Let's Talk About Love is the fifteenth studio album and fifth English-language release by Canadian singer Celine Dion, issued on 14 November 1997 by Columbia Records and Epic Records. Conceived as the follow-up to the global success of Falling into You (1996), the album marked a further development of Dion's pop sound, combining contemporary ballads with adult contemporary elements and collaborations with well-known artists.
Recorded in multiple international studios, Let's Talk About Love includes contributions from artists such as Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, Luciano Pavarotti, Carole King, George Martin, Diana King, Brownstone, and Corey Hart. Dion also worked again with long-time producers David Foster, Ric Wake, Walter Afanasieff, Humberto Gatica, and Jim Steinman. The album contains Dion's signature song, "My Heart Will Go On", written by James Horner and Will Jennings as the love theme for James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic. The single became a major international success, topping charts worldwide and becoming one of the best-selling singles in history.
Upon release, Let's Talk About Love received mainly positive reviews from music critics. The album and its songs received numerous awards and nominations. "My Heart Will Go On" won four Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television. The album was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, and the duet "Tell Him" received a nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
With more than 31 million copies sold worldwide,Let's Talk About Love worldwide sales:
Let's Talk About Love ranks among the best-selling albums in history. It topped charts in many countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia, and was one of the best-selling albums of both 1997 and 1998. It received diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, and gold certifications in markets around the world.
Several singles were released internationally, adapted to regional markets. Alongside the global success of "My Heart Will Go On", other singles included "Tell Him", "Be the Man", "The Reason", "To Love You More", "Immortality", "Miles to Go (Before I Sleep)", and "Treat Her Like a Lady". The album is often noted as a significant release in Dion's career and a major pop album of the late 1990s.
Conception and composition Following the worldwide success of Falling into You (1996), Let's Talk About Love was developed as an internationally oriented project recorded in London, New York, and Los Angeles. The album brought together a wide range of collaborators, reflecting Celine Dion's rising global profile and her work across pop, classical, and contemporary styles. Guest artists included Barbra Streisand on the duet "Tell Him", the Bee Gees on "Immortality", Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti on "I Hate You Then I Love You", and Jamaican singer Diana King with American R&B group Brownstone on "Treat Her Like a Lady".
One of the album's central tracks, "The Reason", was co-written by Carole King and produced by George Martin, known for his work with The Beatles. The album's most widely recognized recording, the ballad "My Heart Will Go On", was composed by James Horner with lyrics by Will Jennings. Used as the love theme for the 1997 film Titanic, the song achieved major international success and became closely associated with Dion's career.
Production on Let's Talk About Love was led by David Foster, Ric Wake, Walter Afanasieff, Humberto Gatica, and Corey Hart, who shaped the album's mix of orchestral ballads, contemporary pop, and crossover material. The tracklist also includes several cover songs, such as Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" and Mina's "Grande grande grande", adapted as the English-language duet "I Hate You Then I Love You".
Multiple editions of the album were issued by Columbia Records and Epic Records for different regional markets. In addition to the standard 13 tracks, "To Love You More" appeared on the US and Latin American editions, "Be the Man" on the European, Australian, and Asian editions, "Amar Haciendo el Amor" on releases outside the United States, and "Where Is the Love" on editions outside Latin America. These variations supported the album's reach in international markets.
Singles The album was supported by a series of international singles. The lead single, "Tell Him", a duet with Barbra Streisand, premiered on US radio on 7 October 1997. Although it was not commercially released in the United States and therefore did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, the physical single was issued on 31 October 1997 in Germany and on 3 November 1997 across Europe and Australia, where it became a major hit. The song reached number one in the Netherlands and entered the top 10 in Ireland, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, and Australia. It earned platinum certifications in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Australia, and gold in the UK, France, Australia, Switzerland, and Norway. In Japan, "Be the Man" was released as the first single on 13 November 1997, peaking at number 24 on the Oricon chart and receiving a platinum certification from the RIAJ.
Between 5 and 8 December 1997, "The Reason" was issued as the second single in select European markets. It charted in Belgium and reached just outside the top 10 in the UK and Ireland.
"My Heart Will Go On", the love theme from Titanic, premiered on US radio on 25 November 1997 and was released commercially on 10 February 1998. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for two weeks, and was certified four times platinum in the United States. The physical single was first issued in Germany on 5 December 1997 and later that month in Australia, with most international releases following in January 1998. In France, it appeared as a double A‑side with "The Reason", while in the UK it was released on 9 February 1998. The song topped charts worldwide for multiple weeks, becoming Dion's biggest hit, one of the best‑selling singles of all time, and the world's best‑selling single of 1998. Often regarded as Dion's signature song, it received diamond, multi‑platinum, platinum, and gold certifications globally, including four million copies sold in the United States, 2.4 million in the UK, two million in Germany, and 1.2 million in France.
"To Love You More" was released as a promotional single in the United States on 5 May 1998. Although ineligible for the Billboard Hot 100, it topped the Adult Contemporary chart and reached number 11 on the Hot 100 Airplay ranking. "Immortality", recorded with the Bee Gees, followed as the next commercial single in Europe, Australia, and Canada in June 1998. It was first released on 5 June 1998 in Germany and three days later in France, with a UK release on 6 July 1998. The song reached the top 10 in Germany, Austria, the UK, and Switzerland, and received platinum certification in Germany and gold in the United Kingdom, France, Canada, New Zealand, and Sweden.
In late September 1998, "Miles to Go (Before I Sleep)" entered the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at number 17. The final single, "Treat Her Like a Lady" (with Diana King and Brownstone), was released in select European countries, appearing on 19 March 1999 in Germany and 28 June 1999 in the UK. It reached the top 40 in Austria, the UK, and Ireland.
Promotion In the United States, Dion began promoting Let's Talk About Love with a performance of the title track on Good Morning America in November 1997. That same month, she joined the Bee Gees on stage to perform "Immortality" during their One Night Only concert in Las Vegas. In December 1997, she performed "My Heart Will Go On" on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and at the Music for UNICEF Concert in New York. On 14 December 1997, she also attended the premiere of Titanic in Hollywood.
In January 1998, Dion performed "My Heart Will Go On" and "Let's Talk About Love" on The Today Show, followed by another performance of "My Heart Will Go On" on The Oprah Winfrey Show in February. She sang the song at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards on 25 February 1998 and at the 70th Academy Awards on 23 March 1998. In April 1998, Dion performed "Treat Her Like a Lady" with Diana King and Brownstone at the Essence Awards in New York. Later that month, she appeared at the inaugural VH1 Divas concert, performing "My Heart Will Go On", "The Reason" (with Carole King), and other selections alongside artists such as Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, and Shania Twain. In May 1998, she returned to The Rosie O'Donnell Show to perform "To Love You More".
Dion also promoted the album widely outside the United States. In November 1997, she performed "Let's Talk About Love", "When I Need You", and "Treat Her Like a Lady" during the Canadian television special Parlons d'amour. That month, she also performed "The Reason" on the Dutch program Kanjer Surprise. In December 1997, Dion sang "The Reason" on The Lottery Show and performed both "The Reason" and "My Heart Will Go On" at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party in the United Kingdom. She also appeared on Fantastico in Italy and Les Années Tubes in France.
In January 1998, Dion performed "My Heart Will Go On" on Des O'Connor Tonight in the UK, followed by appearances on Top of the Pops in the UK, Wetten, dass..? in Germany, and the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy in February 1998, where she also performed "The Reason". In April 1998, she appeared on the French television special La Soirée Spéciale: Céline Dion, performing "My Heart Will Go On", "Let's Talk About Love", "Treat Her Like a Lady" with Diana King, and "The Reason". In June 1998, she performed on the French program Hit Machine, singing "The Reason", "Treat Her Like a Lady" with Diana King, "Immortality" with the Bee Gees, and "My Heart Will Go On". That same month, she performed "My Heart Will Go On" and "Immortality" with the Bee Gees on the German show Geld Oder Liebe. On 9 June 1998, Dion joined Luciano Pavarotti at the Pavarotti & Friends charity concert in Italy, performing "I Hate You Then I Love You and "My Heart Will Go On". In July 1998, she reunited with the Bee Gees to perform "Immortality" on Top of the Pops in the UK.
On 21 August 1998, Dion began the Let's Talk About Love World Tour in Boston. She toured North America through the end of 1998, performed in Asia in early 1999, and returned to North America in March and April 1999. She continued the tour in Europe in June and July 1999 before concluding with additional North American dates later that year. Several European concerts scheduled for May and June 1999 were cancelled following the diagnosis of her husband René Angélil with throat cancer. In August and September 1999, the live album Au cœur du stade and its accompanying DVD were released in Europe and Canada, presenting the Francophone setlist from the tour.
Critical reception
Let's Talk About Love received generally positive reviews, with many critics praising its scale and vocal performances, while some offered more cautious responses to its stylistic range.
Billboard editor Paul Verna offered one of the strongest endorsements, praising Dion's "super-charged vocals" and identifying tracks such as "Immortality", "To Love You More", "The Reason", "Us", and "My Heart Will Go On" as highlights. Larry Flick, also writing for Billboard, described "My Heart Will Go On" as a carefully delivered ballad and noted Dion's ability "to pack volumes of emotion in a whisper".