Missing My Baby

"Missing My Baby" is a song released by American singer Selena on her third studio album Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). It was composed by A.B. Quintanilla—her brother and principal record producer, whose intention was to showcase Selena's diverse musical abilities. Selena included it on the album to help her cross over into the English-speaking market. Critics praised her emotive enunciation in the song. After Selena was murdered in 1995, a remix version by R&B group Full Force appeared on her fifth studio album Dreaming of You, which was originally intended to be her full-length English-language debut album. A posthumous music video made for VH1 was released to promote the triple box-set Anthology (1998).

"Missing My Baby"
Song by Selena
from the album Entre a Mi Mundo and Dreaming of You
Recorded
  • 1991 (original version)
  • 1995 (remix version)
StudioSun Valley, Los Angeles, California
GenreR&B
Length
  • 3:48 (original version)
  • 4:12 (remix version)
LabelEMI Latin
Songwriter(s)A.B. Quintanilla III
Producer(s)

"Missing My Baby" is a mid-tempo R&B ballad influenced by urban and soul music. The lyrics describe the love felt by the narrator, who reminisces of rhapsodic events she has shared with her lover. In some parts of the song, the narrator experiences loneliness and anguish because of the absence of her boyfriend. Although never intended to be released as a single, the track peaked at number 22 on the US Rhythmic Top 40 chart in 1995 after Selena's death.

Background and development

"Missing My Baby" was written by Selena's brother and the song's principal record producer A.B. Quintanilla III, who wrote it in a week, and three weeks later, in late 1991, it was recorded at Sun Valley, Los Angeles.[1] It was created for Selena's 1992 album Entre a Mi Mundo, to showcase her diverse musical abilities and to add to the album's variety of musical styles,[2] which include Mexican pop and traditional Mexican songs, whereas "Missing My Baby" is in the style of contemporary R&B.[3]

After the release of Selena's full-length Spanish albums Selena (1989) and Ven Conmigo (1990), which included Tejano and other Mexican pop styles, she decided that her next recording would feature an English-language song.[3] She believed that such a song would convince EMI Records' chairman Charles Koppelman that she was ready to release a crossover album.[1] EMI had wanted her to acquire a larger fan base before launching her crossover career.[4] In spite of this, Selena included the song on Entre a Mi Mundo.[1]

In 1995, during the recording sessions for Dreaming of You, which was intended to be Selena's full-length English-language debut album, EMI Latin wanted R&B group Full Force to perform a remixed version of the song for the album after the group saw a video of Selena's live performance and expressed interest in working with her.[5] EMI then flew Quintanilla III and Selena out to meet with the group at their Brooklyn recording studio. Full Force agreed to add backing vocals, which they recorded the majority of in two days to replace Selena's backing vocals.[1] Selena also re-recorded her lead vocals on the final verse and choruses for a new key change on the remix version, which EMI approved for the album.[1][5] After Selena was murdered by Yolanda Saldívar on March 31, 1995, Full Force agreed to complete their production on the remix version, including singing the remaining backing vocal parts that had originally been intended for Selena to record. The group invited the Quintanilla family to hear the finished result in the studio, which left them in tears.[5]

Composition

"Missing My Baby" is a mid-tempo[6] R&B ballad with influences of urban[7] and soul music.[2] It is in the key of D major, at 144 beats per minute in common time.[6] The recording incorporates melisma, with sung poetry during the downtempo part of the song. The melody is accompanied by backing vocals, and instrumentation is provided by an electric piano, drums, a keyboard, a synthesizer and strings.[6] Contemporary music critics praised Selena's emotive enunciation,[8][9][10] which emphasized the song's title and central theme.[1] R&B group Full Force were the backing vocalists for the remix version of "Missing My Baby".[11]

J.R. Reynolds, formerly of Billboard, called "Missing My Baby" a "dreamy ballad" with an "R&B-styled melody under Selena's pop vocals".[12] Ramiro Burr of the Austin American-Statesman described it as a soul ballad.[2] Jerry Johnston of the Deseret News thought that Selena displayed a "Leslie Gore [sic] baby-voice" in "Missing My Baby" and that she "displays a wonderful suppleness in her voice".[13] The Virginian-Pilot said that the song was built on hooks that recall Diana Ross's "Missing You", which is a tribute to Marvin Gaye, and the Beach Boys' "Good to My Baby".[14]

The song begins with a drum solo before the other instruments enter to form the musical foundation.[6] Selena sings to her absent lover about how much she misses him, saying that he is "always on [her] mind" and that she feels lonely when he is not with her. Three times she sings, "I often think of the happy times we spent together/And I just can't wait to tell you that I love you". In the chorus, she sings of wanting to hold him tight and feel his heartbeat.[6]

Critical reception and legacy

"Missing My Baby" received positive reviews from critics. Vibe magazine reported that Full Force was awarded gold and platinum discs for "Missing My Baby" and "Techno Cumbia",[15] and described "Missing My Baby" as giving a "hint of her aspirations".[16] After the remix version appeared on the 1995 album Dreaming of You, the Hi XD said that it was the best English-language song on the album.[8] Chris Riemenschneider and John T. Davis of the Austin American-Statesman wrote that "Missing My Baby can sound as fluffy as the Big M's "Crazy for You".[17] Cary Clack of the San Antonio Express-News wrote that "Missing My Baby" was played on non-Tejano radio stations and that he thought it might become a posthumous hit, while commenting that the recording "displays [Selena's] wonderful vocal and emotional range".[10] However, Mario Tarradell of The Dallas Morning News believed that "Missing My Baby" and other tracks were added to Entre a Mi Mundo "for good measure".[18]

"Missing My Baby" was one of the first Selena songs to be played on radio stations after she was murdered by Yolanda Saldívar, her friend and former manager of her Selena Etc. boutiques.[19] A music video of the song, incorporating footage from Selena's personal home videos, was released for VH1 in 1998 to promote the triple box-set Anthology.[17] Billboard reported that the video was the 47th most played music video for that channel in the week ending 5 April 1998.[20]

Chart performance
Chart (1995) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40[21][22] 22

Personnel

Credits from the album's liner notes:[1]

References
  1. Entre a Mi Mundo (CD). Selena. EMI Latin. 2002. 724354083709. 'Quintanilla, A.B.: 'The company really wanted Selena to record the song and they flew me to New York I stayed in Manhattan and meet Full Force from Brooklyn and they wanted to do some remixes. They recorded their parts in two days and EMI really liked it and chose the remix over Selena's solo version.' Quintanilla, Abraham: '[...] it really showed the capabilities of Selena y Los Dinos and I believed Selena's emotions on 'Missing My Baby' emphasized not only the title but the theme the song talked about.'{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. Burr, Ramiro (25 February 1993). "Selena poised for pop success". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 22 January 2012. Burr, Ramiro: 'The English track off of 'Entre a Mi Mundo' called 'Missing My Baby' enabled a diversity of songs featured on the album. Furthermore, while establishing a great variety of soul ballads, mariachi, and tejano songs on 'Entre a Mi Mundo' ...'
  3. Burr, Ramiro (20 May 1993). "Awards recognize Latin musicians". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 7 June 2012. Burr, Ramiro: 'With the different musical styles explored on the album ranging from Mexican traditional songs to Mexican pop and even an English language R&B ballad ... Other examples of her previous works include two Spanish language only albums ... Selena: 'I wanted to include 'Missing My Baby' on 'Entre a Mi Mundo' because of the opportunity to cross into the English speaking market. I told my brother, who's the producer of my music [A.B. Quintanilla III], if he could write me an English song ... I really liked it and I believed it helped me move a step further in that direction.'
  4. Queen of Tejano Music. Christina Hacopian (producer), Michael Crawford (executive producer), Karen Blum (associate producer), Aris Piliguian (associate producer), Todd Hooker (editor), James Fielden (sound producer). Corpus Christi: Q-Productions/Warner Bros. 2007. 60 minutes in. Behar, Jose: 'It was 1992, and Selena really wanted to record it and presented it to the chairman of EMI Records. She believed it would help him to realize that she was ready.'{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "The Legendary Full Force Crew Candidly Speak on Working with Selena, James Brown, Rihanna & More!". YouTube.
  6. Quintanilla–Perez, Selena; Astudillo, Pete (1995). Dreaming of You: Selena Digital Sheet Music. Hal Leonard. ISBN 0793563534. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  7. Burr, Ramiro (26 March 1996). "Selena hits gold on, off stage – Singer's wedding, break–through album highlight of 1990". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 22 January 2012. Burr, Ramiro: 'Missing My Baby', an R&B ballad with a hint of black urban pop mixed into it.'
  8. "Remembering Selena 2 Denver fans review her legacy". The Denver Post. 31 July 1995. Retrieved 22 January 2012. 'Missing My Baby' is an awe-inspiring example of Selena's powerful emotional range. 'Missing My Baby' is the best English song on the CD, an R&B song that originally appeared on the 'Entre A Mi Mundo' ('Enter My World') CD.'
  9. "Crossover Dreams Die Hard Four Months After Latin Singer Selena As Shot To Death She Is On Track To Become A Mainstream Artist". The Sacramento Bee. 16 July 1995. Retrieved 22 January 2012. 'Selena used her emotional vocals to lure in men into liking her music, this is true in her 'Missing My Baby' song, featured on 'Dreaming of You', which symbolizes the singer as a sexy, lonely Latina for male audiences.'
  10. Clack, Cary (5 April 1995). "A gun silenced Selena's voice". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 22 January 2012. Clack, Cary: 'A single of hers that is played on non-Tejano stations, 'Missing My Baby,' displays her wonderful vocal and emotional range and may become a posthumous hit.'
  11. Millner, Denene (4 April 1999). "Full Force Comes Full Circle '80s Black R&b Group Finds New Career Penning Songs For White Groups 'n Sync And Backstreet Boys". The New York Daily News. Retrieved 31 March 2015. Millner, Denene: 'By mid-decade, however, the group had recovered, hitting pay dirt with Selena's 'Missing My Baby' for the slain Tejano singer's posthumous album, 'Dreaming of You'.
  12. Reynolds, J.R (19 August 1995). "The Rhythm and the Blues". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 33. p. 96. Retrieved 22 January 2012. Reynolds, J.R.: 'It's a dreamy ballad that incorporates an R&B-styled melody under Selena's pop vocals.'
  13. Johnston, Jerry (8 September 1995). "Selena's Talent Shines on 'Dreaming of You'". Deseret News. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2012. Jerry, Johnston: 'Selena displays a Leslie Gore baby-voice in 'Missing My Baby' and a wonderful suppleness in her voice.'
  14. "Daily Break". The Virginian-Pilot. 11 August 1995. Retrieved 18 November 2011. 'The Full Force collaboration 'Missing My Baby,' is built on hooks that recall Diana Ross' Marvin Gaye tribute 'Missing You' and the Beach Boys' 'Good to My Baby'.'
  15. "Music, Music, Music". Vibe. 5 (3). 1997. Retrieved 22 January 2012. Full Force were awarded gold and platinum plaques for 'Missing My Baby' and 'Techno Cumbia'.
  16. Media, Spin L.L.C. (August 1995). "Selena – EMI Latin". Vibe. 11 (5): 120. Retrieved 24 January 2012. '[...] and a hint of her aspirations with the English-language song, 'Missing My Baby'.
  17. Riemenschneider, Chris; Davis, John T. (29 March 1999). "Selena redux is for curious, casual fans". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 22 January 2012. 'Her songs, such as 'Missing My Baby,' can sound as fluffy as the Big M's 'Crazy for You,'. The music video for 'Missing My Baby', which included videos collected by Selena's family, was released in 1998 for the VH1 channel as a promotional video to boost sales for her 1998 'Anthology' release.'
  18. Tarradell, Mario (30 March 2000). "A Decade of Selena: 10 albums showcase the music behind the legend". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 22 January 2012. Tarradell, Mario: '[...] and a convincing English- language ballad, 'Missing My Baby,' were added for good measure.'
  19. "Radio Audiences Here Love Selena". San Jose Mercury News. 17 July 1995. Retrieved 22 January 2012. 'We started playing 'Missing My Baby' in tribute when she was killed and the phones started ringing. We kept it on and it became a Top 10 hit.'
  20. "Video Monitor". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 16. Nielsen Business Media. 18 April 1998. p. 84. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  21. "Dreaming of You — Selena: Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  22. "Rhythmic Top 40 1995-07-01". Billboard. 1 July 1995. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.

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