Celine Dion (album)
Celine Dion's second English album featuring the award-winning duet "Beauty and the Beast".
Celine Dion is the eleventh studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion and her second English-language album, released on 30 March 1992 by Columbia Records and Epic Records. It includes the Grammy and Academy Award-winning duet "Beauty and the Beast" along with the singles "If You Asked Me To" and "Love Can Move Mountains". The album reached number one in Quebec and number three in Canada, where it was certified diamond for shipments of more than one million copies.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Celine Dion
- Released
- 30 March 1992
- Recorded
- October 1991 – February 1992
- Genre
- Pop
- Length
- 61:04
- Label
- Columbia; Epic
- Producer
- Walter Afanasieff
- Humberto Gatica
- Guy Roche
- Ric Wake
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | Walter Afanasieff | 1:14 |
| 2 | Love Can Move Mountains | Diane Warren | 4:53 |
| 3 | Show Some Emotion | Andrew Gold, Gregory Prestopino, Brock Walsh | 4:29 |
| 4 | If You Asked Me To | Warren | 3:55 |
| 5 | If You Could See Me Now | Afanasieff, John Bettis | 5:07 |
| 6 | Halfway to Heaven | Franne Golde, Nicky Holland, Hal David | 5:05 |
| 7 | Did You Give Enough Love | Seth Swirsky, Arnie Roman | 4:22 |
| 8 | If I Were You | Shelly Peiken, Roman | 5:07 |
| 9 | Beauty and the Beast (with Peabo Bryson) | Alan Menken, Howard Ashman | 4:04 |
| 10 | I Love You, Goodbye | Warren | 3:34 |
| 11 | Little Bit of Love | Claude Gaudette, Andy Scott | 4:27 |
| 12 | Water from the Moon | Warren | 4:40 |
| 13 | With This Tear | Prince | 4:12 |
| 14 | Nothing Broken but My Heart | Warren | 5:55 |
| Total length | 61:04 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Background and content
Dion's international profile rose sharply after she and Peabo Bryson performed the title track for the 1991 Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast. That duet set a template she would follow for years: soft-rock ballads with orchestral backing and a spotlight on her voice. It became her second top-ten single in the United States and won several major prizes, boosting her standing in the English-language market. For her self-titled album, she brought in a largely fresh set of songwriters and producers. Diane Warren contributed five songs, and Prince wrote "With This Tear" specifically for her. That track was one of the last added to the album, taking the place of a planned cover of "Calling You." Walter Afanasieff, Ric Wake, and Roche handled most of the production, giving the record a sleek, contemporary pop feel. By 1992, the momentum from her earlier album Unison, the release of Celine Dion, and frequent media appearances had pushed her into the North American mainstream, fulfilling her goal of breaking into the English-speaking market. Around this time, her working relationship with manager René Angélil turned romantic, though the couple kept it quiet because of their 26-year age gap. The European version of the album includes "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" as an extra track. In Australia, the album was reissued on 7 September 1992 with a bonus disc featuring four singles from Unison. Another song from the sessions, "Send Me a Lover," later appeared on the 1994 charity compilation Kumbaya Album 1994. To support the album, Dion opened for Michael Bolton on his Time, Love and Tenderness Tour across the United States in the summer of 1992. She then toured Canada from August 1992 to March 1993 with her own Celine Dion in Concert tour.
Critical reception
Critics generally praised Celine Dion, highlighting her vocal ability, the album’s cohesive style, and its sleek pop sound. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it “even stronger and more accomplished” than her first American release, noting the smooth arrangements and assured performances. Arion Berger of Entertainment Weekly pointed to Dion’s technical skill, observing that even on a challenging track like Prince’s “With This Tear,” she sings with clarity and exactness. Jan DeKnock of the Chicago Tribune remarked that Dion’s improving comfort with English let her “deliver the emotional nuances of a lyric,” ranking her among the top pop vocalists of the era. Parry Gettelman of the Orlando Sentinel praised her work on the dance-pop songs “Love Can Move Mountains,” “Did You Give Enough Love,” and “Little Bit of Love.” Tim Evans of RPM called the album “terrific” with many highlights, naming “Water from the Moon” as the strongest track, along with the upbeat, radio-ready “Love Can Move Mountains” and “Little Bit of Love.” Ron Fell of the Gavin Report wrote that Dion “soars with amazing grace through a workout set aside for only the most glorious and gifted voices” and “takes no prisoners in this souled-out set.” He singled out the “future hits” “Love Can Move Mountains” and “Little Bit of Love,” as well as the “ballads of exquisite sentimentality” “Water from the Moon” and “If You Could.” Fell also credited producer Walter Afanasieff with taking Dion to “new creative highs.” While critic Robert Christgau gave a less favorable review, his opinion stood apart from the broader critical consensus, which saw the album as a key milestone in Dion’s English-language career.
Commercial performance
Celine Dion was a major commercial success, ultimately selling over five million copies worldwide. The album marked a turning point in Dion's English-language career, outperforming her earlier releases and helping establish her as an emerging international pop artist. In the United States, Celine Dion became her most commercially successful album up to that point. As of May 2016, it had sold 2.4 million copies according to Nielsen SoundScan, with an additional 624,000 units sold through the BMG Music Club. It was certified double platinum by the RIAA and reached number 34 on the Billboard 200. Its US performance was supported by strong radio play, soundtrack exposure, and extensive promotional activity. In Canada, the album achieved major success, topping the chart in Quebec for six weeks, peaking at number three nationally, and earning a diamond certification from the CRIA for sales of one million copies. Its strong domestic performance reinforced Dion's position as one of Canada's leading pop artists and supported her transition into the anglophone market. Internationally, Celine Dion charted in several territories. It reached number 15 in Australia, number 31 in New Zealand, number 59 in Japan, and number 70 in the United Kingdom. It received platinum certification from the ARIA and gold certifications in both the UK and Japan. Its global sales were strengthened by the international reach of its singles and Dion's growing reputation in pop and adult contemporary formats. Dion also received her first World Music Award for Best Selling Canadian Female Recording Artist of the Year. The album's most successful single, "Beauty and the Beast", peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold in the United States. Its chart performance was supported by the song's Academy Award and Grammy Award wins. Other singles that reached the US top 40 included "If You Asked Me To" (number four), "Nothing Broken but My Heart" (number 29), and "Love Can Move Mountains" (number 36). "Water from the Moon" peaked at number 11 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, while in Canada, "Did You Give Enough Love" reached number 17 on the RPM Top Singles chart.
Accolades
Celine Dion received numerous awards and nominations, reflecting its critical and commercial impact. It was nominated for the Juno Award for Album of the Year and the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Dion won the Female Vocalist of the Year and was nominated for Canadian Entertainer of the Year. She also received the Billboard International Creative Achievement Award and a nomination for Hot Adult Contemporary Artist. At the Félix Awards, she won Artist of the Year Achieving the Most Success in a Language Other Than French and Artist of the Year Achieving the Most Success Outside Quebec. Internationally, she won the World Music Award for World's Best Selling Canadian Female Artist of the Year and received the Governor General's Medal of Recognition for her contribution to Canadian culture. "Beauty and the Beast" received extensive recognition, winning the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television, and earning nominations for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the Juno Award for Single of the Year, the ASCAP Film and Television Music Award for Most Performed Song from Motion Picture, and the ASCAP Pop Award for Most Performed Song. "If You Asked Me To" won the ASCAP Pop Award for Most Performed Song and was nominated for the Juno Award for Single of the Year and the Billboard Music Award for Hot Adult Contemporary Single of the Year. "Nothing Broken but My Heart" also received an ASCAP Pop Award. "Love Can Move Mountains" won the Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year and was nominated for Single of the Year. Dion's performance of the song at the Juno Awards of 1993 earned a nomination for the Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Variety Program or Series.
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