Falling into You
Falling into You is the fourteenth studio album and fourth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 11 March 1996 by Sony Music. The follow-up to her blockbuster album The Colour of My Love (1993) and French-language D'eux (1995), Falling into You showed a further progression of Dion's music. Throughout the project she collaborated with Jim Steinman, who wrote and produced "It's All Coming Back to Me Now", among others. Several songs were produced by David Foster, including Diane Warren's "Because You Loved Me". In total, Dion worked on the album with fourteen producers and a variety of songwriters and musicians.
For the song, see Falling into You (song).Falling into You
11 March 1996
1995–1996
- Capitol, Hollywood
- Compass Point, Nassau, Bahamas
- Cove City Sound Studios
- Hum Inc. Productions
- L.I. New York
- MEGA Studios
- Dream Factory, New York City
- Hit Factory, New York City
- Power Station, New York City
- Record Plant, Los Angeles
- Westlake, Los Angeles
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Falling into You won many awards around the world, including two Grammy awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album at the 39th annual ceremony, during which Dion performed live. In April 1997, she also won three World Music Awards for World's Best Selling Artist of the Year, World's Best Selling Pop Artist of the Year and World's Best Selling Canadian Artist of the Year. The album is on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Definitive 200 list.[1]
Falling into You became Dion's best-selling album and one of the best-selling albums in history, with sales of more than 32 million copies worldwide, including twelve million copies in the US, over two million in the United Kingdom, and over one million in Germany, France, Canada and Australia. In Europe, it has sold over nine million units. It topped the charts around the world, including number one in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Australia and many more. It became one of the best-selling albums of 1996 and 1997 in various countries and also one of the top-selling albums of the decade. It was certified Diamond, Multi-Platinum, Platinum and Gold around the world.
Five singles were released from the album in Europe, four in Australia, and three in North America. The major success came with the release of "Because You Loved Me", theme from Up Close & Personal (number one in the United States, Canada and Australia), "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (number one in Canada, Belgium and number two in the US), and Eric Carmen's "All by Myself" (top ten in various countries, including number four in the US).
Conception and composition[edit]
Falling into You presented Dion at the height of her popularity, and showed a further progression of her music. The album combines many elements: ornate orchestral frills and African chanting, and instruments like the violin, Spanish guitar, trombone, the cavaquinho, saxophone and supreme string arrangements, which created a new sound. The singles also encompassed a variety of musical styles. "Falling into You" (originally by Marie-Claire D'Ubaldo) and "River Deep, Mountain High" (Ike & Tina Turner cover) made prominent use of percussion instruments. "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (originally by Pandora's Box) and "All by Myself" (Eric Carmen cover) kept their soft-rock atmosphere, but were combined with the classical sound of the piano.
The ballad, "Because You Loved Me", written by Diane Warren, served as the theme to the 1996 film Up Close & Personal. The album also includes English adaptations of songs from D'eux: "If That's What It Takes" ("Pour que tu m'aimes encore"), "I Don't Know" ("Je sais pas") and "Fly" ("Vole"). Outside North America, Falling into You also features a cover of Carole King's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". In Asia, the Japanese hit "To Love You More" was added as well. Additionally, the non-US editions of the album include "Your Light", written and produced by Aldo Nova and the Spanish/Latin America editions feature "Sola Otra Vez", a Spanish-language version of "All by Myself". Dion worked on Falling into You with many producers, mainly with Jim Steinman, David Foster, Ric Wake, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Humberto Gatica.[2]
Cultural impact[edit]
Elle Canada discussed how Falling into You changed pop music forever saying: "the album helped shape genre trends of the era and cemented the enduring relevance of the heartfelt power ballad in a cynical musical landscape that still sneered at sentimentality. Dion, especially with Falling into You, helped usher power ballads into the '90s. And her influence set the stage for the next generation of big vocalists such as Adele, Jennifer Hudson, Lady Gaga, and Ariana Grande".[17]
Reader's Digest Canada included Falling into You as one of the 25 Greatest Canadian Albums of all time, placing it at number 22, calling it the "most complete summation of her gifts as an entertainer: stylish, catchy and unabashedly emotional".[18]
In 2014, Richard Dunn recorded a video on his iPhone when he was trapped alone in the Las Vegas airport overnight which utilized one of the biggest songs from the album, the 1996 cover of Eric Carmen's "All by Myself" that immediately became a viral hit across the internet.[19]
Shock listed Céline Dion as one of the most memorable music acts in the history of Olympic games.[20] USA Today also listed The Power of the Dream at the Atlanta Olympic Games as the second best Olympic themesong ever.[21] On 19 July 1996, for a TV audience of 3.5 billion viewers, Celine Dion sang "The Power of the Dream" during the Opening Ceremonies of the Atlanta Olympic Games. It was the ultimate triumph that made her arguably the most famous singer on the planet at that time.[22]
In early 2022, the classic hit "Its All Coming Back To Me Now" saw a resurgence on TikTok.[23] Superstars like Michael Buble,[24] Mandy Moore,[25] Amanda Holden,[26] Jordin Sparks[27] and Viola Davis[28] among many others jumped on the trend.
Singles[edit]
Two songs were released in February 1996 to promote the album: "Falling into You" in Europe and Australia, and "Because You Loved Me" in North America, South America and Asia. In May 1996, "Because You Loved Me" was issued as the second single in Europe and Australia. "Falling into You" reached number one in Spain, number eight in Norway and number ten in the United Kingdom, and entered top forty on the charts in other countries. Much bigger success came with "Because You Loved Me", which peaked at number one in the United States, Canada and Australia. The song also reached top ten in many countries around the world, including number five in the UK. It was certified two-times Platinum in Australia, Platinum in the US and New Zealand, and Gold in the UK and Germany.
"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" was released as the second single in North America in July 1996. It topped the chart in Canada and peaked at number two in the US. In September 1996, "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" was issued as the third single in most European countries and in Australia. In France and Germany, it was released as the fourth single in early 1997. "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" reached number one in Belgium and peaked inside top ten in various countries, including number three in the UK. It was certified Platinum in the US and Gold in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
"All by Myself" was issued as the third single in France and Germany in October 1996. In other European countries it was released as the fourth single in December 1996, after "It's All Coming Back to Me Now". "All by Myself" was also issued as the fourth single in Australia in February 1997 and third in North America in March 1997. It reached number four in the US and peaked inside top ten in several other countries, including number six in the UK. "All by Myself" was certified Gold in the US, and Silver in the UK and France. The fifth European single, "Call the Man" was released in June 1997 and reached number eight in Ireland and number eleven in the UK. It was a minor hit in few other countries.
The Asian editions of Falling into You included "To Love You More", a 1995 hit single which reached number one in Japan and has sold 1.3 million copies there. The editions of Falling into You released outside North America featured "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", which was released in few countries as a promotional single from Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King in November 1995. The Australian and Asian limited editions of Falling into You with bonus disc included "The Power of the Dream", a song performed by Dion during the 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. "The Power of the Dream" was released as a single in Japan in August 1996. It reached number thirty there and was certified Gold. Additionally, three more promotional singles from Falling into You were released: "Dreamin' of You" in Mexico, "Make You Happy" in Brazil and "River Deep – Mountain High" in France.
Promotion[edit]
Dion promoted her new album with the Falling Into You Around the World Tour. It started in Perth, Australia on 18 March 1996 and ended on 26 June 1997 in Zürich, Switzerland. Dion toured Australia in March 1996, Canada in May and June 1996, the United States between July and August 1996, Europe between September and November 1996, and Canada again in December 1996. In February 1997 she toured Asia, in March and April 1997 the US, in May 1997 Canada and in June 1997 Europe again. One of the concerts was recorded and released in selected countries on VHS. It was titled Live in Memphis.
Dion also promoted Falling into You on various television shows. In the US, she performed "Because You Loved Me" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee in March 1996. Dion also sang it on the Late Show with David Letterman in April 1996 and Good Morning America and The Oprah Winfrey Show in May 1996. She performed her next US single, "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in July 1996 and The Rosie O'Donnell Show in September 1996. On 19 July 1996, Dion sang "The Power of the Dream" at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States.
In December 1996, she performed her third US single, "All by Myself" at the Billboard Music Awards and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Dion also sang it at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards on 26 February 1997. Additionally, she performed "Seduces Me" on The Rosie O'Donnell Show in January 1997 and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" on the Late Show with David Letterman the next month. In March 1997, Dion sang "Because You Loved Me" and "Fly" on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She also performed "Because You Loved Me" and "I Finally Found Someone" at the 69th Academy Awards on 24 March 1997.
The promotion in other countries included performance of "Falling into You" at the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy in March 1996, and "Because You Loved Me" on two Dutch television shows, Vijf TV Show and Tros in April 1996. The next month, Dion performed "Because You Loved Me" at the World Music Awards in Monte Carlo, Monaco and on the German television show Verstehen Sie Spaß?, and "Falling into You" on the French television show Dimanche Martin.
In November 1996, she sang "All by Myself" at the Bambi Awards in Germany. Dion also performed "All by Myself" and "River Deep, Mountain High" on Taratata in France the same month. In December 1996 she sang "All by Myself" on the French television show Les Années Tubes. In March 1997, Dion performed "To Love You More" with Taro Hakase on violin at the Juno Awards. In April 1997, she sang "To Love You More" with Taro Hakase again on the Japanese television show, Music Fair and "Call the Man" at the World Music Awards in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
The album contains 14 tracks on the US edition, 15 in Canada and 16 in other countries. Songs added outside the US include: "Your Light", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "To Love You More" and "Sola Otra Vez".
Notes