La Llamada

For the 1965 film, see La llamada (1965 film). For the 2013 musical, see La llamada (musical). For the 2017 film, see Holy Camp! For the song by AK-7, see El Avion De Las Tres.

"La Llamada"
Single by Selena
from the album Selena Live!
B-side	"¿Qué Creías?"
Released	October 18, 1993
Recorded	1993
Genre	Tejano Mexican cumbia
Length	3:49
Label	EMI Latin
Songwriter(s)	Pete Astudillo A.B. Quintanilla III
Producer(s)	A.B. Quintanilla III Bebu Silvetti
Selena singles chronology
"No Debes Jugar" (1993) "La Llamada" (1993) "Donde Quiera Que Estés" (1994)
Music video
"La Llamada" on YouTube

"La Llamada" (English: "The Phone Call") 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.^[1] 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.^[1][2]

"La Llamada" is an uptempo Mexican cumbia song.^[3] Written in the key of A minor, the beat is set in common time and moves at a moderate 90 beats per minute.^[4] "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.^[4] The central theme explored on "La Llamada" suggests female empowerment.^[5]

Critical reception and covers

Howard Blumenthal wrote in his book The World Music CD Listener's Guide that "La Llamada" is an "energetic" song.^[6] 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.^[7] Sue Anne Pressley of the Chicago Sun-Times believed that "La Llamada" is a "fan favorite", calling it "a danceable pop number".^[8] A Philadelphia Daily News editor called "La Llamada" a "catchy tune", though commented that it is the least memorable song on Live!.^[9]

Mexican band Banda El Grullo recorded the song on their tribute album Lo Mejor De Selena Con Banda.^[10] Mexican singer Dalila also recorded the song for her album Dalila en Vivo.^[11] Dominican bachata singer Kiko Rodriguez recorded the song on his album Otra Vez Con Amor.^[12]

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot Latin Tracks[13]	5
Mexico Grupera Songs (El Siglo de Torreón)[14]	15
Chart (2011)	Peak position
US Billboard Regional Mexican Digital Songs[15]	10

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[16]	Platinum (Latin)	60,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

All credits were taken from the Live! album notes.^[1]

Selena – vocals Ricky Vela – keyboardist Joe Ojeda – keyboards Chris Pérez – guitar

Pete Astudillo - writer A.B. Quintanilla III – co-writer, producer, arranger Brian "Red" Moore – audio mixer Bebu Silvetti – producer

References

1. Live! (CD). Selena. EMI Latin. 2002. 724354084027.
2. Perez, Chris (2012). To Selena, With Love. Penguin Books. p. 304. ISBN 978-1101580264.
3. La época. Epoca de México: University of Texas. 1994.
4. Quintanilla-Perez, Selena; Quintanilla III, A.B. (1993). "Live!: Selena Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Music Publishing. MN090674 (Product Number).
5. "Tejano music celebrates its best". Fort Worth Star Telegram. 13 March 1993. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
6. Blumenthal, Howard J. (1997). The World Music CD Listener's Guide (1st print. ed.). New York: Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-7663-6.
7. "With Tejano music, Selena joins pioneers". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 4 April 1995. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
8. Pressley, Sue Anne (2 April 1995). "Suspect Charged In Selena's Death Warnings Cited". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
9. "Selena's Story Going on Film". Philadelphia Daily News. 29 August 1995. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
10. "iTunes > Music > Lo Mejor de Selena Con Banda". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. 11 October 2005. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
11. "iTunes > Music > Dailia en Vivo". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
12. "iTunes > Music > Otra Vez Con Amor". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. January 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
13. "Allmusic > Selena Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
14. "Posiciones de las Canciones Con Mayor Exito en America Latina". El Siglo de Torreón. December 7, 1993. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
15. "Latin Regional Digital Songs: 9 April 2011 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
16. "American single certifications – Selena – Baila Esta Cumbia". Recording Industry Association of America.