Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (April 16, 1971 - March 31, 1995), known mononymou… Read Full Bio ↴Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (April 16, 1971 - March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American singer who is regarded as one of the biggest stars of the Tejano genre of music. She was born in Lake Jackson, Texas and grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she began her musical career. Her father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., was a singer with the original Los Dinos from 1957-1972, and nurtured the burgeoning musical talent of his children. Selena, her brother Abe III (bass), and their sister, Suzette (drums), were a second generation of Los Dinos. Its other two members who started in the band were Ricky Vela on keyboards and Roger Garcia on guitar.

Selena made her first public appearance at her father's Mexican restaurant in Lake Jackson at eight and recorded her first record at nine. Throughout her adolescence Selena was constantly on tour. She completed her education via correspondence courses. The singer signed with Capitol EMI in 1989, and released several albums with that label, including 1994's wildly popular 'Amor Prohibido'.

Chris Perez replaced Roger Garcia as guitar player. A romance budded between Perez and Selena, and the two married on April 2, 1992. Even as Selena's career skyrocketed she remained very close to her family, choosing to live next door to them in Corpus Christi.

Selena holds the record of drawing the biggest concert crowd in the history of the Houston Astrodome, for her February 1995 performance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

The greatest irony in Selena's musical career is that she became a star singing in her second language. Her first language was English, not Spanish.

Aside from her singing, Selena was an avid clothing designer. Boutique shops with the Selena name opened in Corpus Christi and San Antonio in 1994. She also dabbled in acting, making a cameo in the Johnny Depp film 'Don Juan de Marco'.

A woman named Yolanda Saldívar worked her way into the singer's inner circle, becoming president of Selena's fan club and manager of the boutiques. In 1995 the Quintanillas found out Saldivar had embezzled money from these ventures and decided to fire her. Selena agreed to meet Saldivar at a Corpus Christi Days Inn on the morning of March 31, 1995 in order to retrieve paperwork for tax purposes. At the motel an argument ensued over the embezzlement and Saldivar shot the singer once in the back. Selena died within hours at a local hospital.

Selena's death shocked and saddened Tejano fans in Latin communities throughout the United States and in Mexico. Numerous vigils and memorials were held in the singer's honor. That summer her album 'Dreaming of You', a combination of Spanish language hits and new English language tracks, debuted at #1 on the Billboard music charts in the US.

In October of 1995 a Houston jury convicted Saldívar of murder and sentenced her to life in prison, with parole eligibility in thirty years.

There is a museum to honor Selena's memory and a bronze life-sized statue of her on Ocean Drive in Corpus Christi. In 1997, Jennifer Lopez played Selena in the movie of the same name. The movie became the basis in which Lopez rose to superstardom.

In December 2020, Netflix released "Selena: The Series", together with Selena's family in production, based on her life in childhood, before fame, her space in the music industry and her importance for the Latin scenary, played by Christian Serratos. The series contains 2 parts with 18 episodes in total. The second and final part was released in May 2021.

Como Te Quiero Yo A Ti
Selena Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Siempre voy pensando, pensando en ti
Y me lleno de alegría, pero no estás aquí
Qué triste y tonta por pensar
Que tus ojitos me querrán mirar

Todo lo que siento, siento por ti
Y me lleno de esperanza por tenerte aquí
Son sueños locos, pura ilusión

Porque nunca me vas a querer
Como te quiero yo a ti

Quizás me muera llorando
Soñando, esperando un amor que nunca vendrá
Quizás me muera sufriendo
Ofreciendo las cosas más bonitas de mi amor

Todo lo que siento, siento por ti
Y me lleno de esperanza por tenerte aquí
Son sueños locos, pura ilusión
Porque nunca me vas a querer
Como te quiero yo a ti

Quizás me muera llorando
Soñando, esperando un amor que nunca vendrá
Quizás me muera sufriendo
Ofreciendo las cosas más bonitas de mi amor

Todo lo que siento, siento por ti
Y me lleno de esperanza por tenerte aquí
Son sueños locos, pura ilusión
Porque nunca me vas a querer
Como te quiero yo a ti

Son sueños locos, pura ilusión

Porque nunca me vas a querer
Como te quiero yo a ti

Overall Meaning

In Selena's song, Como Te Quiero Yo A Ti, she is singing about her unrequited love for someone. She always thinks about this person and feels happy, but she realizes that they are not with her. She feels sad and foolish for thinking that they could ever love her back. Despite this, she continues to dream and hope that they will be together someday, but deep down she knows that this is impossible.

The lyrics express the pain and difficulty of unrequited love. Selena's feelings are intense and raw, and the song captures the sense of longing and hopelessness that accompanies this type of love. The lyrics also highlight the idea that sometimes, no matter how much we want something, the reality is that it may never happen.

Line by Line Meaning

Siempre voy pensando, pensando en ti
I always keep thinking about you

Y me lleno de alegría, pero no estás aquí
It makes me happy, but that happiness fades away as you are not here

Qué triste y tonta por pensar
I feel sad and foolish for thinking this way

Que tus ojitos me querrán mirar
That your eyes would want to see me

Todo lo que siento, siento por ti
All that I feel, I feel for you

Y me lleno de esperanza por tenerte aquí
I am filled with hope and longing to have you here

Son sueños locos, pura ilusión
These are just wild dreams, pure fantasy

Porque nunca me vas a querer
Because you will never love me back

Como te quiero yo a ti
The way I love you

Quizás me muera llorando
Maybe I'll die crying

Soñando, esperando un amor que nunca vendrá
Dreaming, waiting for an unrequited love