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Immortality (Celine Dion song)

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"Immortality"
Single by Celine Dion featuring the Bee Gees
from the album Let's Talk About Love
Written1996
Released5 June 1998 (1998-06-05)
RecordedJune–August 1997
Studio
GenrePop
Length4:11
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Walter Afanasieff
Celine Dion singles chronology
"My Heart Will Go On"
(1997) 		"Immortality"
(1998) 		"Zora sourit"
(1998)
Bee Gees singles chronology
"Still Waters (Run Deep)"
(1997) 		"Immortality"
(1998) 		"This Is Where I Came In"
(2001)
Music video
"Immortality" on YouTube

"Immortality" is a pop song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion for her fifth English-language studio album, Let's Talk About Love (1997). It was written by the Bee Gees, who also recorded backing vocals. Produced by Walter Afanasieff, "Immortality" was released as a single on 5 June 1998, outside the United States. It became a top ten single in Europe and a top forty single in Canada and Australia. Later, "Immortality" was included on the international editions of Dion's greatest hits albums, All the Way... A Decade of Song (1999), My Love: Essential Collection (2008) and The Best So Far... 2018 Tour Edition (2018).

Background and release

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The Bee Gees wrote "Immortality" in 1996 for the Saturday Night Fever stage musical. Their 1996 demo, in which Barry Gibb sings in falsetto, was released in November 2001 on the Bee Gees' album, Their Greatest Hits: The Record.[1] The musical opened in London's Palladium theatre in May 1998.[1]

Dion recorded the song in June 1997, and the Bee Gees added backing vocals on 18 August 1997.[2] Dion attended their session, which was recorded for the music video.[2] "Immortality" was produced by Walter Afanasieff and included on Dion's fifth English-language studio album, Let's Talk About Love in November 1997.[2] She released it as a single in June 1998, outside the United States.[2] Dion's "Immortality" single as released in Europe and Australia included primarily remixes of her previous hit, "My Heart Will Go On".

The Saturday Night Fever: Original Cast Recording album, released in June 1999, features the song performed by Adam Garcia.[3] In Brazil, "Immortality" served as a theme song to the primetime telenovela, Torre de Babel. The promotional single released in Brazil included remixes of "Immortality" by DJ Cuca.

Critical reception

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Pip Ellwood-Hughes from Entertainment Focus described the song as a "power ballad", adding that Dion and Bee Gee's voices together on the song "works well".[4] Entertainment Weekly editor David Browne called it "banal" and said that it is "flimsy concoction that droops under the weight of its arrangement".[5] The New York Observer editor Jonathan Bernstein called this collaboration "dispiriting".[6] Øyvin Søraa from Oppland Arbeiderblad called it "one of the most striking" songs of the Let's Talk About Love album.[7] Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In noted that it celebrates love and "its ability to inspire eternal romantic devotion".[8] Christopher Smith from TalkAboutPopMusic described the song as a "smoothie", adding that "it has all the epic flare and charm of a Celine ballad but with added Bee-Gee high notes in the background".[9]

Commercial performance

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"Immortality" was commercially successful in Europe, reaching number two in Germany and Austria,[10][11] number five in the United Kingdom,[12] number eight in Switzerland and Iceland,[13][14] number eleven in Ireland,[15] number twelve in Sweden,[16] number fifteen in France and Belgium,[17][18] and number twenty-eight in the Netherlands.[19] On the European Hot 100 Singles, "Immortality" peaked at number four.[20] It was certified Platinum in Germany,[21] Gold in Sweden,[22] and France. And Silver in the UK. [23] In Australia, the song reached number thirty-eight.[24] In Canada, "Immortality" was released as a promotional single and topped the Adult Contemporary chart for two weeks.[25] It also reached number twenty-eight on the Canadian Top Singles chart, based on airplay.[26]

Music video

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Filmed on 18 August 1997 and directed by Scott Lochmus, the first music video shows Dion and Bee Gees in the recording studio. In 1999, it was included on the Au cœur du stade DVD, as part of the bonus features, showing the recording process of Let's Talk About Love. The second music video was directed by Randee St. Nicholas, and was filmed in July 1998 before being released on 6 August of the same year.[27][28] This more elaborate video, which deals with themes of love, loss and reincarnation,[29] opens with Dion walking through a graveyard, sitting in front of one of the graves as she sings the first lines. It then switches to a mansion where she and the Bee Gees appear as ghosts. In one scene during the mansion sequence, Dion meets a man, presumably her lover.[29] During the final pre-chorus until the coda, Dion and the Bee Gees appear at a club, where the former performs as a singer and the latter act as patrons.[29] The video then ends in the graveyard where Dion walks away.[29]

Live performances

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On 14 November 1997, Dion performed "Immortality" with the Bee Gees at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. It was included on their live album and DVD, One Night Only, released in September 1998. In the first week of June 1998, Dion and the Bee Gees taped the performances of "Immortality" on three television shows: Top of the Pops in the United Kingdom, Hit Machine in France and Geld oder Liebe in Germany, for a later broadcast. Dion also performed the song during the Let's Talk About Love World Tour in 1998 and 1999, and in her residency show, Celine, between 2015 and 2017. On 16 April 2017, CBS aired Stayin’ Alive: A Grammy Salute to the Music of the Bee Gees, taped two months earlier, which included Dion performing "Immortality" as a tribute to the Bee Gees.[30]

Track listing and formats

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Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[49] Gold 250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[21] Platinum 500,000^
Sweden (GLF)[22] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Silver 200,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Australia 5 June 1998
Epic
Germany CD Columbia [50]
France 8 June 1998 [50]
United Kingdom 6 July 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
 Epic [51]
Japan 8 July 1998 CD SMEJ [52]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Gibb Songs: 1996". columbia.edu. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Gibb Songs: 1997". columbia.edu. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Saturday Night Fever 1998 Original London Cast". Amazon. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  4. ^ Ellwood-Hughes, Pip (7 October 2018). "Celine Dion – Let's Talk About Love vinyl review". Entertainment Focus. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. ^ David Browne (21 November 1997). "Celine Dion and Michael Bolton: yawn". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  6. ^ Jonathan Bernstein (8 December 1997). "Celine Dion: Is She Cool? Someday, Maybe, but Not Now". The New York Observer. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  7. ^ Søraa, Øyvin (27 November 1997). "Takk, vi er forsynt". Oppland Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). p. 55. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  8. ^ Waliszewski, Bob. "Let's Talk About Love". Plugged In. Focus on the Family. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  9. ^ Smith, Christopher (9 November 2019). "REVIEW: 'LET'S TALK ABOUT LOVE' – CELINE DION". TalkAboutPopMusic. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Céline Dion with the Bee Gees – Immortality" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Céline Dion with the Bee Gees – Immortality" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Céline Dion with the Bee Gees – Immortality". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  14. ^ a b "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (10.09.1998 – 17.09.1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 11 September 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  15. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Immortality". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  16. ^ a b "Céline Dion with the Bee Gees – Immortality". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  17. ^ a b "Céline Dion with the Bee Gees – Immortality" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  18. ^ a b "Céline Dion with the Bee Gees – Immortality" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  19. ^ a b "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 26, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  20. ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 27 July 1998. p. 12. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Celine Dion; 'Immortality')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  22. ^ a b "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  23. ^ a b "British single certifications – Celine Dion – Immortality". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  24. ^ a b "Céline Dion with the Bee Gees – Immortality". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  25. ^ a b "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7907." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  26. ^ a b "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3657." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  27. ^ "Céline Dion - Immortality (Video) ft. Bee Gees". YouTube. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  28. ^ "Immortality by Céline Dion on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  29. ^ a b c d "Céline Dion feat. The Bee Gees: Immortality (1998)". IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  30. ^ Lori Melton (29 March 2017). "Celine Dion talks new significance of 'Immortality' in upcoming Grammy salute to the Bee Gees". AXS. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  31. ^ "Céline Dion with the Bee Gees – Immortality" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  32. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Celine Dion". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 63. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  33. ^ "Céline Dion with the Bee Gees – Immortality" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  34. ^ "Major Market Airplay: Poland" (PDF). Music & Media. 4 July 1998. p. 22. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  35. ^ "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  36. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  37. ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  38. ^ "Jahreshitparade 1998" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  39. ^ "Rapports annuels 1998" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  40. ^ "RPM's Top 100 Hit Tracks of '98" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 63, no. 12. 14 December 1998. p. 20. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  41. ^ "RMP's Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of '98". RPM. 14 December 1998. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  42. ^ "Year in Focus" (PDF). Music & Media. 19 December 1998. p. 8. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  43. ^ "Tops de l'année - Top Singles 1998" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  44. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  45. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 100 – Vinsælustu Lögin '98". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1999. p. 34. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  46. ^ "Årslista Singlar - År 1998" (in Swedish). Swedish Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  47. ^ "Swiss Year-end Charts 1998". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  48. ^ "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40-1998 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  49. ^ "French single certifications – Celine Dion – Immortality" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  50. ^ a b "Immortality Single". Amazon.de. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  51. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 4 July 1998. p. 31.
  52. ^ "セリーヌ・ディオンの作品" (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
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