"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is a song recorded by American Tejano singer Selena. It was released as the second single from her fourth studio album, "Amor Prohibido" (1994). Originally written about a cheerful fish swimming freely in the ocean, the song's title is an onomatopoeic phrase suggesting the palpitating heartbeat of a person lovestruck by the object of their affection. "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" was written by Selena and her backup vocalist and dancer Pete Astudillo.
"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is a Mexican cumbia pop song with "rock en español" and reggae influences. It received widespread acclaim for its musically diverse sounds, and the effects it had on listeners. The single peaked at number one on the United States "Billboard" Hot Latin Songs chart and remained there for four consecutive weeks, the singer's second consecutive number one single. Selena began dominating the Latin music charts, and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" contributed to her commercial success. It is believed by musicologist Ilan Stavans to have marked the beginning of the dominance of Latin pop, and was a bridge to the Tejano market. The song is considered to be one of the best compositions recorded by Selena, one of her most popular recordings, and has been cited as one of her signature songs. Her Astrodome concert performance of the song has been called one of the highlights of her musical career. "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" was ranked at number 54 on the list of the Best Texas Songs of All-time, and given honorable mention as one of the top ten best Tejano recordings of all-time.
After Selena was killed in 1995, the song's title became a popular verb to describe a fan's admiration for the singer. "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" won the Tejano Music Award for Song of the Year, while Broadcast Music Inc. recognized it as the most played Latin song of 1996. Since "Billboard" began monitoring music downloads in 2010, "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" has remained on the Regional Mexican Digital Songs chart for 280 non-consecutive weeks, second to the number of consecutive weeks for her 1992 single "Como la Flor". Many musicians have since recorded the song or performed it as a tribute to the singer including: Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez, Alejandra Guzmán, Kat Von D, and Jennifer Peña.
Background and writing.
"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" originated at her band's rehearsals starting off as an improvised song with few if any lyrics. According to Selena's brother, and principal music producer A.B. Quintanilla, the song came about shortly after Chris Pérez was hired as the band's guitarist in 1989
. A.B. spoke out against the "filler songs" that their father and manager Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. wanted on their recordings, and began playing a groove that gradually became a song. Suzette Quintanilla, the band's drummer, said "we were goofing off" and insisted that after A.B. began playing on his guitar, Selena started singing, coming up with lyrics "as ideas came to her". Pérez, who later eloped with Selena in 1992, wrote that the lyrics Selena came up with were unfamiliar to him despite the singer's habit of spontaneously writing ideas in a notebook and leaving it "wherever around the house". The song was originally used for soundchecks during the band's rehearsals and was then transformed into a short recording by Selena about a cheerful fish swimming freely in the ocean. Pérez said that what was then called "Little Bidi Bubbles" came easily "for everyone in the band." In a 2002 interview he said that he played a riff using a crybaby (which gave off a wah-wah sound) and that A.B. gave him a "look" that suggested he was impressed with the sound that he had improvised. The riff became the basis of the song before the writing process began.
Before A.B. began co-writing, Selena and backup vocalist Pete Astudillo were in the process of writing the song in Spanish. A.B., who arranged the piece with Roger Emerson, said in a 2002 interview that "it was kinda a little scary" because the song "had never been done or seen before". "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" served as the second single released from "Amor Prohibido" on July 31, 1994. A.B. confessed to wanting the song released as the lead single but found that Selena and EMI Latin pushed for the title track instead.
Composition and lyrical content.
"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is a Spanish-language upbeat, cumbia pop song with "rock en español" and reggae influences. It is set in common time, and makes use of electric guitar riffs and ostanti percussions influenced by Colombian and Caribbean music. The song uses "richer" scoring, less-driven synthesizers, and treble-heavy arrangements than the first four songs on "Amor Prohibido". The song is written in the key of B-flat major and is played in a moderate groove of 90 beats per minute. The song's chord progression has a basic form I-IV-V-IV, an ostinato (repetitive beat) that continues through its verses and chorus. Ramiro Burr of "Billboard" magazine called the song a "reggae-tinged tune" and suggested that it could have worked well with French lyrics. Writing for "Billboard", Paul Verna called the recording a "spunky cumbia". In his book "Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound", Frank Hoffman called the song "reggae-inflected dance fare". Mexican newspaper "Milenio", enjoyed the track's fusion of cumbia and reggae sounds.
According to author José E. Limón, the song consists of "playful cumbia-rhythms" with lyrics speaking of "young kids falling in love". In "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", Selena is overwhelmed and lovestruck by a man who happened to walk near her. The onomatopoeic title suggests the sound of a heart palpitating when a person longs to be the protagonist's object of affection. Italian essayists Gaetano Prampolini and Annamaria Pinazzi called the song a "happy love story", which is contradicted by Maria Celeste Arraras, in her 1997 book "Selena's Secrets", who feels the song is about unrequited love. Bob Smithouser and Bob Waliszewski wrote in "Chart Watch" that "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" explores a volatile relationship. "Texas Monthly" editor Joe Nick Patoski asserted the lyrics are: "about a boy who makes a girl's heart go "thump-thump-thump"". "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is musically similar to Selena's 1994 song "El Chico del Apartamento 512"; author James E. Perone called them recurring themes where the protagonist is "attracted to a young man". Bill Ramsey of the "San Antonio Current", noted how the lyrics were an "innocuous ditty". Ashley Velez of Neon Tommy believed that most people who "ever had a crush" are able to relate to the palpitations of "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom".
Reception.
Critical response.
At the time of its release, "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" was a favorite of Selena's younger fan base. Posthumous reviews have cited the song as being "catchy". Ramiro Burr of "Billboard" magazine believed that the song could have easily been successful in European clubs thanks to its striking resemblance to Euro-pop and Eurodance songs that were popular in Europe at the time. Tom Whitehurst Jr. of the "Corpus Christi Caller Times" wrote that he did not know what "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" meant but, after a friend played him a tape of the recording, he became a fan of the singer. Andrew Mitchell, also from the "Corpus Christi Caller Times", called the song "happy" and said that it was "only natural to want to know the meaning of [the song], not just memorize [the] lyrics to sing along. Music can teach. It can remove barriers of the mind and soul." Joey Guerra of the "Houston Chronicle", called the song "bouncy". Musicologists Ilan Stavans and Harold Augenbraum called "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", "No Me Queda Más", and "Techno Cumbia" the "key hits of ["Amor Prohibido"]". Peter Watrous of "The New York Times" called the song "lightweight" but found it to be: "better than [Selena's English-language recordings]". Sue Anne Pressley of "The Washington Post" wrote that "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" was "sprightly carefree", and "infectious". Writing for the "San Antonio Express-News", Michael Clark complimented A.B.'s addition of "world-music flourishes" to the song. Katherine Seligman, also from the "San Antonio Express News", described the recording as an: "infectiously happy song". "Sun Sentinel" contributor, Steve Bennett also called the recording "infectious".
Author Veda Boyd Jones wrote that "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is a: "catchy song with nonsensical words". This was echoed by Joe Nick Patoski in his book, "Texas Monthly on Texas Women", where he called Selena "savvy enough" to record a song that has a "catchy", "nonsensical but eminently hummable" melody. According to Ed Morales who wrote in his book "The Latin Beat", "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is an easily "forgettable throwaway" for the average listener, but found the it "catchy" and said it "sticks in your gut". The Spanish-language magazine "Personajes", enjoyed the song's ability to "make everyone dance". Jessica Lucia Roiz of the "Latin Times" called the recording a "happy-go-lucky tune". John LaFollette of "The Monitor" called the track "playful". Marjua Estevez of "Vibe" called it a: "sassy dance track". Eliza Thompson of "Cosmopolitan" asserted that Selena's songs—particularly "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom"—resonate a "fun atmosphere". Canadian magazine "Tribute", called "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" an "upbeat hit". Writing for "Out" magazine, Xorje Olivares explained how "universal" it is, and "that you can't help but feel nostalgic" after listening to a few notes of "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom". John Dyzer of "Entertainment Weekly", called the song a "beach-blanket anthem" and a "novelty hit". Dita Quinones of NBC San Diego, called it a "feel-good spirit" track. Ashley Velez called "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" a "feel good song" and noted how the "fun [track]" is "one of Selena's most memorable contributions to the Latin music world." According to Mario Tarradell of the "Dallas Morning News", the song contains the "bubbly, effervescent personality, the "chica-del-barrio" (the girl from the barrio) charm" in her recording, and believed the remixed version, found on the posthumous release "Dreaming of You", was done so that it was "palatable club play". Taradell believed that remixing the song was fruitless, claiming that cumbia music is "more danceable" than reggae.
"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" was ranked number 54 on the "Dallas Observer"'s list of the Best Texas Songs of All-time. It was listed as an honorable mention of the top ten best Tejano songs of all-time by Ramiro Burr. "Warta Ekonomi", an Indonesian business-focus magazine, named "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" one of the top Spanish-language songs of 1995. "Cosmopolitan" ranked the song first among their top ten best songs for a summer BBQ, and ranked the song atop their list of the best Latin songs: "you forgot you were obsessed with." Since its release, the song has been included on many music critics "best of Selena songs" lists including the "Latino Post" (at number three), "OC Weekly" (at number three), BuzzFeed (at number three), "Latina" (at number four), and Neon Tommy (at number one).
Commercial performance.
"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" debuted at number 30 on August 13, 1994 on the United States "Billboard" Hot Latin Songs chart. In its eleventh week, it peaked at number one; her second as a solo artist. John Lannert wrote that in its second week atop the Hot Latin Songs chart, "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" had "no challenger in sight". In an October 1994 report, the song was the second most played song in Los Angeles, fifth most played song in New York City, sixth most played recording in San Francisco, and ninth most played in Washington, D.C., on Latin music radio stations. In its third week atop the Hot Latin Songs chart, "Billboard" announced that its new airplay measuring system for the music chart would be based on Nielsen ratings beginning with the November 12, 1994 issue. Nonetheless, Lannert predicted that "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" would remain atop the Hot Latin Songs chart and, during the first week the Nielsen rating system was used it did so, while Selena's song "No Me Queda Más" debuted at number 40. "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" fell to the third slot on the Hot Latin Songs chart in its fifteenth week. In the following week, "No Me Queda Más" took the fifth slot while "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" fell to the sixth position on the Hot Latin Songs chart the week of November 26, 1994. After spending 20 weeks on the Hot Latin Songs chart, and peaking at number one for four consecutive weeks, the song finished the year as the