Celine Dion

Celine Dion
Studio album by Céline Dion
Released	March 31, 1992 (1992-03-31) (see release history)
Recorded	1991-1992
Genre	Pop
Length	61:06
Label	Epic, 550
Producer	Walter Afanasieff, Humberto Gatica, Guy Roche, Ric Wake
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Entertainment Weekly (B-) link
Céline Dion chronology
Dion chante Plamondon (1991) Celine Dion (1992) The Colour of My Love (1993)
Singles from Celine Dion
"Beauty and the Beast" Released: December 30, 1991 "If You Asked Me To" Released: April 6, 1992 "Nothing Broken But My Heart" Released: July 13, 1992 "Love Can Move Mountains" Released: November 2, 1992 "Water from the Moon" Released: March 1, 1993 "Did You Give Enough Love" Released: July 5, 1993

Celine Dion is an eponymous album by Canadian singer Céline Dion, released on March 31, 1992. It's her 2nd English album and 17th in total. It includes Grammy and Academy Award winning song "Beauty and the Beast."

Album information

Dion's real international breakthrough came when she paired up with Peabo Bryson to record the title track to Walt Disney Pictures animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). The song captured a musical style that Dion would utilize in the future: sweeping, classical and soft rock influenced adult contemporary ballads with soft instrumentation. Both a critical and commercial smash, the song became her second United States top 10 hit, and also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, Grammy Awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and "Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, and was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. That song was also the first single from Celine Dion album which had a soft rock influence that was combined with elements of soul and classical music. Due to the success of the lead-off single, the album was as well received. As with Dion's earlier releases, the album had an overtone of love.

Dion worked with a new team of writers and producers on her eponymous album. Five songs were written by Diane Warren. "With This Tear" was a gift from Prince who wrote the song especially for Céline Dion and offered it to her. The tracks were produced mainly by Walter Afanasieff, Ric Wake and Guy Roche. Thanks to Celine Dion, the singer was nominated also for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

By 1992, Unison, Celine Dion and media appearances had propelled Dion to superstardom in the North America. She had achieved one of her main objectives: wedging her way into the anglophone market and establishing fame. Apart from her rising success, there were also changes in Dion's personal life, as René Angélil would make the transition from manager to lover. However, the relationship was kept a secret as both feared that the public would find the twenty-six-year difference between their ages incongruous.

The European version of Celine Dion included "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" as a bonus track. The album was re-released on September 7, 1992 in Australia with a bonus disc containing four songs from Unison.

Dion did the Celine Dion Tour to support the album.

"Send Me a Lover" was a "leftover" from the recording sessions of the Celine Dion album and it was released in 1994 on the charity compilation Kumbaya Album 1994.

Critical reception

Allmusic wrote that "Celine Dion's self-titled follow-up to her successful American debut is even stronger and more accomplished."^[1]

Chart success

Celine Dion was an even bigger success than Dion's debut English album, selling over 5.5 million copies worldwide^[2] and reaching number 3 in Canada and number 34 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Although Celine Dion has sold 3 million copies in the U.S. alone, it is certified just 2x platinum by the RIAA.

According to Nielsen SoundScan, Celine Dion has sold 2,339,000 copies in the U.S. through August 23, 2009.^[3] Also through January 21, 2007, another 22,000 copies of Celine Dion were sold in a 3CD box set, called The Collection: Unison/Celine Dion/The Colour of My Love from 2004.^[4] Additional 624,000 copies were sold through BMG Music Club (data from 2002).^[5]

Dion's popularity was also showing in Canada where the album peaked at number 3 and was certified diamond for over 1 million copies sold.^[6] In other regions of the world the album gained great review and showed her chart higher than she had before. On her next English album Dion would soar to heights she had never experienced. She also received her first World Music Award for Best Selling Canadian Female Recording Artist of the Year.

Celine Dion also peaked at number 15 in Australia, number 31 in New Zealand, number 59 in Japan, and number 70 in the United Kingdom. It was also certified gold in Japan and Australia, after selling over 100,000 and 35,000 copies respectively.

Singles released from the album gave Céline Dion even more commercial success. The biggest of which was "Beauty and the Beast" which charted at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over 500,000 copies in the U.S. and was certified gold.^[7] Other singles that achieved commercial success included "If You Asked Me To" (a cover of Patti LaBelle's song from the 1989 movie Licence to Kill) which peaked at number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the gospel-tinged "Love Can Move Mountains," "Nothing Broken But My Heart," "Water from the Moon" and "Did You Give Enough Love."

Track listing

1. "Introduction" (Walter Afanasieff) – 1:15
2. "Love Can Move Mountains" (Diane Warren) – 4:53
3. "Show Some Emotion" (Gregory Prestopino, Andrew Gold, Brock Walsh) – 4:29
4. "If You Asked Me To" (Warren) – 3:55
5. "If You Could See Me Now" (John Bettis, Afanasieff) – 5:07
6. "Halfway to Heaven" (Franne Golde, Hal David, N. Holland) – 5:05
7. "Did You Give Enough Love" (Seth Swirsky, Arnie Roman) – 4:21
8. "If I Were You" (Roman, Shelly Peiken) – 5:07
9. "Beauty and the Beast" (with Peabo Bryson) (Alan Menken, Howard Ashman) – 4:04
10. "I Love You, Goodbye" (Warren) – 3:33
11. "Little Bit of Love" (Andy Scott, Claude Gaudette) – 4:27
12. "Water from the Moon" (Warren) – 4:38
13. "With This Tear" (Prince) – 4:12
14. "Nothing Broken But My Heart" (Warren) – 5:55
15. "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" (Robert White Johnson, Taylor Rhodes) – 4:33 (European bonus track)

Australian bonus disc

1. "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" (Johnson, Rhodes) – 4:33
2. "(If There Was) Any Other Way" (Paul Bliss) – 4:00
3. "Unison" (Andy Goldmark, Bruce Roberts) – 4:13
4. "The Last to Know" (Walsh, Phil Galdston) – 4:35

Chart performance

¹ should be certified 3x platinum (3,000,000)

Awards

Release history

See also

• List of BMG Music Club's top selling albums in the United States

References