These Are Special Times
These Are Special Times is the seventeenth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and her first English-language Christmas album. It was first released in Europe on 30 October 1998, by Columbia Records. In the United States, it was released on 3 November 1998 through Epic Records. The album features cover versions of popular Christmas songs and original material, including "I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer". Dion worked with David Foster and Ric Wake, who produced most of the album. These Are Special Times was released after two of Dion's most successful albums, Falling into You (1996) and Let's Talk About Love (1997).
These Are Special Times
30 October 1998
1998
- Avatar Studios, Clinton Recording, The Dream Factory, Nervious Music, Right Track Recording, WTM Studios (New York City)
- Chartmaker Studios, Enterprise Recorders, The Record Plant, Sony Sound Stage (Los Angeles)
- Cove City Sound Studios (Glen Clove)
- Criteria Recording Studios (Miami)
- Crystal Cathedral (Garden Grove)
- Le Studio (Morin-Heights)
- The Warehouse Studio (Vancouver)
64:35
- English
- French
- Spanish
- Italian
Upon its release, These Are Special Times received generally positive reviews from music critics. Many praised Dion's commitment to the project, as well as the production of the songs. The album has been certified six-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of six million copies in the United States. In Canada, the album has sold one million copies and been certified Diamond by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA). These Are Special Times has sold over 12 million copies worldwide and is one of the best-selling Christmas albums of all time.
The album spawned two singles. "I'm Your Angel" was released as the lead single on 16 November 1998 and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. "The Prayer", a duet with Andrea Bocelli, was released as a promotional single on 1 March 1999 and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 56th Golden Globe Awards. In addition, "I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer" were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 41st and 42nd Annual Grammy Awards, respectively. In 2021, Billboard named These Are Special Times the 8th Greatest Holiday Album of All Time.[1]
Background[edit]
Celine Dion released two French-language Christmas albums in her early career: Céline Dion chante Noël (1981)[2] and Chants et contes de Noël (1983).[3] Later, in 1993, she recorded "The Christmas Song" which appears on David Foster's The Christmas Album.[4] The next year, Dion was featured on Alvin and the Chipmunks' "Petit Papa Noël" which is on their album A Very Merry Chipmunk.[5] In 1996, she recorded "Brahms' Lullaby" for the compilation For Our Children Too to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.[6] "The Christmas Song" and "Brahms' Lullaby" were included on These Are Special Times in 1998.
Content[edit]
Dion worked on These Are Special Times with her longtime partners David Foster and Ric Wake, who produced most of the songs. The album contains seven original compositions: "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day" (co-written by Celine Dion;[7] covered by Avalon in 2000[8] and Clay Aiken in 2004[9]), "Another Year Has Gone By" (written and produced by Bryan Adams), a solo version of "The Magic of Christmas Day" (recorded in 1999 as a duet with Rosie O'Donnell and included on a charity album, A Rosie Christmas),[10] "The Prayer" (duet with Andrea Bocelli; each artist sang it solo on the 1998 soundtrack to Quest for Camelot),[7] "Christmas Eve", "These Are the Special Times" (written by Diane Warren; covered by Christina Aguilera in 2000[11]) and "I'm Your Angel" (duet with R. Kelly, written and produced by Kelly). Other tracks include inspired arrangements of standards like "O Holy Night", "Blue Christmas" (Diana Krall on acoustic piano), "Adeste Fideles", "Ave Maria" and new versions of the modern classics "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and "Feliz Navidad".[7] On the latter track and "Les cloches du hameau", Dion is joined by her family.[12] In October 2007, the album was re-released as a Collector's Edition that includes a DVD of Dion's CBS television special for These Are Special Times.[12] In November 2022, the album was re-released as a 2 LP Limited Edition Opaque Gold vinyl. In the wake of R. Kelly's legal issues, "I'm Your Angel" is omitted from this version's tracklist. Instead, "I Met An Angel (On Christmas Day)" - which was originally released as a B-Side to Dion's 1999 single "That's The Way It Is" - is included, as the album's closing track.[12] Digital versions of the album have also been updated to reflect this altered tracklist.
Notes