Maps of Music

Dion chante Plamondon (1991)

Where the lyrics of Dion chante Plamondon take you, and where it was really made.

Written entirely by Luc Plamondon, this album was released in Europe under a different title, Des mots qui sonnent, and it did not chart in France at first.

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Album story

Overview

• Dion chante Plamondon: ninth French-language studio album by Celine Dion
• Consists entirely of songs written by French-Canadian lyricist Luc Plamondon
• Released 4 November 1991 by Columbia Records and Epic Records
• Issued in Europe under the title Des mots qui sonnent (lit. 'Words that resonate')
• Four new songs: Des mots qui sonnent, Je danse dans ma tête, Quelqu'un que j'aime, quelqu'un qui m'aime, L'amour existe encore
• Eight covers, many drawn from the rock opera Starmania

Background

• Presents Dion's interpretations of lyrics by Luc Plamondon, a major figure in French-language songwriting in Canada
• Covers include Le monde est stone, Un garçon pas comme les autres (Ziggy), Le blues du businessman, Les uns contre les autres
• Those songs were originally performed by artists such as Fabienne Thibeault and Claude Dubois
• Other covers: Martine St-Clair's Le fils de Superman, Diane Dufresne's Oxygène and J'ai besoin d'un chum, Marie Carmen's Piaf chanterait du rock

Release

• Canada: 4 November 1991
• France, Belgium, Switzerland: 4 May 1992
• Australia: 25 January 1993
• Worldwide: 1994, becoming Dion's first French-language album to receive global distribution

Cover

• Four different cover artworks made for the Canadian, Francophone European, Japanese, and international editions

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born 30 March 1968 in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada, the youngest of 14 children.
• Discovered by future manager and husband René Angélil after her brother sent him a demo recording of her first song "Ce n'était qu'un rêve".
• Angélil mortgaged his home in 1981 to fund her first record, La voix du bon Dieu, which became a No. 1 hit in Quebec.
• Won the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo in 1982.
• Won the Eurovision Song Contest 1988 for Switzerland with "Ne partez pas sans moi".

Career

• Debuted in the Anglophone market with Unison (1990), followed by Celine Dion (1992).
• Breakthrough with "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) with Peabo Bryson, winning her first Grammy.
• The Colour of My Love (1993) and Falling into You (1996) became major international successes.
• "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic (1997) became her signature song and one of the best-selling singles.
• D'eux (1995) became the best-selling French-language album.
• Held the A New Day... residency at Caesars Palace (2003–2007), the highest-grossing concert residency; the Los Angeles Times ranked her the top-earning artist of the 2000s.
• Announced in 2022 a diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome, cancelling tours; returned to performing at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.

Members

• Solo artist; manager and husband René Angélil (died 2016) guided her career.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Dion chante Plamondon received strong critical and commercial recognition, winning the Juno Award for Francophone Album of the Year and the Félix Award for Best Selling Album of the Year
• Billboard critic Larry LeBlanc named it one of the best albums of 1992
• AllMusic highlighted Dion's vocal maturity and adaptability and the album's stylistic range
• Entertainment Weekly gave a more mixed view, describing the album as ambitious but uneven
• Entertainment Weekly suggested the theatrical approach may feel overwhelming to listeners less familiar with Plamondon's writing style

Reappraisal

• Retrospective assessments have been even more favourable
• French magazine Public rated the album 17.5/20, praising its dramatic scope and Dion's expressive delivery

Records

• Quebec: topped the chart, with seven weeks at number one
• Canada: reached number 57 on the Canadian Albums Chart
• Canada: certified double platinum
• France: released as Des mots qui sonnent; peaked at number four
• France: certified double platinum, more than one million copies sold in the country
• Belgian Wallonia chart: peaked at number 17, certified gold in November 1995
• Worldwide sales exceed two million copies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• In France the album initially did not chart and received limited attention on its debut.
• The album entered the French charts in September 1993, nearly a year after its release, after the single Un garçon pas comme les autres (Ziggy) became a major hit.
• Two tracks, L'amour existe encore and Le monde est stone, were included as B-sides on the international single Think Twice.
• Dion was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1992, 1993, and 1994, winning in 1994.
• The album was certified gold in Belgian Wallonia in November 1995, further demonstrating its lasting appeal in Francophone regions.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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