Como la Flor

"Como la Flor" ("Like the Flower") is a song recorded by American singer Selena. Written by A. B. Quintanilla and Pete Astudillo, it was released as the second single from her third studio album Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). A family selling illuminated plastic flowers at a 1982 concert in Sacramento, California, inspired the recording. A decade later, A. B. was seized with an infectious melody and abruptly dashed out of the shower in a hotel room in Bryan, Texas, to recreate it on a keyboard with Astudillo. He completed the music in 20 minutes, while Astudillo took another hour to complete the lyrics. "Como la Flor" is an up-tempo, Tejano cumbia torch song that blends tropical cumbia rhythms with hints of reggae and pop music. Its lyrics describe the feelings of a female protagonist addressing her former lover, who abandoned her for another partner. The narrator is uncertain of her ability to love again, while at the same time, wishing her former partner and his new lover the best.

"Como la Flor" received widespread acclaim from music critics, who lauded Selena's powerful performance of the song's poignant lyrics about heartbreak and loss. The recording won Regional Mexican Song of the Year at the 1993 Premio Lo Nuestro awards. It was nominated for Single of the Year at the 1993 Tejano Music Awards but was removed in preliminaries; a move music critic Rene Cabrera criticized. The song peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and became one of the most-played songs on Latin music radio stations in Texas. After Selena's press tour in Monterrey, Mexico, organized by music executive José Behar, "Como la Flor" climbed to number three on Mexico's Grupera Songs chart, marking her first major commercial breakthrough in the country.

Following its inclusion in Selena's live set list, "Como la Flor" quickly gained popularity and became a staple in her concert repertoire, often serving as the opening or closing number. During her performances, Selena would oftentimes deliver the song in a slow, mournful tempo while performing a flamenco-inspired floreo hand gesture. As she transitioned to the upbeat section, she would exclaim "como me duele" ("how it hurts me") while beating her chest, imbuing the song with a powerful emotional resonance. Selena's stage presence, choreography, and nuanced delivery of the song's themes of heartbreak and resilience were hailed by music critics and scholars alike, who praised her ability to capture the essence of Latino mournfulness in her performances. "Como la Flor" was the closing number of Selena's final live performance in Bryan on March 19, 1995; she was shot to death by Yolanda Saldivar on March 31. The song has since been regarded as Selena's signature and "trademark", serving as both her posthumous epithet and swan song. Its popularity has placed it among her most celebrated works and cemented its position in the Texas musical canon.

"Como la Flor" became one of the most popular songs recorded by an artist of Mexican descent in the US. In 2018, Rolling Stone named "Como la Flor" one of the best Latin pop songs. Several artists have recorded cover versions of the song; these include Jackie Cruz, Ángela Aguilar, and Cristian Castro. Selena's performances of the recording were dramatized by Jennifer Lopez in the 1997 Warner Bros. biopic film and in 2020 by Christian Serratos in Netflix's Selena: The Series. The New York Times writer Joe Nick Patoski named his biography of Selena after the song. Contemporary reviews have been positive; essayist Ilan Stavans said the emergence of Latin pop in the United States in the 1990s is attributed to the popularity of "Como la Flor". Scholar Deborah Parédez lauded Selena for innovatively blending unexplored genres of African American music into the Tejano genre, which she believes led to the song's success. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has certified "Como la Flor" 9× Platinum (Latin). The song currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most video uploads of people lip syncing to a single song in one hour.Template:Sfn

Background and inspiration

File:AB Quintanilla.png

It took 10 years for A. B. Quintanilla (pictured) to write "Como la Flor", after conceptualizing the song in 1982.

Following the 1981 recession in Texas, former musician Abraham Quintanilla, sought to promote his children's band Selena y Los Dinos as a way to make ends meet after being evicted from their home.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In 1982, Selena y Los Dinos, along with three other Mexican bands, performed at a nightclub in Sacramento, California.Template:Sfn Following their performance, A. B. Quintanilla caught sight of a family vending illuminated plastic flowers.Template:Sfn Struck by inspiration, A. B. conceived a repetitive rhythm and the working title "flor" ("flower"), though he found the term "plastic flower" lyrically unappealing.Template:Sfn With the vision of someday crafting a song about a flower, he vowed to himself to turn his inspiration into a reality.Template:Sfn

In 1992, after a live performance, the band spent the night at a hotel in Bryan, Texas before their scheduled travel to Houston the following day.Template:Sfn While staying at the hotel, A. B. was seized by an irresistible melody that he could not silence. He sprang out of the shower, grabbed a keyboard, and started working on the tune with backup vocalist Pete Astudillo and keyboardist Joe Ojeda.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn A. B. had a ten-year-old concept for a song, and he shared it with Astudillo, who initially proposed a different idea based on his own life experience.Template:Sfn Astudillo believed that the lyrics would resonate more deeply with audiences if they were based on genuine emotions. Despite this, A. B. remained committed to his vision of a song about someone receiving a wilting flower from their lover as an analogy for the end of a relationship. The two decided to write about a despondent woman who wished her former partner well rather than portraying someone better off without them. Astudillo linked the song to a Spanish-language version that predated Adele's 2012 single "Someone like You".Template:Sfn

A. B. took 20 minutes to compose the music and another hour for Astudillo to complete the lyrics. According to keyboardist Ricky Vela, the song was finished in his absence while he was out for dinner.Template:Sfn During the recording sessions, Selena left the studio before completing the backing vocals. A. B. lamented, "homegirl just bounced on me, she said, 'I'm out of here, I'm going to the mall." Nevertheless, he revised the melody and added the finishing touches by recording the backing vocals himself.Template:Sfn Keyboardist Joe Ojeda also provided instrumental arrangement for "Como la Flor".Template:Sfn A. B. developed a simple formula for writing songs like "Como la Flor", which emphasized melody lines, synth hooks, and basic instrumentation,Template:Sfn believing that simplicity is "what sells".Template:Sfn The recording took place at Manny Guerra's AMEN Studios.Template:Sfn

Music and lyrics

Musically, "Como la Flor" is primarily a Tejano cumbia torch song,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn which American scholar Deborah Parédez described as a transnational fusion that melds tropical and cumbia rhythms with reggae and pop music.Template:Sfn Tejano music journalist Ramiro Burr referred to the track as a "pop polka",Template:Sfn that incorporates pop, disco, and R&B.Template:Sfn Although "Como la Flor" is "equally catchy" as "La Carcacha", it is performed at a slower tempo.Template:Sfn Mike Hazelwood of Tulare Advance - Register called "Como la Flor" an infectious Tejano recording that is appealing to a broad audience beyond its genre.Template:Sfn The song is written in the key of B♭ major and composed in [[Time signature|Template:Time signature time signature]],Template:Sfn with a moderate "lively tempo" of 92 beats per minute.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Selena's vocals range from F₃ to B♭₄,Template:Sfn highlighting her "trademark cumbia rhythm."Template:Sfn The melody of the song is simple yet melancholic, making it a "heart-wrenching ballad" according to Chris Pérez, the widower of Selena.Template:Sfn Parédez also described it as a "captivating ballad",Template:Sfn while Nathan Smith of Texas Music Magazine called it a "heartfelt, pop-tinged Tejano ballad."Template:Sfn The call-and-response lyrics of the song's chorus invite audience participation.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The bassline is described as "emphatic" and the beat is "irresistible" according to Christian Wallace of Texas Monthly.Template:Sfn "Como la Flor" evokes "beauty and ephemerality", a connection that scholars Rosana Blanco-Cano and Rita E. Urquijo-Ruiz consider clichéd because of its title.Template:Sfn Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle praised "Como la Flor" for its unique sound compared to other Spanish-language songs.Template:Sfn It contains a danceable, synthesizer-based, pop-cumbia beat,Template:Sfn and a banda keyboard sound.Template:Sfn Selena "mixes pop vocalism"Template:Sfn and displays a "boo-hooing cadence" that is consistent with ranchera songs.Template:Sfn Writing for the San Antonio Express-News, Burr enjoyed the song's "memorable melodic hook" that he felt "had listeners whistling along".Template:Sfn Soraya Nadia McDonald of The Washington Post called "Como la Flor" an "ear-wormy goodness" track.Template:Sfn

In the lyrics of "Como la Flor", the protagonist directs her words to her former lover who has terminated their relationship.Template:Sfn She expresses her desire for her ex-lover to find happiness in his new relationship, something that she was unable to provide.Template:Sfn The protagonist uses the metaphor of a wilting flower to describe the end of their relationship, which she finds painful.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Uncertain of her ability to love again, the narrator reveals that she gave all of her love to her former partner and wishes him and his new partner the best.Template:Sfn The lyrics delve into the complexities of romantic relationships.Template:Sfn Selena portrays a hopeless romantic who finds solace in being able to say that she had loved, even if it meant losing the relationship. According to Erika Ramirez of Billboard, Selena's performance of "Como la Flor" and "No Me Queda Más" (1994) was so passionate and devoted that it left listeners feeling either nostalgic or transported to a fantasy world.Template:Sfn Pérez describes the lyrics as "aching",Template:Sfn while Wallace finds them plaintive, bringing even "the toughest hombres" to tears.Template:Sfn Peralta describes the lyrics as lovelorn, and a "clean pop [offering]" that echoes the works of Chelo Silva.Template:Sfn Parédez characterizes the lyrics as self-abnegating after an unsuccessful relationship, in stark contrast to the themes of typical cumbia, salsa, and dance songs in Latin music; its lyrics more closely resemble those of pop music.Template:Sfn According to Jessica Roiz of Billboard, "Como la Flor" teaches a life lesson about maturely ending a relationship and being the bigger person, wishing the new couple well.Template:Sfn She finds the lyrics empowering and positive.Template:Sfn

According to Parédez, "Como la Flor" exemplifies a pop-cumbia composition that caters to a broad range of Latino musical preferences.Template:Sfn The song's themes of yearning and anguish are palpable,Template:Sfn and the recording possesses a "residue of materiality".Template:Sfn The song's melodic shifts successfully evoke Selena's presence in an elegy that marks her absence, providing a multi-layered "emotional register and communal sensibility".Template:Sfn During Selena's emotional proclamations of unrequited love, "Como la Flor" exerts a "tensive pull" on the listener.Template:Sfn Selena's "teardrop vocals" capture and convey what Roland Barthes referred to as "the grain of Selena's voice".Template:Sfn "Como la Flor" furnishes "emotionally useful modalities" akin to Jill Dolan's "utopian performatives" or Josh Kun's "audiotopias". Blanco-Cano and Urquijo-Ruiz assert that "Como la Flor" is capable of measuring and directing "the affective labor of Latinidad".Template:Sfn Pérez extols Selena's emotive vocal delivery, which elevated "Como la Flor" and found other performances of the song by other artists as lacking Selena's emotional delivery.Template:Sfn Sertan Sanderson of Deutsche Welle asserts that the song can be appreciated even by non-Spanish speakers.Template:Sfn "Como la Flor" was included in the posthumously released album Dreaming of You (1995), which was remixed by A. B who mixed the song to match the way the band would have performed it live.Template:Sfn It diluted Selena's ethnic sound so that it would appeal to a wider mainstream audience, incorporating additional percussions to enhance the track's appeal, according to Burr in Billboard.Template:Sfn

Commercial and critical performance

Upon its radio release in June 1992, "Como la Flor" entered at number 36 on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart for the week ending July 18, 1992.Template:Sfn The song entered the top 10 on the Hot Latin Songs chart on September 19, 1992, rising to number nine.Template:Sfn Rene Cabrera of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times called it "a giant leap", noting the dominance of Selena and other Tejano recording artists on BillboardTemplate:'s music charts.Template:Sfn "Como la Flor" peaked at number six for the week ending October 24, 1992.Template:Sfn Suzette Fernandez of Billboard stated that the song was Selena's first commercially successful single in the United States and that it had made a statement in her musical career.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn The success of "Como la Flor" boosted sales of its parent album, Entre a Mi Mundo, which replaced La Mafia's Ahora y Siempre at number one on the Regional Mexican Albums chart.Template:Sfn "Como la Flor" was the most-played song on Tejano radio stations in Texas, according to a survey conducted by the Austin American-Statesman.Template:Sfn The song was also one of the most-played tracks on radio stations in Houston, Dallas, and San Francisco.Template:Sfn In Los Angeles, California, "Como la Flor" was the most-played song on Latin music radio stations for three weeks starting from October 13 through the week of October 29, 1992.Template:Refn The song finished 1992 as the 31st-best-performing song on the Hot Latin Songs chart while topping indie music charts in Texas.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

In July 1992,Template:Sfn EMI Latin president José Behar arranged a high-profile press tour for Selena in Monterrey, Mexico. The event attracted twice as many Mexican entertainment journalists as those from the US, highlighting the enormous potential of the Mexican music market,Template:Sfn which was valued at Template:US$ according to a 1992 market report. Selena was not commercially successful in Mexico; a music reporter from El Sol de Monterrey showed Mexicans did not accept Selena's music.Template:Sfn At the time, the perception was that Tejanos were "hayseed pochos", a term that carries a derogatory connotation towards those of lower social class and racial background.Template:Sfn Faced with Selena's limited Spanish proficiency, EMI Latin executives feared negative media coverage.Template:Sfn However, the record company seized the opportunity to capitalize on the growing popularity of "¿Qué Creías?" (1992) and Entre a Mi Mundo, Selena's first recordings to gain traction in Mexico.Template:Sfn Selena's approachable demeanor endeared her to the Mexican press, who hailed her as "an artist of the people", and she was booked for several concerts in the country.Template:Sfn As a result of the tour, "Como la Flor" climbed to number five on Mexico's Grupera chart before peaking at number three on October 12, 1992.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn According to a music report by El Siglo de Torreón, "Como la Flor" was one of the most-played songs on Mexican radio stations in 1992 and early 1993,Template:Sfn and the most popular "grupero" (group) song in Mexico City.Template:Sfn The song's popularity helped Selena's commercial growth in Mexico,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn where it was regarded as "very popular".Template:Sfn "Como la Flor" marked Selena's "breakthrough hit",Template:Sfn earning her fame with Mexican audiences and paving the way for her first "international hit song".Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

At the Premio Lo Nuestro 1993 awards, "Como la Flor" won Regional Mexican Song of the Year.Template:Sfn It was nominated for Single of the Year at the 1993 Tejano Music Awards.Template:Sfn "Como la Flor" was dropped during preliminaries, which was considered a surprise according to music critic Rene Cabrera, who expected Selena to win the category.Template:Sfn The track was nominated for Song of the Year at the 1993 Pura Vida Hispanic Awards, but lost to Emilio Navaira's "Como Le Haré".Template:Sfn "Como la Flor" was recognized as one of the award-winning songs at the first BMI Latin Awards in 1994.Template:Sfn Tom Whitehurst Jr of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times compared A. B.'s "famous songwriting" of the song to that of Jerry Jeff Walker's fame after writing "Mr. Bojangles" (1970).Template:Sfn In 1993, the commercial success of "Como la Flor" led to A. B. being contracted with EMI Latin as one of their top songwriters, inking a deal worth $250,000 (1993 USD) in 1993.Template:Sfn Following the murder of Selena on March 31, 1995, "Como la Flor" debuted and peaked at number nine on the Regional Mexican Songs chart for the week ending April 15, 1995.Template:Sfn It was the most-requested song, along with "La Carcacha", on radio stations in Mexico following the announcement of her death.Template:Sfn Elsewhere on Billboard, "Como la Flor" peaked at number three on the US Billboard TouchTunes Latin Songs chart, which ranks the top-selling social jukebox spins in the US, for the week ending December 14, 2002.Template:Sfn "Como la Flor" peaked at number one on the US Regional Mexican Digital Song Sales chart following the 20th anniversary of Selena's death for the week ending April 18, 2015.Template:Sfn The song peaked at number four on the Latin Digital Song Sales chart on the tracking week of December 16, 2020.Template:Sfn As of March 31, 2020, "Como la Flor" has been streamed on Spotify 1.83 million times,Template:Sfn and continues to receive airplay on Tejano music radio stations.Template:Sfn The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has certificated "Como la Flor" 9× Platinum (Latin), denoting 540,000 units consisting of sales and on-demand streaming in the US.Template:Sfn

Live performances and other versions

During Selena's live performances of "Como la Flor", she frequently incorporated a flamenco-inspired hand gesture called a floreo. She could be seen "turning her wrist in three backbonning [sic] waves, elbow to fingertips twisting in a serpentine motion, fingers elongated" as she "languorously croons" the title of the song.Template:Sfn Selena's opening of "Como la Flor" was characterized by a languid, mournful cadenza, marked by a downtempo, seductive, and emotional delivery, where she would take several breaths before the song transitioned into an upbeat cumbia.Template:Sfn The song's initial slow, emotive opening was reminiscent of the melancholic and booming voices of Mexican ranchera singers, who performed with a melodramatic flair.Template:Sfn Selena's vocal performance was "achingly melodic",Template:Sfn and according to Elijah Wald of The New York Times, she "[emphasized] the heartache of the lyric, slowly drawing out the lines about a lover leaving, her face contorted in pain".Template:Sfn Selena's dramatic pauses were comparable to the flin styles of bolero singers Chavela Vargas and La Lupe.Template:Sfn

During one performance, Selena was seen "smiling and even laughing" during a dramatic pause, which Wald said was Selena "reminding the audience they are all watching and enjoying this together" before her enunciation of agony and "beating her chest, murmuring the final words, como me duele ("how it hurts me").Template:Sfn When the song transitioned into an upbeat cumbia, Selena would sway her hips to the beat.Template:Sfn According to Parédez, Selena's performances of the song provided audiences with "valedictory reverence, pleasurable engagement, and gestures of identification across the space of Selenidad".Template:Sfn Parédez called Selena's performances of the song "ebullient" and equating to the "emotional register" of Latino mournfulness.Template:Sfn Scholars Blanco-Cano and Urquijo-Ruiz agreed with Parédez's assertion, saying Selena's performance of "Como la Flor" exemplified "the emotional register and cultural codes of Latinidad".Template:Sfn Wald noted Selena's repetitive acts on stage whenever she sang "Como la Flor", saying the performances still "feel authentic".Template:Sfn Blanco-Cano and Urquijo-Ruiz said Selena's performances of "Como la Flor" matched the Latino expressions of longing and belonging, as well as grief and survival, noting her "easy charisma, choreographic virtuosity, [and] velvety voice" as evidence.Template:Sfn "Como la Flor" is one of the most popular re-enactments of Selena by drag queens.Template:Sfn

Following the growing popularity of the song, "Como la Flor" became a staple in Selena's set lists and she often opened or closed her concerts with it.Template:Sfn According to Pérez, it was likely her favorite song to perform.Template:Sfn However, A. B. had a differing opinion, citing Selena's annoyance at constantly playing the song at every concert. Selena expressed her frustration to A. B., stating, "I don't wanna play that song anymore, I am sick of singing [that song]". In response, A. B. argued that, just as concertgoers expect to hear "Billie Jean" at a Michael Jackson show, Selena's fans expect to hear "Como la Flor" at her concerts.Template:Sfn On February 26, 1995, Selena closed her Houston Astrodome concert with "Como la Flor" to positive reviews; Jennifer Machin of Billboard lauded the performance as one of Selena's best,Template:Sfn and the Corpus Christi Caller-TimesTemplate:' Natalie Contreras called it Selena's "finest rendition".Template:Sfn According to Blanco-Cano and Urquijo-Ruiz, the song provided the audience with "the sounds of Latino desire [and witnessed] the improvised steps marking Latino loss". They noted that the song's placement as the closing number "underscores its special status" in Selena's repertoire.Template:Sfn Selena's final performance of "Como la Flor" was on March 19, 1995, in Bryan, Texas, where A. B. and Astudillo wrote the song, it was her closing performance.Template:Sfn In "Cumbia Medley", a live medley on the Selena movie soundtrack (1997), Selena performs the song in a "soothing, elongated tempo".Template:Sfn In the San Antonio Express-News, Burr hailed the song as a "prime cut", finding it "electrifying and bursting with energy", and seeing it as a "crowning achievement" for Selena.Template:Sfn The greatest hits album Ones (2002) includes "Con Tanto Amor Medley", a three-song medley that features a remix of "Como la Flor" with new arrangements by A. B. The track was created to fit an array of Latin music radio formats, with "Como la Flor" appealing to regional Mexican music radio stations with the addition of mariachi-style trumpets, as stated by Cobo writing for Billboard.Template:Sfn

In 1996, Jennifer Peña performed "Como la Flor", which impressed music executives in attendance.Template:Sfn "Como la Flor" was the closing song on the Broadway musical Selena Forever (2000), starring Veronica Vasquez as Selena,Template:Sfn and in the Mexican musical Selena, El Musical (2006), which featured Lidia Ávila.Template:Sfn The recording is also the closing song of Selena ¡VIVE! (2005).Template:Sfn Olivia Tallet and Larry Rodarte of Mi Gente magazine called it the climax of the show.Template:Sfn Other performances include David Archuleta at the 2010 Tejano Music Awards;Template:Sfn and Becky G at the 2018 Fiesta de la Flor.Template:Sfn Cover versions include American actress Jackie Cruz who received a positive reception from Billboard magazine;Template:Sfn and Angela Aguilar on her EP homage to Selena in 2020.Template:Sfn Country singer Kacey Musgraves received critical acclaim for her redention of "Como la Flor" at one of her concerts.Template:Sfn Elia Esperanza's performance of "Como la Flor" during her audition on the eleventh season of The Voice debuted and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Latin Digital Song Sales chart, while Selena's version re-entered the same chart at number 12.Template:Sfn Esperanza wanted to perform "Como la Flor" to showcase her musical abilities. Adam Levine turned first, before Blake Shelton and Miley Cyrus did, with Levine thanking her for "being different".Template:Sfn Cristian Castro's version, a duet with Selena that was created for Enamorada de Ti (2012),Template:Sfn received mixed reviews from music critics.Template:Sfn The duet debuted and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Regional Mexican Digital Song Sales chart.Template:Sfn Castro promoted the song at the 2012 Billboard Latin Music Awards.Template:Sfn Jennifer Lopez, who played Selena in the 1997 biopic, performed a four-song medley at the 2015 Billboard Latin Music Awards that included "Como la Flor", gaining positive reviews.Template:Sfn Aimee Garcia performed "Como la Flor" as part of her audition to play Selena in the biopic.Template:Sfn English YouTube video producers the Kabs Family uploaded a video of their four-year-old daughter singing "Como la Flor", which went viral in March 2021. The staff of Billboard magazine described Kabs' singing as having "so much emotion".Template:Sfn In 2006, Uruguayan-American YouTuber El Bananero released a parody of the song titled "Como una flor".Template:Sfn

Legacy and impact

File:Jennifer Lopez 5, 2012.jpg

Jennifer Lopez (pictured) starred in the 1997 biopic film. Lopez's dramatization of Selena's live performances was considered a highlight of the film.Template:Sfn

A. B. believed that "Como la Flor" was ahead of its time.Template:Sfn When writing for Selena's album Amor Prohibido (1994), he said he found meeting expectations after the commercial success of Entre a Mi Mundo and "Como la Flor" challenging.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn A. B. encountered pressure from record executives in New York City and Nashville to create another hit song. However, he recognized that trying to surpass the success of "Como la Flor" was not feasible and instead chose to focus on writing a new hit.Template:Sfn

Widely considered to be Selena's signature song and her "trademark", "Como la Flor" has become a posthumous epithet and swan song,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn as well as her most popular recording.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn The song has enjoyed international success,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn and is credited for Selena's domination of the Latin charts.Template:Sfn It is one of her "most celebrated" songs and has become part of the Texas musical cannon.Template:Sfn "Como la Flor" became one of the most popular songs recorded by an artist of Mexican descent in the US.Template:Sfn It became the singer's breakout recording that catapulted her to fame in Mexico and Latin America.Template:Sfn According to a Santa Ana Orange County Register, "Como la Flor" is a Cinderella story that has lyrical parallels to Selena's life that "by the time she blossomed, her life was cut short".Template:Sfn Cathy Ragland of the Austin American Statesman agreed, comparing "Como la Flor" to Selena as being "a metaphor for her life—a beautiful, delicate creature",Template:Sfn as did Raul Reyes of USA Today.Template:Sfn As Roiz points out, "Como la Flor", along with "Dreaming of You" (1995) and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" (1994), has "universal appeal".Template:Sfn Burr also said "Como la Flor" and other recordings by Selena, has "instant appeal".Template:Sfn The singer acknowledged that "Como la Flor" was her "very first big record and the one that started making things click [for her and the band]".Template:Sfn Following the song's release, Selena's popularity skyrocketed.Template:Sfn According to Parédez, "Como la Flor" resonated with Latinos.Template:Sfn It established Selena in the Tejano music market, which previously dismissed her works.Template:Sfn Along with "La Carcacha" and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", "Como la Flor" launched Selena's commercial Tejano career,Template:Sfn and brought her fame in the Tejano,Template:Sfn and Latin pop music markets.Template:Sfn This was a surprise, according to Brian "Red" Moore who oversaw the production of Entre a Mi Mundo, because the group believed "La Carcacha" would have been the most successful song off the album.Template:Sfn

According to Music executive Cameron Randle of Arista Records, the use of cumbia music in "Como la Flor" served as a "musical passport" for Selena, opening up opportunities for her.Template:Sfn The Tejano cumbia style is characterized by a simple, accordion-driven, conjunto style of cumbia music. Selena innovated and transculturated Tejano cumbia by introducing ska, reggae, hip-hop, and funk into her repertoire.Template:Sfn The incorporation of African-American music into Tejano cumbia allowed Selena to explore the cultural similarities between Mexican-Americans and African-Americans, exploiting this previously under-explored territory.Template:Sfn According to essayist Ilan Stavans, "Como la Flor" along with "Baila Esta Cumbia" (1990) and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", helped bridge Tejano music and Latin pop, bringing Tejano music into the public consciousness and paving the way for Latin pop.Template:Sfn Leila Cobo described "Como la Flor" and "La Carcacha" as examples of Selena's best work.Template:Sfn Throughout the 1990s, the songs were played constantly at parties in Latino communities in the US and Mexico.Template:Sfn By blending her Mexican-American roots with her American heritage, Selena was able to "conquer Mexico" in the 1990s with songs such as "Como la Flor" and "La Carcahca".Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In recognition of its cultural significance, "Como la Flor" has been considered a possible contender for the official Texas state song.Template:Sfn Atlanta Journal-Constitution writers Shane Harrison, Nick Marino, and Sonia Murray selected "Como la Flor" as one of Texas' contributions to popular music.Template:Sfn

In 1996, Joe Nick Patoski, a writer for The New York Times published an acclaimed biography of Selena titled Selena: Como la Flor,Template:Sfn which literary critics lauded as "the most insightful portrayal [of Selena]".Template:Sfn The city of Corpus Christi erected a life-size, bronze statue called Mirador de la Flor; years after its inception, the city erected speakers that play "Como la Flor" above the statue.Template:Sfn The 1997 Warner Bros. film Selena, starring Jennifer Lopez in the title role, features a scene in which Selena manages a rowdy crowd at a fair by performing a downtempo rendition of "Como la Flor". Lopez's portrayal captures Selena's live performances of the song, as she gradually sings the chorus, savoring each phrase before pulling away the microphone on the final line and dramatically pausing to "cast[s] her performative spell".Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Billboard named this scene one of the film's top-eight moments.Template:Sfn In an interview with the BBC, director Gregory Nava stated that people in Europe would have been singing along to "Como la Flor" had Selena lived longer.Template:Sfn Selena Etc., Selena's boutique and beauty salon, released a perfume bottle bearing the name of the song in April 1997, featuring scents selected by Selena prior to her death.Template:Sfn In 2002, the track ranked fifth on the poll for the best all-time Spanish song in the United States by Univision. Music critic Roiz hailed "Como la Flor" as a "must-have" on anyone's playlist,Template:Sfn while the 2016 Selena collection from MAC Cosmetics includes a lipstick named after the song. Suzette Quintanilla, Selena's sister, remarked that the lipstick is a "beautiful red-tone color, a signature color that my sister would wear when performing onstage".Template:Sfn The influence of "Como la Flor" extends to other artists, with Greg Gonzalez, singer-songwriter of Cigarettes After Sex, citing the song as an inspiration for "Kiss It Off Me" (2019).Template:Sfn Furthermore, it inspired Gonzalez to write "Tejano Blue" (2024) and was released as an attempt to combine the sound of "Como la Flor" and Scottish rock band Cocteau Twins.Template:Sfn More recently, in December 2020, to promote its streaming video series Selena: The Series with Christian Serratos as the title role,Template:Sfn Netflix asked people to upload videos of themselves lip-syncing to "Como la Flor" with the hashtag "TodosComoLaFlor". Participants began uploading their videos on TikTok, reaching 250 videos per hour, a Guinness World Record.Template:Sfn The song was used in the second season of the HBO television drama Euphoria (2021).Template:Sfn

Critics' best-of lists

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Rolling Stone	50 Greatest Latin Pop Songs	19	Template:Sfn
Dallas Observer	20 Songs Every Texan Should Know	7	Template:Sfn
Atlanta Journal-Constitution	Greatest Songs from the South (Texas)	Placed	Template:Sfn
Insider Inc.	100 of the Best Songs of the '90s	Placed	Template:Sfn

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Entre a Mi Mundo.Template:Sfn

• Selena – lead vocals
• A.B. Quintanilla – producer, songwriter, mixing, programming, background vocals
• Pete Astudillo – songwriter

• Ricky Vela – keyboard
• Joe Ojeda – keyboard
• Chris Perez – guitar
• Brian "Red" Moore – music engineer

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

1992–93 weekly chart positions for "Como la Flor"

Chart (1992–93)	Peak position
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)Template:Sfn	6
US Regional Mexican Songs (Billboard)Template:Sfn	9
Mexico Grupera Songs (El Siglo de Torreón)Template:Sfn	3

2009 weekly chart positions for "Como la Flor"

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Nicaragua Digital Song Sales (EFE)Template:Sfn	2

2011 weekly chart positions for "Como la Flor"

Chart (2011)	Peak position
US Latin Streaming Songs (Billboard)Template:Sfn	11

2016 weekly chart positions for "Como la Flor"

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Latin America Tropical Songs (Monitor Latino)Template:Sfn	1

Year-end charts

Year-end chart positions for "Como la Flor"

Chart (1992)	Position
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)Template:Sfn	31
Chart (2015)	Position
US Latin Digital Song Sales (Billboard)Template:Sfn	47
Chart (2017)	Position
Latin America Tropical Songs (Monitor Latino)Template:Sfn	59
Chart (2018)	Position
Latin America Tropical Songs (Monitor Latino)Template:Sfn	50
US Regional Mexican Digital Song Sales (Billboard)Template:Sfn	5
Chart (2019)	Position
Latin America Tropical Songs (Monitor Latino)Template:Sfn	39
Chart (2020)	Position
Latin America Tropical Songs (Monitor Latino)Template:Sfn	41
Chart (2021)	Position
US Latin Digital Song Sales (Billboard)Template:Sfn	24
Latin America Tropical Songs (Monitor Latino)Template:Sfn	20

Works cited

• Template:Cite thesis

External links

• Template:Replace on YouTube