Buena Vista Social Club was recorded in parallel with A toda Cuba le gusta by the Afro-Cuban All Stars, a similar project also promoted by World Circuit executive Nick Gold and featuring largely the same lineup.

Footage from these dates, as well as from the recording sessions in Havana, was shown in the 1999 documentary Buena Vista Social Club directed by Wim Wenders.

In 2022, the album was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally historically or aesthetically significant".

[3] When Cooder arrived (via Mexico to avoid the ongoing U.S. trade and travel embargo against Cuba),[4] it was found that the musicians from Africa had not received their visas and were unable to come.

[5] Communication between the Spanish and English speakers at the studio was conducted via an interpreter, although Cooder reflected that "musicians understand each other through means other than speaking".

[7] The sessions also produced material for the subsequent release Introducing...Rubén González which showcased the work of the Cuban pianist.

[4] Among the songs left off the album were the classic bolero-son "Lágrimas negras", which was deemed too popular for inclusion, and Compay Segundo's "Macusa".

[8] The majority of the album comprised standards of the trova and filin repertoire, namely sones, guajiras and boleros typically played by small guitar-led ensembles.

Its lyrics, rich with sexual innuendo, were sung by Ibrahim Ferrer, who improvised vocal lines throughout the track, and the whole ensemble performed an extended descarga.

"El carretero", a guajira (country lament), was sung by Eliades Ochoa with the full ensemble providing additional instruments and backing vocals.

"La bayamesa", a famous criolla by Sindo Garay, was the album closer with Puntillita, Compay Segundo and Ibrahim Ferrer on vocals.

Two tracks were included from the Cuban danzón repertoire, "Pueblo Nuevo" and "Buena Vista Social Club", both dedicated to locations in Havana.

They were originally recorded by Arcaño y sus Maravillas and were composed by bass player Cachao (although "Buena Vista Social Club" has been wrongly attributed to his brother Orestes López in the liner notes and by Cooder).

[29] In 2024, it was ranked in eleventh position on the “Los 600 de Latinoamérica” list compiled by a collective of music journalists from several countries of the Americas, curating the top 600 Latin American albums from 1920-2022.