Maps of Music

A New Day Has Come (2002)

Where the lyrics of A New Day Has Come take you, and where it was really made.

The album was made in Montreal, but its final cover was shot on a beach in Florida.

Key places

Vocal recording begins at Piccolo Studios (2001)

Recording site Piccolo Studios — Dion began recording vocal tracks for nearly two dozen songs at Piccolo Studios in Montreal on 28 August 2001. Because she did not want to leave her seven-month-old baby, the album's collaborators travelled to Montreal instead. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cover photo shoot in Montreal (2002)

Album cover Piccolo — The photo shoot for the album cover took place in Montreal in late December 2001 with photographer Melvin Sokolsky. Dion had earlier suggested to Sony Music that the cover omit her photograph. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Charity concert in Chicago (2002)

Live show Arie Crown Theater — Dion performed at the charity Concert for World Children's Day in Chicago on 14 September 2002 under the musical direction of David Foster. For the finale she joined other artists to perform Aren't They All Our Children. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• A New Day Has Come is Celine Dion's eighteenth studio album and seventh English-language album
• Released on 25 March 2002 by Columbia Records and Epic Records
• Marked Dion's return to recording after a two-year break that followed the birth of her first child in 2001
• Reached number one in more than 17 countries and sold about 12 million copies worldwide
• Drew mixed critical reception, with some reviewers calling it a stylistic shift

Background

• After the farewell millennium concert on 31 December 1999 in Montreal, Dion took a two-year break to focus on her family
• Her first son, René-Charles Angélil, was born on 25 January 2001
• In September 2001 she performed at the America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon and at A Show for Life in Montreal
• According to Dion, the title reflected a new chapter in her life and career
• She said she was deeply affected by the events of 11 September and wanted the lyrics to serve as a reminder of the tragedy
• The album used producers who had worked with Dion before, plus new collaborators Anders Bagge and Peer Åström

Recording

• Songs were selected at the start of 2001 by René Angélil, Dion, and Sony staff
• Vocal recording for nearly two dozen songs began on 28 August 2001 at Piccolo Studios in Montreal
• Dion did not want to leave her seven-month-old baby, so the collaborators travelled to Montreal
• "Ten Days" was recorded at the last minute after Dion heard the French original
• "Nature Boy" was performed with only piano accompaniment after the planned orchestration was not added
• International release was scheduled for 25 March 2002 and North American release for 26 March 2002

Cover

• Dion struggled to find a suitable image and felt a portrait celebrating her personal happiness would be in poor taste
• She suggested to Sony Music that the cover omit her photograph
• Photo shoot in Montreal in late December 2001 with photographer Melvin Sokolsky
• Second session on 30 and 31 January 2002 on a beach near her Florida home with photographer Patrick Demarchelier
• The Demarchelier-shot cover was released on 28 February 2002

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born 30 March 1968 in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada, the youngest of 14 children.
• Discovered by future manager and husband René Angélil after her brother sent him a demo recording of her first song "Ce n'était qu'un rêve".
• Angélil mortgaged his home in 1981 to fund her first record, La voix du bon Dieu, which became a No. 1 hit in Quebec.
• Won the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo in 1982.
• Won the Eurovision Song Contest 1988 for Switzerland with "Ne partez pas sans moi".

Career

• Debuted in the Anglophone market with Unison (1990), followed by Celine Dion (1992).
• Breakthrough with "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) with Peabo Bryson, winning her first Grammy.
• The Colour of My Love (1993) and Falling into You (1996) became major international successes.
• "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic (1997) became her signature song and one of the best-selling singles.
• D'eux (1995) became the best-selling French-language album.
• Held the A New Day... residency at Caesars Palace (2003–2007), the highest-grossing concert residency; the Los Angeles Times ranked her the top-earning artist of the 2000s.
• Announced in 2022 a diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome, cancelling tours; returned to performing at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.

Members

• Solo artist; manager and husband René Angélil (died 2016) guided her career.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Billboard critic Chuck Taylor described the album as Dion's most versatile and gratifying work to date
• Taylor noted that it explored a broader and more adventurous range of pop styles than her previous releases
• Taylor praised "I'm Alive" for its energetic production and singing, and called "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)" devastatingly beautiful while doubting its commercial appeal
• Billboard critic Larry Flick highlighted "Have You Ever Been in Love" as a warm source of comfort
• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album well-crafted and savvily sequenced, though he felt it lacked truly standout songs
• Erlewine said it covered more stylistic ground than any earlier Dion album while staying accessible to her mainstream audience
• Jam!: Mike Ross wrote that it picks up where Falling into You left off, praising its blend of melodrama and grand balladry
• Toronto Sun: Jane Stevenson found Dion back in familiar territory and said the album took few musical risks
• Stevenson praised "Ten Days", "Sorry for Love", "At Last", and "Nature Boy"
• Slant Magazine: Sal Cinquemani praised the adult contemporary material but was less impressed by the contemporary pop attempts
• Entertainment Weekly: Ken Tucker said the elaborate production often overwhelmed Dion's performances
• Rolling Stone: Rob Sheffield criticized the musical direction and Dion's vocal style on the standards, while acknowledging the restraint of the thematic focus
• The Guardian: Caroline Sullivan criticized the album's excess and sentimentality, describing it as an hour-long succession of grandiose love songs

Records

• Debuted at number one in 17 countries, the biggest global debut of 2002
• US Billboard 200: debut at number one, her first release to enter there at number one and her fourth chart-topper overall
• First-week US sales of 558,000 copies, a personal best
• Spent 10 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200
• Ranked number 12 among the best-selling albums of 2002 in the US with 2,645,000 copies
• RIAA triple platinum in January 2003; 3,307,000 US copies as of 5 December 2010
• Canada: debut at number one with 151,600 copies, seven consecutive weeks at number one, and six times platinum from CRIA
• Europe: seven weeks at number one on the European Top 100 Albums; IFPI triple platinum after three million copies
• Australia and New Zealand: number one, double platinum in both
• Ranked number five on the IFPI list of the best-selling albums of 2002
• Billboard ranked it the third top album of 2002 in Europe
• Won the IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award for Best Selling Foreign Release and the Arion Music Award for Best Selling International Album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Dion first heard "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)" three years before the album and declined it at the time
• The North American limited edition includes an extended version of "The Greatest Reward", running 4:04 instead of the original 3:28
• Destiny's Child joined Dion for a medley on her A New Day Has Come television special
• "Have You Ever Been in Love" was also included on Dion's next album, One Heart, and released as a single in April 2003
• Dion performed "Nature Boy" on the A New Day Has Come television special, one of the songs featured in the broadcast

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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