"Amor Prohibido" (English: "Forbidden Love") is the title song of American Tejano singer Selena's fourth studio album of the same name (1994).

Selena wanted to write and record a song based on the story of her grandparents, who fell in love despite their different social classes.

[1] The singer was inspired by love letters written by her grandmother who wrote about her experiences as a maid to a wealthy family and her infatuation with their son.

[3] Selena's husband, Chris Pérez wrote in his 2012 memoir that during its recording session "there was a noticeable difference between her voice on ["Amor Prohibido"] and [the songs on] Entre a Mi Mundo (1992), especially.

[15] Written in common time in the key of E minor, its tempo moves at a moderate 90 beats per minute[16] and it features a descending keyboard hook.

[18] According to Quintanilla, his salsa-style cencerro was not "coincidental"; he believed that by incorporating it into "Amor Prohibido" and the singer's repertoire she "went from selling 25,000-50,000 to more than 500,000 [copies of her albums]".

[21] Marco Torres of the Houston Press saw similarities between the song's lyrics and Selena and Pérez's relationship; her father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr., discouraged their romance before he accepted it.

[nb 1] Alejandra Molina of the Orange County Register reported on a tribute to Selena by LGBT fans in Santa Ana, California, who found her songs "ambiguous"; "Amor Prohibido" was interpreted "as a love that is forbidden due to a person's sexuality, race or class.

"[27] "Amor Prohibido" received widespread critical acclaim, although Elizabeth Rodriguez Kessler and Anne Perrin called the song "soap-operaish" in Chican@s in the Conversations (2007).

[31] Marco Torres of the Houston Press wrote that "Amor Prohibido" was Selena's "most personal song",[22] and Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune said it had "a bit more contemporary snap to it.

"[32] Mary Talbot of the New York Daily News called "Amor Prohibido" and "Como la Flor" (1992) "two straight-up Tejano hits" and a "requiem to Selena's career".

"[24] Emmanuel Hapsis posted on the KQED-FM website that anyone visiting a karaoke bar would probably hear someone sing "Amor Prohibido" or Selena's posthumously released single, "Dreaming of You" (1995).

[38] Ed Morales wrote that the song is a "classic mass market hit that inhabits the memory, easily floating in the summer air of radios on the streets.

[44] According to sales figures analyzed by Guadalupe San Miguel in 2002, "Amor Prohibido" is Selena's best-selling cumbia single.

[nb 2] It is believed by Mario Tarradell of The Dallas Morning News that singles released from Amor Prohibido had alleviated Selena into Latin radio success–who previously did not take the singer seriously.

[52] María Herrera-Sobek wrote in her book, Chicano Folklore: A Handbook, that "Como la Flor" and "Amor Prohibido" achieved national and international success.

"[71] "Amor Prohibido" rose to number one the week of June 11, displacing La Mafia's "Vida"[72] (which had dethroned Selena's collaboration with the Barrio Boyzz, "Donde Quiera Que Estés", on May 7).

[80] The magazine posthumously named Selena its Top Artist of the 1990s because of her fourteen top-ten singles on the Hot Latin Songs chart, including seven number-ones.

[82] "Amor Prohibido" made its debut at number 18 on the Latin Digital Song Sales following the twentieth anniversary of Selena's death.

[84] Salsa singer Yolanda Duke recorded "Amor Prohibido" for the tribute album, Familia RMM Recordando a Selena (1996).

[87] Mexican pop singer Thalía performed and recorded the song during the live televised tribute concert, Selena ¡VIVE!, in April 2005; it was included on her ninth studio album, El Sexto Sentido (2005).

[91] Mexican singer Samo recorded a duet version of "Amor Prohibido" for the 2012 posthumous remix album, Enamorada de Ti.

[94] Nilan Lovelace of Reporter Magazine called the duet version an "album favorite" and the type of music Selena would record today.