Céline Episode 2: The U.S. Gamble

Summary

Understood: Who Broke the Internet?
Season 4, Episode 2: Céline Episode 2: The U.S. Gamble
Release Date: October 22, 2024

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Introduction

In Céline Episode 2: The U.S. Gamble, hosted by CBC’s Cory Doctorow, the podcast delves into the meteoric rise of Celine Dion from her humble beginnings in Quebec to becoming a global pop icon. This episode intricately weaves the narrative of Celine's professional partnership and personal relationship with her manager, Rene Angelil, showcasing how their combined talents and strategic decisions propelled her into international stardom.

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Early Beginnings: Discovery and Partnership

The episode opens with Celine Dion reminiscing about her first meeting with Rene Angelil:

Celine Dion [00:40]: "One of my brother and me wrote the music at home, just with a guitar and a tape cassette... I went at the office with my mother."

At just 12 years old, Celine's talent caught Rene’s attention, leading to a pivotal partnership that would shape her future.

Gavin Crawford [01:06]: "Rene Angelil was 39. The voice came out. She had so much spark in her inner."

Rene’s early investment in Celine’s career was marked by significant personal and financial risks:

Alice Moran [06:53]: "He had mortgaged his home initially to make Celine Dion's first album."

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Building the Career: Strategic Moves and Breakthroughs

Rene’s vision for Celine extended beyond local fame. His strategic acumen was instrumental in securing lucrative deals and high-profile collaborations:

Gavin Crawford [07:15]: "A little over five years after their first meeting, Renee gets Celine signed to CBS Record, now known as Sony Music Entertainment."

Rene’s negotiation skills ensured substantial investments in Celine’s projects, escalating from $30,000 to an unlimited recording budget:

Gavin Crawford [10:54]: "Rene pushes them up to 300,000."

This financial backing allowed Celine to collaborate with top-tier producers like David Foster, solidifying her musical brand centered around epic love ballads.

Celine Dion [09:00]: "This man is so unbelievable because I feel like he's the heart of my career."

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Personal Relationship: A Secret Romance

Behind the scenes, a profound personal relationship developed between Celine and Rene, characterized by a significant age difference and kept hidden from the public eye:

Celine Dion [17:15]: "I don't live a normal life because I don't have a boyfriend because I don't have time."

Their secret romance eventually became public during the launch of her third English album, The Colour of My Love:

Alice Moran [23:01]: "They intended to announce publicly that they were together as a couple and that they intended to stay together."

This revelation was met with mixed reactions, primarily due to the notable age gap:

Alice Moran [24:35]: "Renee is 26 years older than Celine. There is just no denying it's a stark age difference and that it raises unsettling questions."

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Public Confirmation: The Grand Wedding

The culmination of their personal and professional partnership was marked by their lavish wedding on December 17, 1994, at the Notre Dame Basilica in Old Montreal:

Gavin Crawford [28:52]: "Her 1994 wedding was something both Princess Di and Walt Disney would have been proud of."

The wedding not only symbolized their union but also reinforced Celine’s public image as a beloved pop queen.

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Culmination and Beyond: Setting the Stage for Global Fame

As the episode progresses, it highlights Celine’s continued success and points towards her iconic role in Titanic:

Gavin Crawford [29:23]: "Celine initially hated 'My Heart Will Go On', but Rene had a feeling it would be a hit."

This set the stage for her unparalleled fame, culminating in global recognition and massive sales, while also hinting at the challenges such fame would bring.

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Conclusion

Céline Episode 2: The U.S. Gamble masterfully chronicles the intertwined professional and personal journey of Celine Dion and Rene Angelil. Through strategic decisions, unwavering dedication, and a deep personal bond, they not only achieved monumental success but also crafted a lasting legacy in the music industry. This episode offers listeners a comprehensive understanding of the forces that shaped Celine Dion’s illustrious career, providing both inspiration and a nuanced perspective on the complexities of fame and personal relationships.

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Notable Quotes:

• Celine Dion [00:40]: "One of my brother and me wrote the music at home, just with a guitar and a tape cassette."
• Gavin Crawford [07:15]: "Renee gets Celine signed to CBS Record, now known as Sony Music Entertainment."
• Celine Dion [09:00]: "This man is so unbelievable because I feel like he's the heart of my career."
• Celine Dion [17:15]: "I don't live a normal life because I don't have a boyfriend because I don't have time."
• Gavin Crawford [28:52]: "Her 1994 wedding was something both Princess Di and Walt Disney would have been proud of."
• Gavin Crawford [29:23]: "Celine initially hated 'My Heart Will Go On', but Rene had a feeling it would be a hit."

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Credits:
Produced by Crystal Duhaim and Zoe Tennant
Showrunner: Imogen Burchard
Sound Design: Crystal Duhaim
Sound Engineering: Julia Whitman
Coordinating Producer: Roshni Nair
Executive Producers: Chris Oak and Nick McCabe
Audio from CBC and Radio Canada Archives, CBS, ABC Disc Emerit, Walt Disney Records, Sony Music Entertainment, Harpo Productions, Tevya, and MusicPlus.

Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

[Gavin Crawford]

Hi, I'm Gavin Crawford, the host of Because News Canada's funniest news quiz.

[Alice Moran]

Every week we make jokes out of.

[Gavin Crawford]

The headlines with help from a panel of brilliant comedians like Alice Moran. Hi there. I'm a sweet little Alberta dirtbag with very gentle takes. They call me light, sweet and crude. Half your job is making jokes, but.

[Alice Moran]

The other half is scoring points.

[Gavin Crawford]

What subjects do you net the most points in?

[Celine Dion]

Sports, but also space, because I went to space camp so much as a kid.

[Gavin Crawford]

Not to brag. That's the exact amount of knowledge you need for this show. Stay vaguely informed while in good company with me. Listen to Because News, available wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast.

[Celine Dion]

One of my brother and me wrote the music at home, just with a guitar and a tape cassette. And he said, we're going to go to a cheap studio and we're going to record that song. And one of my brother decided to send this cassette to a famous manager in Quebec. And he called home and he said, well, I would like to see Celine. And I went at the office with my mother.

[Gavin Crawford]

Celine was 12 years old.

[Celine Dion]

And he said, well, I'll give you my pen. Just imagine, pretend it's a microphone.

[Gavin Crawford]

And he says, rene Angelil was 39. The voice came out. She had so much spark in her inner. And the story of their first encounter at the end, I was crying, is one the pair would tell again. And with that voice that comes from here. And it made me cry, actually.

[Celine Dion]

And he started to cry.

[Gavin Crawford]

And again her eyes became incredible. And again over the years, as part of the mythology they would build together as manager and protege. When you see it live in front of you in an office, it's very impressing.

[Celine Dion]

And I was very proud because I think I have done the job.

[Gavin Crawford]

At the end of that first meeting in Rene's office, he made a promise to Celine's mom that in just five years, he could make Celine a very big star in Quebec. And then he did it in only three. It was one thing to make Celine famous in her home province. It was something entirely different to cross over into the US and and hit le big time, as Rene called it. Rene believed that they had the talent, the ambition, and the business savvy to achieve their dreams. But soon they'd also have a secret. A secret that could put everything they were building at risk. I'm Thomas Leblanc and this is celine Understood. Episode 2 the US Gamble.

[Celine Dion]

How you feeling, Selene? Okay, I think so Nervous, but. But okay. Just, Just can't Wait now I'm very nervous. About five or ten minutes before the show and just two or three minutes just before to be on stage. I just can't wait now just a bit powder and I'll be ready to go.

[Gavin Crawford]

There's this footage we dug up in the CBC's archives. Some B roll of Celine preparing for concert on her Unison tour.

[Celine Dion]

Touch of.

[Gavin Crawford]

It's 1991, early enough in her career that she's still doing her own makeup. She's about 23 years old.

[Celine Dion]

I'm so hot. Two minutes, Renee.

[Gavin Crawford]

Okay. Behind her, watching her in the dressing room mirror, stands her manager, Rene Angelil. Just before you go on, there's contest winners right outside the door here. Celine is brimming with nervous energy and Rene is so calm.

[Celine Dion]

You're shaking. Shaking a little bit. You never know what to expect. You never know. No time to eat my carrots. Okay, I'm just gonna do this once.

[Gavin Crawford]

When you get up.

[Celine Dion]

When I get. She has. She has to give me this.

[Gavin Crawford]

Don't worry.

[Celine Dion]

Hi, nice to meet you.

[Gavin Crawford]

Renee stays with Celine as she weaves backstage, greeting fans. Okay, guys. Celine turns to Renee, kisses his cheeks.

[Alice Moran]

Don't break my neck.

[Gavin Crawford]

And the two do this secret handshake like a pre show ritual. She clasps his hand, turns it, and then clasps it again. Her fingers seem to lightly tap his palm, almost like a Morse code. As she heads to the stage, she turns back to kiss Renee's cheeks one more time.

[Celine Dion]

Hi.

[Gavin Crawford]

This footage is an early window into their dynamic. The whole time, Rene's there just behind her.

[Alice Moran]

Well, Rene Angelil was a star in it himself.

[Gavin Crawford]

This is Sonia Benesra. She's a music journalist and talk show host from Quebec. And she's spent a ton of time with Rene over the years while covering Celine.

[Alice Moran]

I mean, he was part of a group called Les Baronais. So he had show business in his blood.

[Gavin Crawford]

Les Baronnet is a boy band. Rene started with two friends in high school in the late 50s. They're singing Twist and shant, Twist and sing in French. Les Baronnet was Rene's way of translating his love of English pop music back to French speaking Quebecers. And Les Baronnet got pretty popular, but like a lot of bands that start in high school, they didn't last. Still, Rene stays on the music scene another way. He starts managing and promoting performers.

[Alice Moran]

He was in love with American show business. The Frank Sinatras, the Bob Hopes, the Elvis Presleys. And he modeled himself as a manager on the Colonel.

[Gavin Crawford]

The Colonel, Tom Parker. Elvis Presley's famously Powerful manager. And like the Colonel, Rene is a gambler.

[Alice Moran]

Rene was a player. He loved gambling. He treated it as a sport.

[Gavin Crawford]

That's Barry Garber. He was Celine's touring agent in the 90s and Rene was his mentor.

[Alice Moran]

It's like Rene had his own Rat Pack. You know, he had his gang of boys that he would go to Vegas with and they would play and they would go to see shows. And the best feature of him being a gambler is like just no fear, like no fear of taking chances.

[Gavin Crawford]

So when Rene heard 12 year old Celine sing, he went all in.

[Alice Moran]

And he was a gambler because he had mortgaged his home initially to make Celine Dion's first album. So he envisioned an international career for this young girl way before she even thought about it. He really had a vision. It was not by accident that things just sort of fell into place. This man had a vision.

[Gavin Crawford]

A little over five years after their first meeting, Renee gets Celine sung to CBS Record, now known as Sony Music Entertainment. But he knew he wanted more than just a record deal. He wanted the label to truly invest in Celine, to push her beyond Canada's borders. Back when Celine was doing only French albums, he got a clause added to her contract stating that Sony would pay $30,000 to record English versions of her albums. Then after Celine sings at this music convention, he convinces them to raise that amount to 100,000.

[Alice Moran]

The art of the deal was also as much fun for him as actually making that deal.

[Gavin Crawford]

After another successful performance, he pushes them up to 300,000.

[Alice Moran]

He had almost like a Mafiosi type voice. You know, you just listen to him and you'd lean into him. He was a big personality and yet the most soft spoken man that I've ever known. Rene could say something in very few words, could command the attention of a room with just his look.

[Gavin Crawford]

And when Rene goes out and convinces David Foster, a big deal producer, to work with Celine, he gets the president of Sony to agree to an unlimited recording budget. The sky's the limit.

[Celine Dion]

This man is so unbelievable because I feel like he's the heart of my career. I'm the singer, I do the best that I can when I sing a song. But everything before singing and after singing, he's the responsible of that. He's so great.

[Alice Moran]

The 90s were a magical time for music. Music was a big deal.

[Gavin Crawford]

These were the days when people had towers of CDs at home, binders of them in their cars, and there were record stores in every mall.

[Alice Moran]

I mean, people were investing in music. There was big Money put into music.

[Gavin Crawford]

Rene was doing all that he could to get that money flowing to Celine. But up until then, a Quebecois singer had never really made a dent in the US market.

[Alice Moran]

She came out at a time also when there was the Whitney Houstons, the Mariah Carey's. I mean, this was a very competitive time with great vocalists.

[Gavin Crawford]

Renee knew that to crossover, they'd have to do something big to raise Celine's profile. And a good way to do that was by tapping into yet another booming industry in this era, Hollywood blockbusters. What's the story of how you got Beauty and the Beast?

[Celine Dion]

You know, the stories and the offers and all, it never comes to me right away. Like they always call Sony Music people or my manager, Renny Angelou directly.

[Gavin Crawford]

This is Celine with CBC's Peter Zoski back in 92.

[Celine Dion]

During the movie, I just cried three times.

[Gavin Crawford]

And they're talking about her duet with Peeble Bryson for Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Tail is oldest time song is oldest. It sounds very Disney with Celine and Peabo singing over a shimmery synthetic orchestra.

[Celine Dion]

You know, Walt Disney people, they listen to it and they liked it. So we're part of it and I'm so proud.

[Gavin Crawford]

But they tried out hundreds of other people or something.

[Celine Dion]

I don't know. I don't know. The only thing I know is like they ask people in myself.

[Alice Moran]

And the beauty of Rene Angelil too with Celine is that he actually allowed her to do just what she was supposed to do, which was sing without the worry of everything else surrounding her.

[Celine Dion]

We sang it and it worked out. It worked.

[Gavin Crawford]

It really worked. The song earned Celine her first Grammy and scores her a performance at the Oscars.

[Celine Dion]

No words to express myself, how nervous I was. I was able to hear my knees. I was just nervous to see all those stars. You have the chance to say hi and nice to meet you and congratulations to Anthony Hopkins and you see Eliza Minelli and Tom Cruise in the green room to eat a little shrimp with Patrick Swayze. And it's just unbelievable. I mean, I was so impressed. And.

[Alice Moran]

Rene was always very strategic. Most of the time he was bang on with what needed to be done with Celine's career. You know, if it came to planning a tour, recording a song that maybe someone else didn't believe in convincing Celine to record or perform a song. I saw those moments where they didn't always agree on the material. And it was always fun to see him say, no, no, no, no. You gotta trust me. I know this is gonna to work. This is Going to work.

[Gavin Crawford]

Throughout the 90s, Renee would use their unlimited recording budget to hire a stable of powerhouse songwriters and producers that catered to Celine's sweeping, romantic style. Rather than following any of the musical trends du jour, she sticks with these classic soaring ballads with catchy hooks and melodies that show off her impressive vocal range. You hear just a few notes of these songs and you know it's Celine like Because youe Loved Me with its timeless melody. Or It's All Coming Back to Me now with its legendary key changes. Or All By Myself, where she hits the career defining note. Celine and Rene would build a musical brand, and that brand was epic love. But Renee knows that a true star's brand is about more than just the songs.

[Alice Moran]

Rene wanted to make her accessible to the public. Yeah, that's the latest hit by our French Canadian pop star Guest. Who's coming out here next? Celine Dion. Celine.

[Gavin Crawford]

This was the golden age of the daytime talk show.

[Alice Moran]

I mean, Netflix didn't exist. You know, YouTube, all of that stuff was like. We didn't know what that meant. I mean, the. The Internet didn't exist. So TV was really all we had. And it was really a very unifying thing for the world as a whole. I kind of missed that sensation of when you get up the next day and you knew that everybody watched same thing the night before because that's what's on tv, right?

[Gavin Crawford]

Celine's got a great story, a whole rags to riches fairy tale.

[Alice Moran]

She came from Charlemagne, a small town in Quebec with 13 brothers and sisters. I mean, you know, this is like the kind of story you'd see in a movie. And you go, really? Is this really true? You know, you couldn't invent this.

[Gavin Crawford]

And us talk shows eat it up.

[Celine Dion]

Thank you.

[Alice Moran]

And you come from a musical family as well, huh? Yes.

[Celine Dion]

I have 13 brothers and sisters.

[Alice Moran]

All of them sing, play something.

[Celine Dion]

Everybody plays instruments.

[Gavin Crawford]

This is Celine on the popular daytime talk show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee in 1991.

[Celine Dion]

I'm kind of the accident of the family.

[Gavin Crawford]

Celine starts repeating these details that Canadian audiences by then had become so familiar with the big family growing up poor.

[Celine Dion]

You brought your folks this new home, is that right? Yeah.

[Alice Moran]

You just had to make it feel so fabulous to be able to do that for them.

[Celine Dion]

Well, you know, my parents, they worked really, really, really, really hard. They gave us.

[Alice Moran]

So TV for her was a very important medium. It was used very, very wisely.

[Celine Dion]

I was 12 years old, very shy with my mother. 12 years old. And I went to see the man.

[Gavin Crawford]

Celine became a regular on the American talk show circuit, both on daytime and late night.

[Alice Moran]

There was a very interesting collaboration between Rene Angelil and journalists in general. So when somebody like an Oprah got the first interview, he knew that he could count on her when he'd need her for the next album. 50 million albums worldwide.

[Gavin Crawford]

Needless to say, Celine would be on Oprah 27 times more than any other celebrity guest.

[Alice Moran]

When you did a good interview with Celine Dio, he would leave you a voicemail. Oh, my God, you were amazing last night. And you said, oh, my God, Rene, Angela is leaving me a voicemail.

[Gavin Crawford]

The media loved Celine's origin story. They loved the bootstraps of it all, but they wanted more. All this while, Celine's been singing love songs with lyrics like, all I know is I feel too much too much, baby All I do is think about you night and day. She's obviously not talking about her mom. At the time, there were rumors about Celine. Maybe she's dating a hockey player. Maybe he plays for the Montreal Canadiens. And in interviews, she tries to dodge questions about her love life. Someone told me that you worked so hard that so much of your life has been being a star and singing and concerts and records, and that you never had a date on a Saturday night.

[Celine Dion]

You know, I started my professional career. I was a baby. I was 12 years old. So it's the only thing I know. I mean, if you ask a little boy, do you like ice cream? Have you never tasted ice cream? Of his life? He doesn't know how it tastes because he never tasted before. So it doesn't miss nothing. Of course, I don't have. I'm a normal girl of 22 years old, but I don't. I don't live a normal life because I don't have a boyfriend because I don't have time. I don't go out on Saturday night. I don't, you know, go. I don't want.

[Gavin Crawford]

What Celine is saying in this interview is not exactly true. There is someone. Celine's been hiding a romantic relationship for years with her manager, Rene Angelil.

[Alice Moran]

Hi, everyone. I'm David Duchovny. Join me on my podcast, Fail Better, where we use failure as a lens to reflect on the past and analyze the current moment. I speak with makers and performers like Rob Lowe, Rosie o' Donnell, and Kenya Barris, as well as thinkers like Kara Swisher and Nate Silver to understand how both personal setbacks and larger forces impact our world. Listen to Fail Better wherever you get your podcasts.

[Gavin Crawford]

Renee and Celine say they Shared their first kiss in Dublin in 1988, when she was 20 and he was 46. But there are other reports that the romance started earlier, when she was 19, even 18. In Rene's biography, there are stories of everyone seeing a 17 year old Celine following him around like a puppy dog and her mom desperately hoping it was just a phase. Rene was twice divorced, twice Celine's age, and had kids of his own. Not exactly the Prince Charming Maman Dion had in mind for her daughter. But Rene wasn't just worried about her mother's approval. He was also concerned about how their relationship would look to the rest of the world and how it could hurt Celine's image and the career they were building. So they kept it a secret.

[Celine Dion]

Well, you might someday have a long time boyfriend, right? Absolutely, absolutely.

[Alice Moran]

How long time is this long time gone?

[Celine Dion]

Oh, that I have this boyfriend.

[Alice Moran]

Yeah.

[Gavin Crawford]

Here's Celine in another Regis and Kathie Lee appearance. This one in 1992.

[Celine Dion]

I would say five, six years.

[Gavin Crawford]

She talks about having a boyfriend, but keeps things really vague. The last six years you have not.

[Celine Dion]

Had rings six full years with this person. I mean, we don't. Sometimes he comes on tour with me, sometimes not. I mean, we don't see every day.

[Gavin Crawford]

That'S for sure, but maybe. And then one night in 1992, Celine almost lets it slip. Celine is in a studio in Montreal for an interview on this talk show, Tete a Tete, head to head with the host, Lise Payette. Celine has just told Lise that she has a secret she's anxious to share. Lise says that she can see Celine is having a hard time living with this secret and asks if she wants to share it. Maybe in the next interview. Celine sighs and says showbiz is hard at this point. Celine and Renee had been hiding their relationship for at least four years, maybe more. She starts crying, grabbing tissues. You know when you're in love, Celine says, and you just want to shout it from the rooftops? It's hard holding all of it in. Seline says, but why do you have to keep it a secret for your career? Yes, it's the only thing I have. The producers in the control room that night would say that when they looked over at Renee, he was crying too. But Celine was about to release her biggest album yet, and she couldn't keep the secret forever. 1993.

[Alice Moran]

Yeah, they had contacted me and asked me if I would host the launch of that particular album.

[Gavin Crawford]

Sonia's talking about the launch of Celine's third English album, the Color of My Love. The launch is a live TV special for MusicPlus, and it's happening at Metropolis, once an iconic venue here in Montreal. Rene and Celine wanted a hometown crowd because this was more than just an album launch. The show opens with Celine on the top of an old car, wearing a lacy pirate shirt under a black coat. And then about 30 minutes in, after multiple wardrobe and set changes, Celine finishes with the song Only One Road. Celine closes her eyes and bows.

[Celine Dion]

Celine Dion, Madame de Monsieur Celine.

[Gavin Crawford]

Then she walks over to Renee, who is now on stage with Sonia.

[Alice Moran]

Of course, the goal of the album was also to announce publicly that they were together as a couple and that they intended to stay together.

[Gavin Crawford]

At this point, Celine is 25 and Rene is 51.

[Alice Moran]

He was petrified. I had to literally push him, push him on the stage now. Celine was completely calm. She just couldn't wait to tell the whole world that she was a woman in love.

[Gavin Crawford]

The Color of My Love, Sonia says to the Color of My Love is more than just a title song. You chose it to publicly declare your love for Rene Angelil, is that right? Celine looks at Rene, who has a big nervous smile on his face, and leans towards him. It's a funny feeling. And just like that, Celine and Renee's secret was out. The CBC caught up with fans after the show.

[Celine Dion]

I was not surprised.

[Alice Moran]

I was happy for my tender half.

[Gavin Crawford]

Is 15 years younger than me and I don't care. People have their own tastes and age and race, so it doesn't really matter at night to me, anyway. He's old, 26 years old. More is like to be his father, you know.

[Celine Dion]

It bothers you, obviously.

[Alice Moran]

Yeah.

[Gavin Crawford]

Why did you wait so long?

[Celine Dion]

I mean, you could have done it.

[Alice Moran]

You know, a long time ago.

[Celine Dion]

How many babies and when.

[Gavin Crawford]

Despite all of Rene's fears about how their relationship would look to the rest of the world about how it might hurt Celine's brand, the fans didn't really seem to mind. To the couple's relief. This is my fault. Celine wanted to tell everyone, and she's absolutely right, and I was absolutely wrong.

[Celine Dion]

My life, the way I see it, is to please the audience. I want them to be happy. I want them to be proud of me. They've been with me since I started, and when I was going to tell them, I said, maybe they want me to be with a guy of my age.

[Gavin Crawford]

Renee is 26 years older than Celine. There is just no denying it's a stark age difference and that it raises unsettling questions. She was a kid when they met and he held her whole career in his hands. Let's be honest, it's hard to imagine such a welcoming reaction today. I still don't know how I feel about the relationship, but at a certain point, in the absence of any other information, what can you do but take people at their word? And Celine has always said, even now, years after Renee's death, that he was the great love of her life. The Color of My Love was a huge commercial success. To this day, it remains one of the best selling albums of all time. And Celine and Renee, they continue to sell the public on their love story through the over the top ballads that she'd dedicate to him, like the Power of Love, through friendly talk show appearances, and through one really, really grand gesture. She's Quebec's pop queen. And for Celine Dion's fans, her wedding was a royal. It was also a real media circus. Security stopped hundreds of reporters and cameras outside the door.

[Alice Moran]

A Quebec magazine spent $200,000 for an exclusive.

[Gavin Crawford]

December 17, 1994. I will forever remember that date. This is the date when Celine and Rene Angelil got married here. To me, it's kind of. It's a spiritual place because it's a church, but it's also a place of pop culture. We are right in front of the Notre Dame Basilica in Old Montreal. Where the basilica is, is the center of power of Montreal for a really long time. So it's not a coincidence that they chose to do the wedding here. The guest list was sort of mishmash of Quebec celebrities, popular TV hosts, hockey personalities, comedians. And obviously all the Dion siblings were here. Maman Dion, Ade Mardion. Everyone was dressed to the nines. It was winter, so probably lots of fur coats. So this was a Saturday in December. It was pretty cold. Celine gets to the cathedral and she's wearing this beautiful tiara that's an iconic piece of her fashion history. The tiara was made with 2000 Swarovski crystals flaring out into a veil. I'm assuming it was probably 10ish pounds, maybe more. So she's carrying all this weight, which is also kind of symbolic, as you know, she's the breadwinner of the family, so she's carrying all this weight down the aisle. But she makes it look seamless, which Celine always does, even when she sings these notes. After about a one hour ceremony and some seven hours since people started waiting, the newlyweds finally came out.

[Celine Dion]

Her 1994 wedding was something both Princess Di and Walt Disney would have been proud of.

[Gavin Crawford]

The wedding firmly establishes Celine as a real diva. And the 90s are the biggest decade of Celine's career. Celine is topping the charts, raking in album sales awards, she's touring the world. But her career is about to reach a whole other stratosphere because in 1997, she returns to the Hollywood soundtrack with a fluty power ballad from a little movie called Titanic.

[Celine Dion]

Every night in my dreams I see you, I feel you.

[Gavin Crawford]

Celine initially hated My Heart Will Go on, but Rene had a feeling it would be a hit. Suddenly this song is inescapable, not just in North America, but seemingly all over the world. And this level of fame, it means the backlash is coming. I thought that Celine was one of the most egregious examples of a manufactured pop icon whose art didn't have any substance. To back that up, that's next time on Celine Understood. The show was produced by Crystal duhaim and Zoe Tennant with showrunner Imogen Burchard. Sound design by Crystal duhaim with sound engineering by Julia Whitman. Roshni Nair is our coordinating producer. Executive producers are Chris oak and Nick McCabe. Locos in order of appearance. Audio from CBC and Radio Canada Archives, cbs, ABC Disc Emerit, Walt Disney Records, Sony Music Entertainment, Harpo Productions, Tevya and MusicPlus. Celine Understood is a co production of CBC Podcasts and CBC News. You can follow Understood and listen to previous seasons on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. For more CBC Podcasts, go to CBC CA Podcasts.