Menudo gains worldwide success with the release of Quiero Ser.
You may know this album as “Quiero Ser, “Rock Chiquillo,” or even “Fuego” depending on what country you were in when the album was released in 1981. The album was released around the world and help Menudo gain worldwide success as this album was probably the most accessible for pop music fans in the early ’80s. It still had a nice disco beat that was people were still hanging on to at that time, especially in Latin America.
Quiero Ser, the album, is probably one of Menudo’s top-selling albums of all time. While numbers just aren’t around like they are now, this album has some of the most successful hits from Menudo’s long history.
Featuring veteran member, Ricky Melendez, along with Rene Farrait, Johnny Lozada, Xavier Serbia, and the newest member at the time, a young, Miguel Cancel, this is the group that put Menudo on the musical map for success. As I said, this album has been released in many countries which also means there a quite a few different editions to the album available out there on the second-hand market. Being a collector of Menudo music, this is probably the album that creates the most havoc for collectors.
While I love to talk about differences in versions and editions, I also love to talk about music too. Menudo’s biggest hits like “Subete A Mi Moto,” “Quiero Ser,” and “Claridad” were all on this album. When discussing Menudo music with older fans, those songs are usually mentioned a lot. While they are great songs, they are not the best of the album by far. Two of my favorite all-time Menudo songs come from this album. “Rock En La TV” and “Bailemos En El Mar,” both sung by Miguel, are great tunes that you can jam out to whenever they come on the radio.
The song, “Subete A Mi Moto” actually has two versions and can be found on different versions and editions. At the time, they might have issued the version that sings, “Sube A Mi Motora.” But ultimately, the official version of the song is “Subete A Mi Moto,” which is the version that will be sung during concerts for years after. From what I have learned over the years, the alternate version was a demo that was released on early editions in South American countries. It was re-recorded and released on later editions such as those in the US and Mexico.
The album was released on CD in the ’90s by BMG and that CD version is very sought after. The rights to the music seem to be up in the air, especially in countries such as Puerto Rico and Panama, where MTM has released a new CD version that is available at record stores in those countries. Though if you do get one of the new CDs, you will not have the song “Ella-a-a.” That song was officially released on the previous album of “Fuego,” but many editions of the album “Quiero Ser” also featured the song.
No matter what version you own, the fact that you own some of the greatest Menudo songs of all time is a win for you.
Since that day, I have been study Latin pop and rock music and have become a Latin pop music historian through the publishing of articles, fanzine, and websites. My goal is to teach people about Latin pop music and the history behind it with my website, Siempre En Domingo.
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