Céline, Céline again. And for the big losers of the Hunger Games of the superstar’s concert tickets, the Quebec singer has planned a consolation prize: a new song to put in their ears.
This Friday, April 17, Céline Dion unveils Let’s dancea title composed with Jean-Jacques Goldman. And from the first notes, the journey is clear: direction the 1990s. Behind this legendary collaboration, there is also a return… in French! Why come back with a French-speaking title when the whole world was waiting for this comeback?
A long-awaited return, which freezes time
After years marked by illness, rare but scrutinized appearances, and a notable performance during the Paris Olympic Games, Celine Dion finally marks her musical return with a brand new title. In a press release announcing the release of “Dansons”, it is presented as a “true creative reunion” with Jean-Jacques Goldman, and as a return to this “French-speaking repertoire which shaped the beginnings of his career”.
“Everything is very precise, quite light, we recognize the Goldman touch. This song could have found its place in If it was enough to love from 1998, it’s so precise. The wink is really super intelligent and super moving,” analyzes Jérémy Parayre, music journalist and author of Celine Dion, 45 years of success, album by album. A reading shared by Thomas Pawlowski, author of 1,000 essential albumswhich emphasizes the more unexpected dimension of the title: “ Let’s dance is a surprise. This is probably not the title that the general public expected at first listen. And yet, it goes further: it is a poetic song, which invites calm, to gain perspective, to a form of unity. » “We are really on a title that aims to be timeless,” continues Jérémy Parayre.
The choice of French: Choice of the heart rather than that of strategy
For such an anticipated return, why not opt for English, capable of speaking to fans from all over the world? For Jérémy Parayre, this choice is first and foremost personal. “As a fan, we can say to ourselves that it’s a missed opportunity not to come back with an international single,” he explains. “But actually, she had already done the same thing to us in 2016. I think for her it was quite natural to express herself in her native language when something important happened in her life. »
On Thomas Pawlowski’s side, the reading is even more artistic. “Céline Dion is authenticity in its purest form. After a period of absence, returning to one’s original language prolongs this artistic truth which characterizes it: it reinforces emotion, sincerity, the link with the public. And beyond language, an entire collective imagination is reactivated. “The return of the tandem with Jean-Jacques Goldman reactivates an extremely strong, almost intimate, collective memory among the French-speaking public. Here, Céline does not do a vocal demonstration as she was able to do with “L’Hymne à l’amour” or with the cover of Charlebois, “Ordinaire”, we are in the nuance. »
A point that Jérémy Parayre confirms: “She always said that her songs in French really spoke about her. They are very close to what she experiences. Where, in English, his repertoire is much more disconnected from his personal life. »
A moral debt to the French public
“It is certain that we will not pay the same attention to a song in French as to a song in English. Fans will listen to it, but it won’t be a song that will work internationally. But at the same time, the happiness of finding her again, I think that is not too important for the international public,” underlines Jérémy Parayre.
In an industry dominated by the logic of streaming and constant renewal, this return is no longer based solely on musical performance. “Today, in the world charts, it will not make a splash, even with a title in English. The event will be an album, not a single,” continues the journalist.
In other words, the real return takes place elsewhere: “I think that his international return took place with the announcement of the residency, and that his musical return takes place in his mother tongue. She had a small moral debt towards her French and European public, after the cancellation of the dates of the Courage World Tour,” he adds.
For Thomas Pawlowski, we must even put the idea of a return into perspective: “Despite illness, Celine Dion never really disappeared. She remained present through significant moments: her performance at the Olympic Games two years ago, her documentary, or even the soundtrack of the film Love Againwhich included several original titles. This new single is therefore less of a return than a new chapter,” he concludes.
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