A New Day Has Come

''A New Day Has Come'' is the seventh English-language and eighteenth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Sony Music Entertainment on 22 March 2002. It was her first new studio album since 1998's Christmas album ''These Are Special Times''. Dion returned to the music scene after a two-year hiatus when she gave birth to her first child in 2001. She collaborated on ''A New Day Has Come'' with various producers, including Anders Bagge and Peer Åström for the first time.

''A New Day Has Come'' garnered mostly positive reviews from the music critics, who noticed that Dion explores a "broader, more adventurous" range of pop music and "dips its toe" into modern music, particularly dance-pop ("Sorry for Love"). However, the album also contains the usual adult contemporary songs, including power ballads like " I Surrender", " Have You Ever Been in Love", and the title track. Critics also praised "Ten Days", "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)", " I'm Alive", "When the Wrong One Loves You Right", "The Greatest Reward", and two covers: "Nature Boy" and " At Last".

''A New Day Has Come'' became a commercial success throughout the world and entered number one in more than seventeen countries. It has sold 3.3 million units in the United States and was certified three-times Platinum by the RIAA. In Canada, after shipping 600,000 copies, the album was certified six-times Platinum. The IFPI certified it three-times Platinum for selling three million units in Europe. Overall, ''A New Day Has Come'' has sold 12 million copies worldwide.

The first single, " A New Day Has Come" was released in March 2002 and peaked inside the top ten in Canada and Europe. In the United States, it reached number twenty-two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and broke the record for most weeks at number one on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, staying on top for twenty-one weeks. The next single, "I'm Alive" was issued in August 2002 and also peaked inside the top ten in numerous European countries. The last commercial single, "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)" was released in November 2002 and performed moderately on the charts, reaching the top forty in Europe.

Background

After the farewell millennium concert on 31 December 1999 in Montreal, Dion decided to take a break from the public scene for two years to focus on her family. On 25 January 2001, she gave birth to René-Charles Angelil, her first son. Since then, she had performed publicly only a handful of times, including 21 September 2001, when she sang a live rendition of "God Bless America" at the '' America: A Tribute to Heroes'' telethon honoring victims of the September 11 attacks, and 28 September for Montreal's companion fund-raiser, ''A Show for Life'', singing "L'amour existe encore".

According to Dion, the album's title, ''A New Day Has Come'', acknowledged a new chapter in her life and career. However, she was also deeply affected by the events of 11 September and wanted the words to serve as a reminder of the tragedy. "It represents my child, because I gave life," Dion said. "Obviously, it also marks my return with a new album. But a new day has also come in the lives of other people because something bad has happened, because we've lost lives, because there's a scar on our world now". Dion struggled over an appropriate image for the cover of the album, feeling that a portrait reflecting her good fortune was in poor taste. She suggested to Sony Music Entertainment that the album cover not include her picture. However, after much discussion, the photo shoot for ''A New Day Has Come'' took place in Montreal in late December 2001 with well-renowned photographer Melvin Sokolsky. On 30 and 31 January 2002 an additional photo session for the album took place in Florida, on a beach near Dion's home by the French photographer Patrick Demarchelier. The album cover for ''A New Day Has Come'' by Demarchelier was released on 28 February 2002.

René Angélil, Dion, and the Sony family began selecting prospective songs at the beginning of 2001, and on 28 August 2001 she started recording vocal tracks for nearly two dozen songs at Montreal's Piccolo Studios. Because of Dion's unwillingness to leave her seven-month-old baby, the album's collaborators traveled to Montreal. "I didn't feel the pressure to try and outdo anything," Dion said of her time in the studio. "I proved myself before, so now I can enjoy. I was relaxed, I just let go. It was such a pleasure". The album was scheduled for release internationally on 25 March 2002 and in North America on 26 March 2002. However, it was first released in Australia, on 22 March 2002.

Content

Most of the producers of the album had worked with Dion before: Walter Afanasieff, Kristian Lundin, Andreas Carlsson, Christopher Neil, Guy Roche, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Ric Wake, Aldo Nova, Simon Franglen and Humberto Gatica. The new ones included Swedish musicians Anders Bagge, Peer Åström and Arnthor Birgisson, French singer Gérald de Palmas and the US producer Steve Morales. ''A New Day Has Come'' showcases Dion's traditional themes of love and hope. She sings ballads alongside several uptempo pop tracks and a pair of standards. The album contains sixteen tracks on the North American version and seventeen on the international editions, including "Super Love".

It features " A New Day Has Come", the title track, which for Dion represents the birth of her child but "it can mean different things for anyone who has to find strength again"; I'm Alive", "fun" and "fresh" song from the team that wrote " That's the Way It Is"; " I Surrender", the album's "bombastic, heart-pounding" ballad which has become a popular song choice for contestants on reality television singing competitions like ''American Idol''; "Sorry for Love", a dance number written and produced by the Swedish team, co-written by Kara DioGuardi; " Have You Ever Been in Love", a power ballad also written and produced by Bagge and Åström; "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)", an emotional ballad about the death of one's mother which Dion first heard three years prior but turned it down at that time; "Nature Boy", a 1947 song made popular by Nat King Cole that features Dion accompanied only by piano as originally foreseen symphonic orchestration was not added; " At Last", a gospel-tinged number first recorded by Glenn Miller in 1941; "Ten Days", a rock-oriented adaptation of "Tomber" (2000) by Gérald de Palmas which was recorded at the last minute after Dion heard the original French version; "The Greatest Reward", an adaptation of "L'envie d'aimer" (2000) from the French musical '' Les Dix Commandements'', performed originally by Daniel Lévi; and "Aun Existe Amor", a Spanish-language version of Dion's French song "L'amour existe encore".

Special editions

On 11 November 2002 in Europe and 19 November 2002 in North America, Sony Music Entertainment released a Limited Edition of ''A New Day Has Come'', which includes the original album, as well as a bonus DVD featuring the " I'm Alive" video, a preview of Dion's Las Vegas show '' A New Day...'' as well as two previously unreleased tracks, "Coulda Woulda Shoulda" and "All Because of You". The North American Limited Edition includes a longer version of "The Greatest Reward" lasting 4:04, instead of original 3:28. On 29 January 2008, Legacy Recordings released a Collector's Edition of ''A New Day Has Come'' with bonus DVD. The CD contains sixteen tracks from the North American version of the album, including an extended version of "The Greatest Reward", and the DVD features four music videos, and behind the scenes footage from making of the album and the " A New Day Has Come" video.

Promotion

Dion actively promoted the album, including various television show appearances and concerts. Her '' A New Day Has Come'' television special was taped on 3 March 2002 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles and aired on CBS on 7 April 2002. During the show Dion performed " A New Day Has Come", " I'm Alive", " At Last", " Have You Ever Been in Love", "Nature Boy" and a movie medley with the songs " Because You Loved Me", "Beauty and the Beast" in duet with Brian McKnight and " My Heart Will Go On". She also sang " Aun Existe Amor" and "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)", but both songs were not broadcast. Destiny's Child joined her to perform together the "Emotion/When the Wrong One Loves You Right" medley. On 17 March 2002 Dion taped ''La spéciale Céline Dion'' in Paris, France, to promote the album in Francophone countries. This television special was broadcast on 30 March 2002 on TF1. During the show she performed "A New Day Has Come", " Pour que tu m'aimes encore" in duet with Jean-Jacques Goldman, "Sous le vent" in duet with Garou, "Au bout de mes rêves" with Garou, Pascal Obispo, Gérald de Palmas and Jean-Jacques Goldman, "Ten Days" in duet with Gérald de Palmas, "I'm Alive", " On ne change pas" and "The Greatest Reward".

Dion along with Cher, Mary J. Blige, Shakira and the Dixie Chicks headlined the '' VH1 Divas Las Vegas'', which was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres and held in the MGM Grand Las Vegas. The concert was broadcast live on VH1 on 23 May 2002 to benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting music and education programs in schools. Other special guest performers included: Anastacia, Stevie Nicks, Cyndi Lauper and Whitney Houston. Dion opened the show performing the AC/DC's hit "You Shook Me All Night Long" in duet with Anastacia. Later, she sang "A New Day Has Come" and "I'm Alive". For the finale, the divas performed a special Elvis Presley medley which included " Can't Help Falling in Love" sung by Dion. The concert was released on CD and DVD in October 2002.

On 14 September 2002 Dion performed at the charity ''Concert for World Children's Day'', which took place at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago and was under the supervision of David Foster. It was broadcast on ABC on 14 November 2002. She sang " That's the Way It Is", "My Heart Will Go On", " The Prayer" in duet with Josh Groban and "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)". For the finale, Dion joined other artists to perform with them "Aren't They All Our Children". The concert was released on DVD in December 2002. On 10 October 2002, Dion taped in Paris her second television special for Francophone viewers, entitled ''Céline Dion à tout prix''. She performed "I'm Alive", "Pour que tu m'aimes encore", "L'envie d'aimer" in duet with Daniel Lévi and "Ten Days/Tomber" medley with Gérald de Palmas. Dion also performed " Woman in Love" in duet with Natasha St-Pier and joined Lââm

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