Amor Prohibido (song)

"Amor Prohibido"^[p] (English: Forbidden Love) is a song by American singer Selena. The song was written by Selena, her brother A.B. Quintanilla III, and Pete Astudillo. It became the lead single from the album of the same name (1994). "Amor Prohibido" is about the relationship between a man and a woman. Their love is put to the test. These include problems over money, and their parents not supporting their relationship because they both come from different places. Some music reviewers believe the song is similar to the Romeo and Juliet story because of its theme of forbidden love.

"Amor Prohibido" became one of the most successful singles, along with "No Me Queda Más", of 1994 and 1995. It later became one of Selena's signature songs. The song won awards at the Tejano Music Awards and at the Premio Lo Nuestros in 1994 and for the next three years. "Amor Prohibido" reached number one on the U.S. Hot Latin Songs and number five on the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay charts on Billboard.

The song helped Selena attract larger and younger audiences to her concerts because of its different sounds. Selena chose to explore Latin dance-pop music with the song. She had usually recorded Tejano sounds. Non-Mexicans also started liking Tejano music because of the new sounds in Selena's music. The music video was filmed in Joshua Tree, California. It was released on all the Spanish-language television channels in the United States and Mexico on Valentine's Day. It was later certified gold by AMPROFON, while 500,000 copies were sold in the United States. Several recording artists worldwide, including non-Hispanics, have since made cover versions of "Amor Prohibido".