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S'il suffisait d'aimer (1998)

Where the lyrics of S'il suffisait d'aimer take you, and where it was really made.

Among French-language albums, this Celine Dion record ranks second in sales of all time, behind only her own D'eux (1995).

Key places

Recording place of S'il suffisait d'aimer (1998)

Recording site Mega Studio — Studio Méga is the recording place linked to this album. Behind-the-scenes material from the album's recording sessions was later issued as bonus content on the Au cœur du stade DVD. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• S'il suffisait d'aimer: 16th studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion
• Her 11th French-language release
• Issued 31 August 1998 by Columbia Records and Epic Records
• Written mainly by Jean-Jacques Goldman
• Produced by Goldman with Erick Benzi
• Second best-selling French-language album of all time, surpassed only by Dion's D'eux (1995)

Background

• Second major collaboration between Dion and Goldman, following the success of D'eux
• The earlier project was written around Dion's established vocal style; this album takes a more restrained and intimate approach
• Arrangements are relatively minimal, placing more focus on Dion's voice and the emotional tone of the material
• During the Francophone leg of the Let's Talk About Love World Tour, Dion performed six songs from the album
• Her Paris concerts were recorded and released as Au cœur du stade (1999)
• Promotion also included the live performance video for 'Dans un autre monde'

Recording

• Behind-the-scenes material from the album's recording sessions was later issued as bonus content on the Au cœur du stade DVD

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

• The French magazine Public gave the album a perfect score, calling it a more intimate, subtle and emotionally resonant counterpart to D'eux
• Public pointed to the album's reflective lyrical themes, restrained arrangements and strong tracks such as 'On ne change pas', 'En attendant ses pas' and 'Zora sourit'
• Public singled out 'Papillon' as a rediscovered highlight, re-recorded by Dion
• AllMusic described the record as a confident return to her roots
• AllMusic highlighted its stylistic cohesion and its link to both her French-language catalogue and her wider international work
• Critics in general noted its emotional tone, polished production and Dion's vocal delivery

Records

• Sold 2 million copies worldwide within its first three weeks, excluding the United States, including 700,000 in France
• Surpassed 4 million copies worldwide by the end of its run
• France: over 1.89 million copies sold, diamond certification
• Canada: 500,000 copies sold, certified four times platinum by the CRIA
• United States: 112,000 copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan
• Became only the second French-language album, after D'eux, to be certified gold in the United Kingdom
• Topped the charts in Switzerland (five weeks), France (four weeks), Wallonia (four weeks) and Quebec (two weeks)
• Number one in Canada, Greece, Poland and on the European Top 100 Albums
• Peaked at number 11 in Germany and number 17 in the United Kingdom
• Juno Award for Best Selling Francophone Album of the Year
• Nominated for Pop/Rock Album of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique; Dion was nominated for Female Artist of the Year

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The Paris concerts from the Francophone leg of the Let's Talk About Love World Tour were recorded and released as Au cœur du stade (1999)
• Behind-the-scenes material from the recording sessions was later included as bonus content on the Au cœur du stade DVD
• Several tracks from this album were later included on Dion's 2005 greatest hits compilation On ne change pas
• Dion was nominated for Female Artist of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique
• 'Papillon' was re-recorded by Dion after being rediscovered as a highlight

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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