The song was written during Selena's "Live! Tour" in 1993. It began when Selena began to hum a melody in the tour bus. Her brother and Astudillo began writing down her melody lines. They wanted to write the entire melody into a song. "Amor Prohibido" was based on Selena's grandparents, Mexican immigrants, who were not allowed to be together. Their parents, Selena's great-grandparents, had forbidden them to love each other. This was because they were different from each other. When interviewed about the song, Selena said "Amor Prohibido" meant a lot to her and her family, and that it is one of her favorite songs. "Amor Prohibido" became the most successful single, along with "No Me Queda Mas", of 1994 and 1995.