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Quiero Ser

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For the 2000 short film, see Quiero ser (I want to be...).
Quiero Ser
Studio album by
Menudo
Released1981
Recorded1980–1981
Studio
Genre
Length31:53
Label
Producer
Menudo chronology
Xanadu
(1981) 		Quiero Ser
(1981) 		Por Amor
(1982)

Quiero Ser (also titled Menudo or Rock Chiquillo in some countries) is the ninth studio album by the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, released in 1981 by Padosa Records. The lineup at the time included members Ricky Meléndez, René Farrait, Johnny Lozada, Xavier Serbiá and Miguel Cancel. With this new album, the group traveled to Latin American countries where they were still unknown, such as Guatemala[1] and Colombia.[2]

Background

[edit]

The song "Súbete a mi Moto" (also known as "Sube a mi Motora") became one of the most popular tracks on the album, considered by fans as the band's signature song.[3][4] According to some media outlets, the song speaks of experiencing freedom.[5] The track generated controversy in Puerto Rico because, at the time of its release, "moto" was slang for illegal drugs, particularly marijuana cigarettes.[6]

"Claridad" was originally recorded by the Italian singer Umberto Tozzi under the title "Stella Stai." The Spanish version of the song, adapted by the Cuban producer Óscar Gómez Díaz, became one of the biggest hits of the Puerto Rican boyband.[7] Despite its Italian origin, the Spanish lyrics convey a completely different meaning, focusing on the desire to overcome a romantic breakup, while Tozzi's original was known for its poetic complexity, described by the composer himself as "having no defined meaning."[7] Tozzi's version was part of the soundtrack for the Marvel Studios film Spider-Man: Far From Home.[8] In the digital era, "Claridad" found a new audience through the #MenudoChallenge on TikTok.[7]

The album’s title track, "Quiero Ser," notably reached number 6 on Uruguay’s music chart, published by Record World.[9]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Commercially, the album became a success. In Venezuela, it sold 334,000 copies.[10] In the United States, it appeared on Billboard magazine’s Latin music charts.[11][12][13] According to a 1981 report by Record World, each Menudo album released in Mexico to date (Fuego and Quiero Ser) had sold half a million copies between LPs and cassettes.[14]

In 1998, the album was released along with three other Menudo albums (Por Amor, Una Aventura Llamada Menudo, and Fuego) on CD.[15] According to Billboard, in their first week of sales, the four albums together surpassed 10,000 units sold in the United States.[15]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Singer(s)Length
1."Mi Banda Toca Rock"Ivano Fossati
3:00
2."Quiero Ser"
René Farrait3:08
3."Rock En La TV"
  • Díaz
  • Carlos Villa
3:16
4."Bailemos En El Mar"
  • Díaz
  • Villa
Cancel3:17
5."Claridad"
Group4:16
6."Súbete A Mi Moto"
  • Díaz
  • Villa
Farrait3:35
7."Mejor"
  • F. Arbex
  • M. Callejo
Group2:54
8."Solo Tú, Solo Yo"
  • Díaz
  • Soto
Group3:08
9."Enamorado del Amor"
  • Díaz
  • Soto
Lozada4:03
10."Me Voy a Enamoriscar"
Cancel3:23

(*) in Dominican Republic and Mexico: "Súbete a Mi Moto",
in Puerto Rico, Sube a mi Motora,[16] in Brazil (Long Play and Tape) "Menudo Mania": "Sobe em Minha Moto", sung in Brazilian Portuguese by Ricky Meléndez and in English Motorcycle Dreamer first recorded by Miguel Cancel and then Ricky Meléndez in the album “Reaching Out”.

Personnel

[edit]

Adapted from album back cover

  • Javier Romeu – drums
  • Manuel Aguilar – bass
  • José Ganoza – rhythm
  • Carlos Villa – guitar
  • Rafael Martínez – guitar
  • Alejandro Monroy – piano

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1981–1982) Peak
position
Argentina (Cashbox/Prensario)[17] 6
US (Billboard Latin Pop Albums - Los Angeles)[11] 13
US (Billboard Top Latin Albums - Nova Iorque)[12] 2
US (Billboard Top Latin Albums - Texas)[13] 4
Uruguai (Record World)[9] 4

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Notes" (PDF). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 12, 1982. p. 59. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Jose V. Arismendi C. (December 5, 1981). "Record World in Colombia" (PDF). Record World. p. 50. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "Súbete a mi moto: The Original Video and the Story Behind Menudo's Most Famous Song". October 6, 2020.
  4. ^ "Adrián Olivares, the Only Mexican Member of Menudo, Passes Away". July 9, 2024.
  5. ^ ""Súbete a mi moto": Origins and Facts about the Song that Defines Menudo". November 5, 2020.
  6. ^ ""Súbete a mi moto": Origins and Facts about the Song that Defines Menudo". El Comercio. October 6, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c "Este es el verdadero origen de la canción "Claridad" de Menudo: Un tema compuesto e interpretado por un cantante italiano que encontró en la boyband un éxito". El Universo (in Spanish). June 1, 2022. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  8. ^ Sabbaga, Julia (July 5, 2019). "Homem-Aranha: Longe de Casa | Conheça as músicas da trilha sonora". Omelete (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Record World Latin American (International) Hit Parade" (PDF). Record World. February 27, 1982. p. 60. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  10. ^ "In Venezuela We Obtain This Results!" (PDF). Cashbox. October 13, 1984. p. 32. Retrieved October 25, 2024. Instead of the album name, the report uses the catalog number of the album released in Venezuela.
  11. ^ a b "Billboard Special Survey Hot Latin LPs" (PDF). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 29, 1982. p. 33. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Billboard Special Survey Hot Latin LPs". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 31. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 7, 1982. p. 56. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Billboard Special Survey Hot Latin LPs" (PDF). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 30, 1982. p. 59. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  14. ^ Silva, Vilo Arias (December 5, 1981). "Record World in Mexico" (PDF). Record World. p. 48. Retrieved October 25, 2024. "(...) ya que las yentas, en todos los casos antesmencionados, superaron facilmente mas de medio millón de unidades vendidas entre elepes y cassettes en cada lanzamiento (...)
  15. ^ a b "Notes". Billboard (in Portuguese). Vol. 110, no. 9. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. February 28, 1998. p. 44. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "rene farrait sube a mi motora - Yahoo Video Search Results". video.search.Yahoo.com. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  17. ^ "International Best Sellers - Argentina" (PDF). Cashbox. August 29, 1981. p. 33. Retrieved November 5, 2024.


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