15 Best Céline Dion Songs That Are Incredible
Celine Dion is one of the most skilled vocalists of modern day music, and she certainly has a discography full of memorable songs. So in this article, we’re going to share what we believe are the best Celine Dion songs of all time!
Best Celine Dion Songs You’ll Love.
Let’s begin with a song entitled “Melaine.”
15. “Mélanie” from Mélanie (1984)
At 16, Dion already possessed the aplomb and vocal range that would characterise her later career, as the title track from her sixth album shows. What her voice lacked in precision, she made up for in ardor. The reason for the emotional performance is clear. The lyrics speak to a child who is battling an illness, and the song was dedicated to Dion’s niece, Karine, who had been diagnosed with, and eventually succumbed to, cystic fibrosis.
14. “Have You Ever Been in Love” from A New Day Has Come (2002)
In 1986, so visceral was my reaction upon hearing Boston’s “Amanda,” I felt I would die if the title character didn’t take Brad Delp’s hand and be made to understand how much he cared for her. At seven years old, I was convinced that was what being in love sounded like. I had the very same reaction when I heard Dion’s “Have You Ever Been in Love”.
What begins as a timidly-posed question slowly builds into power ballad declaration. With every heart-wrenching pass of that diminished chord, you doubt if you ever have been in love, but by the time Dion goes full throttle, you know with every fiber of your body that you want to be. Entertainment Weekly’s Elisabeth Vincentelli wrote it best: this song demonstrates “Dion’s uncanny ability to infuse sincerity into aural Hallmark cards and sound like the only person on earth who believes in true love.”
13. “Right Next to the Right One” from Taking Chances (2007)
One of Dion’s most faithful covers, “Right Next to the Right One” was penned by Tim Christensen, lead singer and guitarist for Danish alternative rock power trio Dizzy Mizz Lizzy. The song speaks of not recognizing love when it’s right next to you. In Dion’s tender take on the tune–on which Christensen performed all instruments–she holds Christensen’s original phrasings dear, adding hardly any flair of her own.
The result is an honest, tender response to the already precious original version. Like Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in 1995’s Before Sunrise, Dion and Christensen sound like two sides of the same coin, not realizing they are seeking the same thing. I hope the universe will one day provide us with a Dion/Christensen duet.
12. “When I Fall in Love” from the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack (1993)
Speaking of duets, Dion proves a most graceful companion to Clive Griffin in this version of the Heyman/Young classic, a performance reminiscent of the “Night and Day” dance sequence from The Gay Divorcee (1934). Dion plays a bashful, restrained Ginger Rogers to Griffin’s Fred Astaire, allowing him to get comfortable with taking the lead. As the song progresses, she turns up the heat, challenging Griffin and coaxing the confidence out of his voice. By the end of the tune, they are equally yoked in function and, united, their voices have danced their way to love.
11. “Love Can Move Mountains” from Celine Dion (1992)
The use of choirs helped propel Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” and Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There” to the top of the charts in 1989 and 1991, respectively. This song, written by Diane Warren, followed suit in 1992, topping the adult contemporary and dance charts. The song introduced English-speaking audiences, who hitherto were mainly familiar with Dion’s ballads, to the singer’s more soulful, aggressive side. The uplifting message never grows old, and Tommy Musto’s remix is the stuff of early 90s house music legend.
10. “L’amour existe encore” from À l’Olympia (1994)
I am certain that Céline Dion saves lives, for it would be nearly impossible for anyone dangling on the brink of the dark depths of the soul to listen to this live version of “L’amour existe encore” and not feel seen. Dion has a way of bringing Luc Plamondon’s words to life that make them sound as if they are being heard for the first time, every time, as this song about love’s ability to provide an anchor in a mad world reveals.
Her delivery is passionate and filled with intimate, immediate understanding, as if she is ripping her own heart out of her chest to offer to you in comfort, showing you that “love still exists”. I am positive the lonely soul sitting in the back row of the nosebleed section can feel it, too.
9. “(If There Was) Any Other Way” from Unison (1990)
This high energy second single from Dion’s debut English-language album helped shape Dion’s transformation from torch to pop singer. It features a terrific melody and could easily have been written for Taylor Dayne. The production is energetic without being frenetic, and Dion exhibits vocal strength without going over the top, thanks to her surgical precision when delivering notes. Incisive pop-rock was never so much fun to dance to!
8. “D’Abord C’est Quoi, L’Amour” from Incognito (1987)
The impressive range and intense emotion we’ve come to expect of Dion today was already shaped by the time she was 19. “D’Abord C’est Quoi, L’Amour” gives us a key change of Dionistic proportions, and introduces us to her immense vocal ability. For example, here we have five to six notes (descending) or four to five notes (ascending), sung in quick (measurable in tenths of a second) succession often at the tail end of a syllable.
Listening to this song is a bit like listening to early Stevie Wonder singles or looking at childhood photos of Amelia Earhart. Present-day you knows what they will grow up to accomplish but it’s fun to try to appreciate them without the knowledge of time.
7. “How Did You Get Here” from Courage (2019)
This gem from the Célinaissance–which Wiktionary defines as “the period of rejuvenation of singer Celine Dion’s popularity and singing career, since the 2010s–is a throwback to the doo-wop sound of groups like The Chantels. Dion treats the genre with playful respect, and the result is a stellar recreation of the catchy melodies and finger-snapping of the good old days, and a tune that is just fun to sing along to. Doo-wop always goes better with friends, so at your next house party shove the furniture aside, and shoop out your best Dion impersonation.
6. “Les uns contre les autres” from Dion chante Plamondon (1991)
Dion really lets loose on this blues-pop treasure from the Canadian-French cyberpunk rock opera Starmania. Her sultry voice bends some notes with ease, and draws out others like maple syrup. In direct contrast to #10, the other Plamondon song on this list, “Les uns contre les autres” speaks on the woes of how lonely life can be when we’re in constant conflict with others. Dion serves up a soulful attitude worthy of any aspiring misanthrope.
5. “Beauty and the Beast” from Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1991)
Aside from being a beautifully composed song, both musically (seamlessly weaving together three key changes in just over four minutes) and lyrically (each lines has five syllables), this is a downright splendid duet. Dion envelops Peabo Bryson’s melody lines in vocals pillows of lush harmonies.
I love how her voice blends in with the final note of the brief electric oboe solo, and the way she mimics the melody of Peabo’s ad-libbed “ooh” at the 2:24 mark in her “tune as old as song” that immediately follows it is pure genius. Dion and Bryson may not have been able to record the song in one take like Angela Lansbury did, but they definitely gave us an equally memorable performance.
4. “The Power of Love” from The Colour of My Love (1993)
This epic cover is performed in the same key, at almost the same tempo and with the exact arrangement as Jennifer Rush’s original. So what makes it so much more special than the original and the Air Supply and Laura Branigan versions? Well, Dion’s unwavering belief in the power of love turns Rush’s timidity into intrigue, Air Supply’s dawdling into confidence, and Branigan’s exhaustion into adrenaline. By the end of the song, you’re ready to toss your fears aside and head straight into the unknown something right along with her.
3. “Regarde-moi” from Live À Paris (1996)
Céline Dion has a 3.4 octave vocal range, which means she easily could sing all of the parts in “Shaft” by herself. If you don’t believe me, take a listen to this live version of the Jean-Jacques Goldman tongue-twister, “Regarde-moi”. The song about trying to reawaken passion in a dead-end relationship barrels along like a runaway train with absolutely no reprieve. Dion jumps octaves like hopping freight cars with the deft of a post-level 28 Super Mario, all while slicing and dicing syllables with Ginsu precision. Proof that Céline is one bad mother – shut your mouth – But I’m talkin’ ’bout Céline. Can you dig it?
2. “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman from Falling Into You (1996)
This version of a classic succeeds where others fail by knowing when to say when. The arrangement is electric but balladic, grandiose but tactful, over-the-top but tasteful. Dion plays a spirited game of tug of war with the strings and horns, hushed tones here, belted notes there. Through the use of her flawless staccato and judicious billowing, she truly manifested her own voice in the song, and in so doing, found a way to walk the line between Carole King and Aretha Franklin, paying homage to both without imitating either.
1. “All By Myself” from Falling Into You (1996)
Every time I hear the opening chords of this version of the Eric Carmen song, I think, “I don’t need to hear this again”. But then Dion enters, voice a whimper, and I shiver, feeling how cold and alone she is. I keep listening, marveling at how tiny she sounds, such is the restraint in her voice. She begins to open up just before the piano solo, which itself is akin to Ted Neeley’s, uh…come to Jesus moment, climbing the Mount of Olives in Jesus Christ Superstar.
And just like Neeley, after the solo, Dion sounds wiser and affirmed. On the fourth chorus, she’s in the room with us, singing loud and clear. And then it happens. Dion ushers in the most epic of key changes with an 11-second, from-the-gut, sustained “anymore” that ends in a Céline Dion Patented Curlicue Vocal Run™, proving without a doubt that she is a talent beyond measure.
Conclusion
Glaring omissions from this list include the song that sounds like it was written for Meat Loaf because it kinda was, and the ubiquitous song that doesn’t sound as titanic to those of us who have never seen the movie. There are also three other French-language favorites worth mentioning: “Je sais pas” from D’Eux (1995), “Tous les blues sont écrits pour toi” from S’il Suffisait d’aimer (1998) and “Ziggy (Un garçon pas comme les autres)” from Dion chante Plamondon (1991).
With a career that spans four decades, and songs in eight languages and countless genres, there is something in Céline Dion’s music for everyone. I hope this list of 15 of the best Celine Dion songs serves as a useful guide, and that, to quote an episode of Letterkenny, “nobody speaks Celine Dion’s name in a hostile tone!”
This article was written by Amelia and edited by Michael.
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