Celine Dion (album)

Celine Dion is the eleventh studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion and her second English‑language album. Released on 30 March 1992 by Columbia Records and Epic Records, it includes the Grammy and Academy Award‑winning duet "Beauty and the Beast" along with the singles "If You Asked Me To" and "Love Can Move Mountains". Produced by Walter Afanasieff, Ric Wake, Guy Roche, and Humberto Gatica, the album reached number one in Quebec and number three in Canada, where it was certified diamond for shipments of more than one million copies. At the 35th Annual Grammy Awards, Celine Dion was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Worldwide sales are estimated at over five million copies.

Dion's international breakthrough grew when she and Peabo Bryson recorded the title song for the Walt Disney Pictures animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). The duet helped define a musical direction Dion continued to pursue, with soft‑rock ballads shaped by orchestral arrangements and a strong vocal focus. The song became her second US top‑ten hit and received several major awards, raising her profile in the anglophone market.

For her eponymous album, Dion worked with a mostly new group of writers and producers. Five tracks were written by Diane Warren, while "With This Tear" was composed for her by Prince.^[1] It was among the final songs recorded for the album, replacing a planned cover of "Calling You".^[2] Production was led mainly by Walter Afanasieff, Ric Wake, and Roche, giving the album a polished, contemporary pop sound.

By 1992, the success of Unison (1990), the release of Celine Dion, and numerous media appearances had brought Dion into mainstream popularity in North America, supporting her long‑term aim of entering the anglophone market. During this time, her personal life also changed, as her professional relationship with René Angélil developed into a romantic one, although the couple kept it private due to their 26‑year age difference.

The European edition of Celine Dion includes "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" as a bonus track. The album was reissued in Australia on 7 September 1992 with a bonus disc containing four singles from Unison. "Send Me a Lover", recorded during the album sessions, was later released on the charity compilation Kumbaya Album 1994.

To promote the album, Dion toured as the opening act for Michael Bolton on his Time, Love and Tenderness Tour in the United States during summer 1992. From August 1992 to March 1993, she toured Canada with her Celine Dion in Concert tour.

Following the success of "Beauty and the Beast", the duet was included on Celine Dion, contributing to a strong run of singles from the album. The first commercial release, "If You Asked Me To"—a reinterpretation of the 1989 Patti LaBelle recording—became a major hit in both Canada and the United States. It reached number one on the Canadian Top Singles chart and number four on the Billboard Hot 100, marking one of Dion's earliest significant English‑language successes.

The album's momentum continued with "Nothing Broken but My Heart", which peaked at number three in Canada and reached number 29 in the United States. "Love Can Move Mountains" followed, rising to number two in Canada and number 36 in the United States. "Water from the Moon" also performed well, reaching number seven in Canada.

In July 1993, the promotional single "Did You Give Enough Love" was released in Canada, accompanied by a music video, and reached number 17. Collectively, these singles reflected Dion's growing presence on North American radio and her increasing recognition as a leading pop vocalist of the early 1990s.

Celine Dion received generally positive critical response, with many reviewers noting Dion's vocal skill, the album's clear stylistic approach, and its polished pop production.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described the album as "even stronger and more accomplished" than Dion's American debut, pointing to its smooth arrangements and confident performances.^[3] Arion Berger of Entertainment Weekly highlighted Dion's technical control, writing that even on demanding material such as Prince's "With This Tear", she sings with clarity and precision.^[7]

Jan DeKnock of the Chicago Tribune wrote that Dion's growing ease with English allowed her to "deliver the emotional nuances of a lyric", placing her among the leading pop vocalists of the period.^[5] Parry Gettelman of the Orlando Sentinel noted her strength on the album's dance‑pop tracks, including "Love Can Move Mountains", "Did You Give Enough Love", and "Little Bit of Love".^[8]

Although music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a less favourable review,^[6] his assessment differed from the wider critical reception, which viewed Celine Dion as an important step in her English‑language career.

Celine Dion was a major commercial success, ultimately selling over five million copies worldwide.^[9][10] The album marked a turning point in Dion's English‑language career, outperforming her earlier releases and helping establish her as an emerging international pop artist.

In the United States, Celine Dion became her most commercially successful album up to that point. As of May 2016, it had sold 2.4 million copies according to Nielsen SoundScan,^[11] with an additional 624,000 units sold through the BMG Music Club.^[12] It was certified double platinum by the RIAA and reached number 34 on the Billboard 200.^[13] Its US performance was supported by strong radio play, soundtrack exposure, and extensive promotional activity.

In Canada, the album achieved major success, topping the chart in Quebec for six weeks, peaking at number three nationally, and earning a diamond certification from the CRIA for sales of one million copies.^[14][15] Its strong domestic performance reinforced Dion's position as one of Canada's leading pop artists and supported her transition into the anglophone market.

Internationally, Celine Dion charted in several territories. It reached number 15 in Australia, number 31 in New Zealand, number 59 in Japan, and number 70 in the United Kingdom. It received platinum certification from the ARIA and gold certifications in both the UK and Japan.^[16] Its global sales were strengthened by the international reach of its singles and Dion's growing reputation in pop and adult contemporary formats. Dion also received her first World Music Award for Best Selling Canadian Female Recording Artist of the Year.

The album's most successful single, "Beauty and the Beast", peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold in the United States.^[13] Its chart performance was supported by the song's Academy Award and Grammy Award wins. Other singles that reached the US top 40 included "If You Asked Me To" (number four), "Nothing Broken but My Heart" (number 29), and "Love Can Move Mountains" (number 36). "Water from the Moon" peaked at number 11 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, while in Canada, "Did You Give Enough Love" reached number 17 on the RPM Top Singles chart.

Overall, Celine Dion marked a key stage in Dion's commercial development, helping shift her from a promising newcomer to a widely recognised international recording artist and laying the groundwork for the global success she would achieve later in the decade.

Celine Dion received numerous awards and nominations, reflecting its critical and commercial impact. It was nominated for the Juno Award for Album of the Year and the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Dion won the Female Vocalist of the Year and was nominated for Canadian Entertainer of the Year. She also received the Billboard International Creative Achievement Award and a nomination for Hot Adult Contemporary Artist. At the Félix Awards, she won Artist of the Year Achieving the Most Success in a Language Other Than French and Artist of the Year Achieving the Most Success Outside Quebec. Internationally, she won the World Music Award for World's Best Selling Canadian Female Artist of the Year and received the Governor General's Medal of Recognition for her contribution to Canadian culture.

"Beauty and the Beast" received extensive recognition, winning the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television, and earning nominations for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the Juno Award for Single of the Year, the ASCAP Film and Television Music Award for Most Performed Song from Motion Picture, and the ASCAP Pop Award for Most Performed Song.

"If You Asked Me To" won the ASCAP Pop Award for Most Performed Song and was nominated for the Juno Award for Single of the Year and the Billboard Music Award for Hot Adult Contemporary Single of the Year. "Nothing Broken but My Heart" also received an ASCAP Pop Award. "Love Can Move Mountains" won the Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year and was nominated for Single of the Year. Dion's performance of the song at the Juno Awards of 1993 earned a nomination for the Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Variety Program or Series.

• ^{^a} signifies an additional producer
• The second European edition includes the bonus track "Where Does My Heart Beat Now".
• The second Australian edition includes a bonus disc featuring "Where Does My Heart Beat Now", "(If There Was) Any Other Way", "Unison", and "The Last to Know".

Adapted from AllMusic.^[17]

• List of Diamond-certified albums in Canada

• Celine Dion at Discogs (list of releases)