Maps of Music

Let's Talk About Love (1997)

Where the lyrics of Let's Talk About Love take you, and where it was really made.

The album sold over 31 million copies worldwide, yet its lead single "Tell Him" was never commercially released in the United States.

Key places

Recorded at AIR, London (1997)

Recording site AIR (London) — The album was developed as a project recorded in London, New York, and Los Angeles. AIR in London is one of the studios where it was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Eden Studios, London (1997)

Recording site Eden Studios (London) — The album was developed as a project recorded in London, New York, and Los Angeles. Eden Studios in London is one of the studios where it was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Hit Factory, New York (1997)

Recording site The Hit Factory — The album was developed as a project recorded in London, New York, and Los Angeles. Hit Factory in New York City is one of the studios where it was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Record Plant, Los Angeles (1997)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The album was developed as a project recorded in London, New York, and Los Angeles. Record Plant in Los Angeles is one of the studios where it was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Paramount, Hollywood (1997)

Recording site Paramount (Hollywood) — The album was developed as a project recorded in London, New York, and Los Angeles. Paramount in Hollywood is one of the studios where it was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Sunset Sound, Hollywood (1997)

Recording site Sunset Sound — The album was developed as a project recorded in London, New York, and Los Angeles. Sunset Sound in Hollywood is one of the studios where it was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Cove City Sound, Glen Cove (1997)

Recording site Cove City Sound Studios — The album was recorded in multiple international studios. Cove City Sound in Glen Cove is one of the studios named in its recording credits. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at WallyWorld, San Rafael (1997)

Recording site Wallyworld — The album was recorded in multiple international studios. WallyWorld in San Rafael is one of the studios named in its recording credits. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Let's Talk About Love: fifteenth studio album and fifth English-language release by Canadian singer Celine Dion
• Issued 14 November 1997 by Columbia Records and Epic Records
• Conceived as the follow-up to the global success of Falling into You (1996)
• Combines contemporary ballads, adult contemporary elements, and collaborations with well-known artists
• Contains Dion's signature song "My Heart Will Go On"

Background

• Marks a further development of Dion's pop sound
• Guest contributors include Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, Luciano Pavarotti, Carole King, George Martin, Diana King, Brownstone, and Corey Hart
• Long-time producers David Foster, Ric Wake, Walter Afanasieff, Humberto Gatica, and Jim Steinman worked on the album again
• "My Heart Will Go On" was written by James Horner and Will Jennings as the love theme for James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic
• Regional editions were issued: "To Love You More" on US and Latin American editions, "Be the Man" on European, Australian, and Asian editions

Recording

• Recorded in multiple international studios
• Developed as an internationally oriented project recorded in London, New York, and Los Angeles
• Tracklist also includes covers, such as Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" and Mina's "Grande grande grande", adapted as the English-language duet "I Hate You Then I Love You"

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

• Critics gave the album mainly positive reviews upon release
• Billboard editor Paul Verna offered one of the strongest endorsements, praising Dion's super-charged vocals and naming "Immortality", "To Love You More", "The Reason", "Us", and "My Heart Will Go On" as highlights
• Billboard's Larry Flick described "My Heart Will Go On" as a carefully delivered ballad
• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave four out of five stars
• The Boston Globe: Steve Morse praised the polished production and Dion's vocal authority
• Toronto Star: Peter Howell gave three and a half stars out of four
• Music Week responded positively to the melodic focus and production quality
• Public (France) gave a score of 17/20
• Entertainment Weekly: David Browne gave a C, saying the large-scale production sometimes overshadowed the songwriting
• Los Angeles Times: Elysa Gardner gave two out of four stars

Reappraisal

• Often noted as a significant release in Dion's career and a major pop album of the late 1990s
• Retrospective commentary frequently cites it as an example of late-1990s pop production
• Its association with the film Titanic has kept it in discussions of popular music from the era

Records

• Sony announced advance orders of 10 million copies worldwide before release
• Sold 27 million copies worldwide by the end of 1998, the best-selling album of that year
• Sold over 31 million copies worldwide to date
• US: debuted at number two with 334,000 first-week copies; certified diamond by the RIAA in November 1999 for shipments over 10 million
• Canada: debuted at number one with 230,212 copies; certified diamond after three weeks
• UK: debuted at number one; six-times platinum by the BPI in October 1998
• France: seven weeks at number one; diamond certification in April 1998
• Germany: first number-one album for Dion there; triple platinum by the BVMI
• Australia: debuted at number one; seven-times platinum by the ARIA

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Lead single "Tell Him", a duet with Barbra Streisand, premiered on US radio on 7 October 1997 but was not commercially released in the United States
• "Be the Man" was the first single in Japan, released 13 November 1997, and received a platinum certification from the RIAJ
• In December 1997 Dion performed "My Heart Will Go On" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and at the Music for UNICEF Concert in New York
• Canada's opening-week record of 230,212 copies was later surpassed by the 306,000-copy debut of Adele's 25 (2015)
• Several European concerts scheduled for May and June 1999 were cancelled following the diagnosis of her husband René Angélil with throat cancer
• Dion's 1998 tour of Europe and Asia was followed by Au cœur du stade, a live album and DVD released in 1999

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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