Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos

Selena y Los Dinos signed with EMI Latin following their appearance at the 1989 Tejano Music Awards.[1] By 1993, the group, led by vocalist Selena, was approaching its pinnacle of success.[2] While backup vocalist and dancer Pete Astudillo embarked on his solo career,[3] he persisted as a member of the group and provided songwriting assistance.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

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".[7] Selena's first performance at the Houston Astrodome in February 1993, attracted over 60,000 attendees, breaking the maritime record.[8] 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 music musician.[9] The singer began garnering consistent airplay in New York City and Miami, areas where Tejano music had not previously gained significant interest.[10] By August 1993, Selena ranked as the fifth best-selling Latin artist in the United States, behind Luis Miguel and Gloria Estefan.[10] EMI Latin first issued its Latin Classics catalog series for Paloma San Basilio on January 22, 1993,[11] 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.[12] The company released an all-encompassing collection series showcasing their Latin music artists.[13]

The compilation encompasses 17 tracks, ranging from compositions present on Selena (1989) album to her Entre a Mi Mundo (1992) recording. It commences with "Como la Flor" (1992), a commercially and critically acclaimed piece widely regarded as Selena's signature song and her "trademark", "Como la Flor" has become a posthumous epithet and swan song,[14][15] as well as her most renowned recording.[16] 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",[17] that Selena claimed represents women on a collective scale.[18] Patoski characterized the track as "all sass and fire" and noted its deviation from Selena's customary cumbia style.[19] The fourth song, "Besitos" (1989), the first instance in which Astudillo provided production and songwriting assistance,[20] served as a defining moment for Selena y Los Dinos, as it marked their distinctive cumbia sound in subsequent releases.[21] Following this is the ranchera "Yo Fui Aquella" (1990),[22] while the emotive sixth track, "Después de Enero", is taken from Ven Conmigo (1990).[23] The eighth song on the compilation, "Vuelve a Mí" (1992), characterized as a polka,[24] 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 own tears.[25]

"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.[26] The following tracks, "Tú Eres" and the 1960s cover of Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki", are taken from Selena (1989).[27] The penultimate piece, "Estoy Contigo", originally recorded in 1983 for Cara Records,[28] was re-recorded for 16 Super Exitos Originales (1990). "La Tracalera" from Ven Conmigo (1990) serves as the concluding track for the compilation.[29]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[30]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[31]

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.[32] The recording studio acted as "a new home" for the group to record and practice in.[10] The album preceded Selena's appearance on the Johnny Canales Show, which attracted a capacity crowd,[33] and her August 29 appearance on Veronica Castro's Y Vero América ¡Va!, which was shown throughout Latin America through Televisa.[34] Writing for Vogue México y Latinoamérica, Esteban Villaseñor felt that Selena displayed "charisma, genuineness and talent" during her appearance on Castro's show.[35] On its first day of release, Selena performed at La Feria de Nuevo León, drawing 70,000 attendees.[36] Noticing a string of compilation releases, Houston Chronicle's Ramiro Burr referred to Selena's release as being part of a "compilation craze",[37] with releases offering a delightful range of options for enjoyable listening.[38] Howard Blumenthal included Selena's Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos in his listening guide on the best world music albums, describing it a commendable assemblage that showcases the singer's early popular recordings.[39]

On March 31, 1995, Selena was shot and killed, and media attention helped increased sales of her back catalog.[40] Stores across the country reported emptied shelves of the singer's works as far away as Rhode Island and Massachusetts.[41] 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 [in Manhattan]. Now everybody likes her".[42] As a result, EMI Latin increased the production of the singer's albums at their Los Angeles, California, and Greensboro, North Carolina plants.[43] 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,[44] on the week ending May 6, 1995.[45] 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.[44] Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos remained atop the chart for two consecutive weeks.[46] 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.[47] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album diamond (Latin), denoting 600,000 units shipped in the US.[48]

Credits from the album's liner notes.[29]

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