Celine Dion (part 1)

As I mentioned at the end of yesterday's entry, we are re-entering the thematic unity concerning LGBT or LGBT-significant artists that come from non-English speaking countries. Most of Nomi's songs were in English, true, but the man himself was from Germany.

Some will probably raise an eyebrow or two concerning today's choice: for most, Celine Dion is considered an English-speaking international star. They forget however that she was born and raised in the French-speaking part of Canada and that many of her songs, including the gay-themed tune that will be our main focus for today, are in French.

Céline Marie Claudette Dion was born into a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec. She is the youngest of 14 children of Thérèse (née Tanguay), a homemaker, and Adhémar Dion, a butcher, both of French-Canadian descent. Music had always been a major part of the Dion family; indeed, Dion herself was named after the song Céline, which French singer Hugues Aufray had recorded two years before her own birth. Here it is:

At age 12, Dion collaborated with her mother and her brother Jacques to write and compose her first song, Ce N'était Qu'un Rêve, whose title translates as It Was Only a Dream. Her brother, Michel Dion, sent the recording to music manager René Angélil. This is the song:

Angélil was moved to tears by Dion's voice, and decided to make her a star. In 1981, he mortgaged his home to fund her first record, La Voix Du Bon Dieu, which later became a local # 1 hit and made Dion an instant star in Quebec. Here's the title track:

Her popularity spread to other parts of the world when she competed in the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, Japan, and won the musician's award for "Top Performer" as well as the gold medal for "Best Song" with Tellement J'ai D'amour Pour Toi.

The single D'amour Ou D'amitié (Of Love or of Friendship) was released in France in December 1982. With this single, she became the first Canadian artist to receive a gold record in France.

The first single off her next album, Mon Ami M'a Quittée, topped the Quebec charts for nine weeks.

This album also contained a version of this huge international hit from the early 70s:

Her 1984 album Mélanie contained Une Colombe, which was performed by Dion for Pope John Paul II in front of 65,000 people at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal (1984) and was also certified Gold.

Her 1987 album Incognito produced six singles, all of which went Top 5 in the Quebec chart. Four went all the way to #1. The title track managed to stay there for 6 weeks.

Incognito started Dion's new look, new sound, new team of writers and producers and was issued by the new record company, CBS Records. You can watch for yourselves Celine transforming herself into a Dance Diva.

Further success came when Dion represented Switzerland in the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi and won the contest.

Unison (1990) was Dion's first English language album. Upon release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented Dion's voice and technique, as well as the album's content. On the commercial level, Unison reached top ten in Norway and top twenty in Canada. Eventually, it was certified seven-times Platinum in Canada, Platinum in the United States, and Gold in the United Kingdom and France. The album has sold over three million copies worldwide.

Where Does My Heart Beat Now became a Top 5 hit on the Billboard US Hot 100, reaching #4.

Unison won Juno Award for Album of the Year and Dion won Juno Award for Female Vocalist of the Year. Unison (Mainstream Mix) was also nominated, for Best Dance Recording. Here it is, live in the Millenium Concert, at December 31 1999.

In November 1991 Dion released the album Dion Chante Plamondon. Opening song Des Mots Qui Sonnent was a big hit and it showcases Dion at her rocking best.

It is another song from this album that deserves our full attention: Ziggy (Un Garçon Pas Comme les Autres) is a song that tells the story of a girl falling hopelessly in love with a gay boy. Here are the lyrics in French, as well as the English translation:

Ziggy (A boy like no others)

Ziggy, il s'appelle Ziggy

Je suis folle de lui

C'est un garçon pas comme les autres

Mais moi je l'aime, c'est pas d'ma faute

Même si je sais

Qu'il ne m'aimera jamais

Ziggy, his name is Ziggy

I'm crazy about him

He's a boy like no others

But I love him, it's not my fault

Even if I know

That he will never love me

Ziggy, il s'appelle Ziggy

Je suis folle de lui

La première fois que je l'ai vu

Je m'suis jetée sur lui dans la rue

J'lui ai seulement dit

Que j'avais envie de lui

Ziggy, his name is Ziggy

I'm crazy about him

The first time I saw him

I jumped on him on the street

I simply told him

That I wanted him

Il était quatre heures du matin

J'étais seule et j'avais besoin

De parler à quelqu'un

Il m'a dit: viens prendre un café

Et on s'est raconté nos vies

On a ri, on a pleuré

It was four o'clock in the morning

I was alone and I needed

To talk to someone

He told me: come take a coffee

And we told each other of our lives

We laughed, and we cried

Ziggy, il s'appelle Ziggy

C'est mon seul ami

Dans sa tête y'a que d'la musique

Il vend des disques dans une boutique

On dirait qu'il vit dans une autre galaxie

Ziggy, his name is Ziggy

He's my only friend

In his head there's only music

He sells records in a record store

We could say he's living in another galaxy

Tous les soirs, il m'emmène danser

Dans des endroits très très gais

Où il a des tas d'amis

Oui, je sais, il aime les garçons

Je devrais me faire une raison

Essayer de l'oublier... mais

Every night, he takes me dancing

In very very gay places

Where he has lots of friends

Yes, I know, he likes boys

I should reason with myself

Trying to forget him... but

Ziggy, il s'appelle Ziggy

Je suis folle de lui

C'est un garçon pas comme les autres

Et moi je l'aime, c'est pas d'ma faute

Même si je sais

Qu'il ne m'aimera jamais.

Ziggy, his name is Ziggy

I'm crazy about him

He's a boy like no others

But I love him, it's not my fault

Even if I know

That he will never love me

... And here's the video, starring a very handsome man in the role of Ziggy:

This will have to be a two-parter. Tomorrow we will follow Celine as she becomes an international superstar, with a specialty in Oscar nominated/winning movie songs.