Ay Amor (Ana Gabriel song)

"¡Ay, Amor!" (English: Oh Love) is a ballad written and performed by Mexican singer-songwriter Ana Gabriel and produced by Mariano Pérez Bautista. It was released as the first single from her third studio album, Pecado Original (1987). This song became the second to spend 14 consecutive weeks at number one in the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart, after fellow Mexican singer Daniela Romo with "De Mí Enamórate", being surpassed in the same year by Yuri when her single "Qué Te Pasa" achieved sixteen weeks at the top of the chart.

"¡Ay, Amor!"
Single by Ana Gabriel
from the album Pecado Original
Released1987 (1987)
Recorded1987
GenreLatin pop
Length3:22
LabelDiscos CBS International
Songwriter(s)Ana Gabriel
Producer(s)Mariano Pérez Bautista
Ana Gabriel singles chronology
"Mar y Arena"
(1987)
"¡Ay, Amor!"
(1987)
"Pecado Original"
(1988)

"¡Ay, Amor!" is also recognized as one of Gabriel's signature songs and has been performed by several singers, including Tino y su Banda Joven, Jannette Chao, Keyla Caballero, Myriam and Yuri.[1]

Background edit

Mexican singer-songwriter Ana Gabriel, after ten years of preparation, received in 1984 the opportunity to participate on the Mexican Festival 'Valores Juveniles', in which she participated as a composer with the song "No Me Lástimes Más", and won second place in the contest.[2] Following this victory she was called by CBS and was offered an exclusive contract.[2] The following year, 1985, Gabriel participated in the OTI Festival with the song "Búscame", wrote with Tony Flores, and took the award for 'Revelation of the Year'. That same year she recorded his first album, entitled Un estilo. In 1986 she participated again in the OTI with the song "A Tu Lado" and this time was recognized as 'Singer of the Year'.[2] Finally, in 1987, Gabriel had her third chance at this festival with the song "¡Ay, amor!", which earned the awards for Best Song, Best Singer and Best Composer, and the opportunity to represent Mexico at the Festival OTI International in Lisbon, Portugal, where she ranked third, in a tie with Spain.[2]

"¡Ay, Amor!" was produced by Mariano Pérez Bautista and was released as the first single from Gabriel's third studio album Pecado Original (1987).[3] This song was a success in Mexico and United States, leading the album to its peak at number three in the Billboard Latin Pop Albums and approximate sales of two and a half million units in Latin America.[4]

Chart performance edit

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart at number 35 on 21 November 1987 and climbed to the top ten four weeks later.[5][6] It reached the top position of the chart on 23 January 1988, replacing "Soy Así" by Mexican singer José José and being replaced twelve weeks later by Juan Gabriel's "Debo Hacerlo".[7] "¡Ay, amor!" returned to number-one for two additional weeks, replacing "Y Ahora Te Vas" by Los Bukis and being replaced by "Qué Te Pasa" by Yuri.[8] Only four female singers have achieved the same number of weeks (or more) at number one on the Hot Latin Tracks history: Daniela Romo (14 weeks with "De Mí Enamórate" in 1986–1987), Yuri (16 weeks with "Qué Te Pasa" in 1988) and Shakira (25 weeks with "La Tortura" in 2005).[9]

Charts edit

Credits and personnel edit

This information adopted from Allmusic.[3]

  • Mariano Pérez Bautista – director, producer, mixing
  • Carlos Gómez – piano, arranger, keyboards, engineer
  • Javier Losada – piano, arranger, keyboards, engineer
  • Henry Díaz – percussion
  • Ana Gabriel – lead vocals, lyrics
  • Rodrigo García – acoustic guitar
  • Eduardo Gracía – bass
  • Antonio Moreno – drums
  • Tito Saavedra – engineer, mixing
  • Antonio Sauco – arranger
  • Maisa Hens – vocals
  • María Lar – vocals
  • José Flacón – vocals

References edit

  1. ^ "¡Ay, amor!- Performers". Allmusic. Macromedia Corporation. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d "Biografía de Ana Gabriel". Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de México (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 May 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Pecado Original – Ana Gabriel". Allmusic. Macromedia Corporation. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
  4. ^ AMPROFON. "Los 100 Discos Más Vendidos de la Década de los 80s". Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
  5. ^ "¡Ay, amor!- Week of November 21, 1987". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2 November 1987. Retrieved 9 June 2009. [dead link]
  6. ^ "¡Ay, amor!- Week of December 12, 1987". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1 December 1987. Retrieved 9 June 2009. [dead link]
  7. ^ "¡Ay, amor! – Week of January 23, 1988". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2 January 1988. Retrieved 9 June 2009. [dead link]
  8. ^ "¡Ay, amor! – Week of April 30, 1988". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 21 March 1987. Retrieved 9 June 2009. [dead link]
  9. ^ Brito, Joel (3 July 2008). "Flex invencible en Billboard Hot Latin Songs". Billboard en Español. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2009.
  10. ^ "Discos más populares en Latinoamérica". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish): 74. 4 June 1988. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Discos más populares en Latinoamérica". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish): 73. 4 June 1988. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  12. ^ "Los Discos Más Populares - Notitas Musicales (15 February)". Facebook. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Ana Gabriel Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Topping The Charts Year By Year". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 48. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 28 November 1998. p. LMQ3. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Greatest Of All Time Hot Latin Songs Chart". Billboard. 2021. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.