"A Boy Like That" is a song from the Broadway music West Side story covered by Selena. The song is featured on the various-artists compilation album The Songs of West Side Story and on the Selena Movie Soundtrack
Background[]
"A Boy Like That / I Have A Love" is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. In the musical, the song is sung by the characters Anita and Maria. For the original Broadway cast recording, the song was performed by Chita Rivera (Anita) and Carol Lawrence (Maria). In the 1961 film version the roles were played by Rita Moreno and Natalie Wood, but the songs were dubbed by Betty Wand and Marni Nixon (as both Anita and Maria). However, the repeat of the two stanzas, sung by Anita, along with Maria's counterpoint of her defense, was omitted because of the complexity of the song, as well as to avoid the repetition, which would have slowed down the pace of the film. In the 2021 film, the roles were played by Ariana DeBose and Rachel Zegler.
In 2010, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Raúl Esparza performed the song at Broadway Backwards, an annual Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS showcase of show tunes sung by different genders. Miranda played Anita, while Esparza played Maria.
Selena's version[]
In 1995, Selena recorded the song for the various-artists compilation album The Songs of West Side Story, which was a benefit for AIDS Project Los Angeles. Her version of the song was released posthumously as a single in 1996 by RCA Victor, with the maxi-single including four remixes by Tony Moran. The song was also included on the soundtrack album Selena. David Pack produced the track and Sheila E. performed percussion. Additional vocals were provided by Michelle Weeks, Godwin, and Nikki Richards.
A promotional video of the song was later released directed by Kenny Ortega.
A Boy Like That EP (The Remixes)[]
An extended play titled A Boy Like That (The Remixes) was released in 1996. The EP consists 8 versions of the song, four of them being remixes. The EP was a promotional release for radio DJ's.
Tracklisting[]
# | Title | Length | Writer(s) | Featured Guest(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | A Boy Like That (Radio Edit 1) | 4:06 | Stephen Sondheim | |
2 | A Boy Like That (Radio Edit 2) | 4:06 | Sondheim | |
3 | A Boy Like That (Original Edit) | 3:28 | Sondheim | |
4 | A Boy Like That (Extended Remix) | 8:14 | Sondheim | |
5 | A Boy Like That (Guitar Remix) | 4:54 | Sondheim | |
6 | A Boy Like That (Dub Remix) | 8:40 | Sondheim | |
7 | A Boy Like That (Tribal Mix) | 7:13 | Sondheim | |
8 | A Boy Like That (Original Full Version) | 5:51 | Sondheim, Selena |
Trivia[]
- Tracks 5 & 6 were incorrectly labeled as 5:32 and 9:17 respectively, on both sleeve and disc.
- This is one of the the last recordings Selena made before her death.