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La Llamada
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Wikipedia article
"'La Llamada'" is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena for her first live album 'Live!' (1993). It was composed by Selena y Los Dinos backup singer Pete Astudillo and Selena's brother and principal record producer A.B. Quintanilla III and produced by Quintanilla III and Argentine music producer Bebu Silvetti. "La Llamada" was released as the second single from 'Live!'. "La Llamada" is an uptempo Mexican cumbia song centering on female empowerment. Lyrically, the song sees Selena break up with her cheating boyfriend over the phone.
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. It peaked at number 5 on the US Hot Latin Tracks on the week ending 23 October 1993. On the week ending 9 April 2011, "La Llamada" entered the Regional Mexican Digital Songs chart. A music video was released and features Selena dancing in a crowd at a beach house in Malibu, California. There have been many cover versions of "La Llamada" ranging from Mexican to Dominican artists.
Background and composition
"La Llamada" was one of three studio tracks recorded for 'Live!' (1993). It was written by Selena y Los Dinos backup singer Pete Astudillo and Selena's brother, principal record producer and songwriter A. B. Quintanilla III. It was produced by Quintanilla III and Argentine music producer Bebu Silvetti. The song was intended to be one of three studio tracks for Selena's 'Live!' album. Astudillo and Quintanilla III had spent an hour writing a song together. They wanted to write a song on a topic that many women face with their boyfriends. Quintanilla III had wanted to empower women, letting them know that they should hold their heads up and remember that life goes on. Selena favored the lyrical content and central theme, a common one in her songs. "La Llamada" was recorded in Corpus Christi, Texas, at Selena's father and manager Abraham Quintanilla, Jr.'s recording studio Q-Productions. Before 'Live!' was released, the song was mixed by Brian "Red" Moore, a family friend. Because Selena favored the song, the band released a music video. It was filmed in a beach house in Malibu, California. The video features Selena dancing with guys on one side and woman on the other. In other scenes, Selena is belting the lyrics behind blue curtains.
"La Llamada" is an uptempo Mexican cumbia song. Written in the key of A minor, the beat is set in common time and moves at a moderate 90 beats per minute. "La Llamada" describes a woman telling her boyfriend over the phone that she saw him kissing another girl, while her boyfriend tries to persuade to her that it was not him. The central theme explored on "La Llamada" suggests female empowerment.
Critical reception and covers
Howard Blumenthal wrote in his book 'The World Music CD Listener's Guide' that "La Llamada" is an "energetic" song. An editor from the 'Fort Worth Star-Telegram' compared "La Llamada" and another 'Live!' single "No Debes Jugar". The editor expressed the similarities the songs shared in both its lyrical content and the instruments used in the songs. Sue Anne Pressley of the 'Chicago Sun-Times' believed that "La Llamada" is a "fan favorite", calling it "a danceable pop number". A 'Philadelphia Daily News' editor called "La Llamada" a "catchy tune", though commented that it is the least memorable song on 'Live!'.
Mexican band Banda El Grullo recorded the song on their tribute album 'Lo Mejor De Selena Con Banda'. Mexican singer Dalila also recorded the song for her album 'Dalila en Vivo'. Dominican bachata singer Kiko Rodriguez recorded the song on his album 'Otra Vez Con Amor'.
Charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
!Chart (1993)
!Peak
position
|-
!scope=row|US 'Billboard' Hot Latin Tracks
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
!scope=row|Mexico Grupera Songs ('El Siglo de Torren')
| style="text-align:center;"|15
|-
!Chart (2011)
!Peak
position
|-
!scope=row|US 'Billboard' Regional Mexican Digital Songs
| style="text-align:center;"|10
|-
|}
Certifications
Personnel
All credits were taken from the 'Live!' album notes.
*Selena vocals
*Ricky Vela keyboardist
*Joe Ojeda keyboards
*Chris Prez guitar
*Pete Astudillo - writer
*A.B. Quintanilla III co-writer, producer, arranger
*Brian "Red" Moore audio mixer
*Bebu Silvetti producer
References
Category:1993 singles
Category:Selena songs
Category:Spanish-language songs
Category:Songs written by A. B. Quintanilla
Category:Songs written by Pete Astudillo
Category:Song recordings produced by Bebu Silvetti
Category:Song recordings produced by A. B. Quintanilla
Category:1993 songs
Category:EMI Latin singles
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