Cabrera, Rene (May 29, 1998). "Double Bill on Saturday in Alice; Selena Still Atop Chart With Boxed Set". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. pp. E6, E7. Retrieved May 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
• "RIAA Certification - Mis Mejores Canciones (17 Super Exitos) - Selena". RIAA.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
• "Top Catalog Albums > May 6, 1995". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 18. May 6, 1995. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
• "Top Catalog Albums > May 20, 1995" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 21. May 20, 1995. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
• Lannert, John; Bronson, Fred; Mayfield, Geoff (April 15, 1995). "Selena's Tragedy Echoed in Charts". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 15. pp. 72, 80, 82. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
• Mahoney-Jones, Keren (April 5, 1995). "Big with R.I.'s Spanish speakers". Providence Journal. ProQuest 397143755 – via ProQuest.
• Schone, Mark (April 20, 1995). "A Postmortem Star". Newsday. p. B3. Retrieved September 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
• Mejias-Rentas, Antonio (April 13, 1995). "Selena, numero uno". La Opinión. 69 (210). Retrieved January 17, 2021.
• "Latin Classics". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 24. June 12, 1993. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
• Bogdanov, Vladimir (2001). All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music (4th ed.). Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-627-0.
• Blumenthal, Howard J. (1998). The World Music CD Listener's Guide: The Best on CD. Billboard Books. ISBN 0823076636.
• Burr, Ramiro (January 22, 1993). "New Releases". El Paso Times. p. El Tiempo 8. Retrieved May 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
• Burr, Ramiro (September 17, 1993). "September Is Bountiful for fans of Latin Music". El Paso Times. p. El Tiempo 8. Retrieved May 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
• Burr, Ramiro (February 23, 1993). "Selena Poised for Pop Success". Austin American-Statesman. p. Onward to the Weekend 12. Retrieved March 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
• Burr, Ramiro (September 12, 1993). "Wealth of new releases covers classics to teen pop". Houston Chronicle. ProQuest 295914832 – via ProQuest.
• Burr, Ramiro (September 19, 1993). "New Latin releases offer choice listening pleasure". San Antonio Express-News. ProQuest 261492257 – via ProQuest.
• Maldonado, Vilma (August 13, 1993). "Selena's Brother Pens Lyrics, Backs up Tejano Star". The Monitor. pp. 22E, 23E. Retrieved May 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
• Pérez, Chris (2012). To Selena, with Love. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-1-101-58026-4.
• Patoski, Joe Nick (1996). Selena: Como La Flor. Little Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-69378-2.
• Quintanilla, Selena (1993). Mis Mejores Canciones - 17 Super Exitos (Media notes). A. B. Quintanilla (producer). EMI Latin. H2-527190.
• Swift, Richard (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (7th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195313734.
• Villaseñor, Esteban (May 4, 2021). "La historia de una memorable entrevista de Selena Quintanilla en México". Vogue México y Latinoamérica (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
• Tirella, Joseph M. (August 1995). "Just the Facts". Vibe. 3 (6): 138. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
• Mayfield, Geoff (November 13, 1999). "Most Valuable Players". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 46. Gale A57634419 – via Gale Research.

• 1993 greatest hits albums
• Selena compilation albums
• EMI Latin compilation albums
• Spanish-language compilation albums
• 1990s Spanish-language albums
• Albums produced by A.B. Quintanilla