À l'Olympia (Celine Dion album)

À l'Olympia
Live album by
Celine Dion
Released21 November 1994 (1994-11-21)
Recorded28–29 September 1994
VenueOlympia (Paris)
GenrePop
Length68:13
Language
  • French
  • English
Label
Celine Dion chronology
The Colour of My Love
(1993) 		À l'Olympia
(1994) 		D'eux
(1995)
Singles from À l'Olympia
  1. "Calling You"
    Released: 19 December 1994

À l'Olympia (lit. 'At the Olympia') is the second live album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 21 November 1994 by Columbia Records and Epic Records. Recorded during two sold‑out concerts at the historic Paris Olympia, the album documents Dion at a key stage in her expanding international career, combining her established French‑language repertoire with several of her most widely known English‑language songs. The setlist draws heavily from Dion chante Plamondon (1991) and includes live versions of "The Power of Love", "Where Does My Heart Beat Now", "Love Can Move Mountains", and the Academy Award‑nominated "Calling You".

À l'Olympia received positive critical reception for its arrangements and for presenting Dion's vocal work in a live context. Commercially, it performed strongly in Francophone markets, selling over one million copies in Europe and earning a platinum certification from the IFPI. It also achieved platinum status in both Canada and France, supporting Dion's growing visibility across international pop and adult contemporary audiences.

Content

I had been waiting for this moment for a long time, for 10 years in fact... when I was 16 I came to sing three songs as the opening act on this stage; it was my dream which finally came true.

— Celine Dion, on performing at the Paris Olympia for the first time[1]

The album was recorded on 28 and 29 September 1994 during two sold‑out concerts at the historic Paris Olympia. In addition to selections from Dion chante Plamondon, the setlist included Dion's rendition of the Academy Award‑nominated "Calling You" from Bagdad Café, a cover of Jacques Brel's "Quand on n'a que l'amour", and a medley from the rock opera Starmania. The medley includes two songs not previously recorded by Dion: "Quand on arrive en ville" and "Naziland, ce soir on danse", the latter of which she had earlier recorded in English as "Tonight We Dance (Extravagance!)" for the 1992 compilation Tycoon.

Although À l'Olympia was not released in several major music markets—including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia—tracks from the album appeared as B‑sides on various English‑language singles issued in 1995 and 1996. A video release of the concert has not been issued.

"Quand on n'a que l'amour", "Elle", and the "Medley Starmania" were later included on Dion's 2005 French‑language compilation On ne change pas. The Olympia concerts formed part of The Colour of My Love Tour.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

À l'Olympia received generally positive commentary from critics. In his review for AllMusic, José F. Promis praised the quality of Dion's live vocals and the overall sound of the performance.[2] Promis wrote that the album presents Dion shortly after achieving her first US number‑one single, "The Power of Love", and noted the setlist's mix of early English‑language hits—such as "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" and "Love Can Move Mountains"—alongside selections from Dion chante Plamondon.[2] He also mentioned tracks like "Des mots qui sonnent", "Le blues du businessman", and "Ziggy" for their energetic live arrangements, and observed that the inclusion of two songs unique to this release, "Elle" and "Calling You", may appeal to collectors.[2]

Commercial performance

À l'Olympia achieved solid commercial results in Francophone markets and became one of Dion's most successful live albums of the 1990s. The album sold one million copies in Europe and was certified platinum by the IFPI.[3] Its strong performance in France and Belgium was supported by Dion's rising popularity in the region following the success of Dion chante Plamondon and her increasing visibility on European television and radio.

In Canada, the album sold 200,000 copies[4] and was certified platinum by the CRIA.[5] The album also received a platinum certification in France,[6] reflecting Dion's growing status as a major francophone singer.

Chart-wise, À l'Olympia peaked at number three in Quebec, number 10 in France, and number 31 in Canada—where Quebec sales were not included in the national chart at the time.[7] On the Belgian Wallonia chart, available only from April 1995 onward, the album reached number 19. In Switzerland, it also charted modestly, supported by Dion's expanding francophone audience and the success of her earlier studio releases.

The album's commercial momentum was strengthened by Dion's well‑received live performances at the Olympia in Paris, a venue closely associated with major francophone artists. The release contributed to her growing international profile shortly before the global breakthrough of The Colour of My Love (1993).

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Des mots qui sonnent"
4:15
2."Where Does My Heart Beat Now"
8:16
3."L'amour existe encore"
4:18
4."Je danse dans ma tête"
4:27
5."Calling You"Bob Telson6:41
6."Elle"
3:12
7."Medley Starmania"
  • "Quand on arrive en ville"
  • "Les uns contre les autres"
  • "Le monde est stone"
  • "Naziland, ce soir on danse"
6:33
8."Le blues du businessman"
  • Plamondon
  • Berger
7:04
9."Le fils de Superman"
4:28
10."Love Can Move Mountains"Diane Warren5:25
11."Un garçon pas comme les autres (Ziggy)"
  • Plamondon
  • Berger
3:19
12."The Power of Love"
6:08
13."Quand on n'a que l'amour"Jacques Brel4:07
Total length:68:13

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[18] Platinum 200,000[4]
France (SNEP)[6] Platinum 300,000*
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[19] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history
Region Date Label Format Catalog
France, Switzerland[20][6][21] 21 November 1994 Columbia
478161
Canada[22] 22 November 1994 80212

References

  1. ^ À l'Olympia, Celine Dion.
  2. ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "À l'Olympia – review". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  3. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards 2004". IFPI. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2004.
  4. ^ a b Larry LeBlanc (21 January 1995). "Yuletide Cheer for Canadian Retailers" (PDF). Billboard. p. 50. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  5. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification Database". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  6. ^ a b c "French album certifications – Celine Dion – À l'Olympia" (in French). SNEP. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012.
  7. ^ "Compilation des ventes d'albums par ordre alphabétique d'interprètes" (PDF) (in French). BAnQ. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  8. ^ Sam Jaspers (2006). Ultratop 1995–2005. Book & Media Publishing. ISBN 90-5720-232-8.
  9. ^ "Ultratop.be – Céline Dion – À l'Olympia" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Image 2681". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  11. ^ Nanda Lwin (1999). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
  12. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. 24 December 1994. p. 9. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  13. ^ "Top National Sellers: France" (PDF). Music & Media. 24 December 1994. p. 10. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  14. ^ "Palmarès des ventes d'albums au Québec" (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  15. ^ "Rapports annuels 1995" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  16. ^ "Rapports annuels 1995 - albums francophones" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  17. ^ "Tops de l'année - Top Albums 1995" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Celine Dion – À l'Olympia". Music Canada. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  19. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2004". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  20. ^ "Celine Dion – À l'Olympia". Amazon France. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  21. ^ "Celine Dion – Releases". Sony Music. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  22. ^ "Celine Dion: Music – À l'Olympia". celinedion.com. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.