The Power of the Dream
| "The Power of the Dream" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Celine Dion | ||||
| B-side | "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (radio edit) | |||
| Released | 20 August 1996 | |||
| Venue | Centennial Olympic Stadium (Atlanta) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:31 | |||
| Label | SMEJ | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
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| Celine Dion singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio | ||||
| "The Power of the Dream" on YouTube | ||||
"The Power of the Dream" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released as a single in Japan on 20 August 1996 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan.[1] Written and produced by David Foster, Linda Thompson, and Babyface, it was created for the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Dion performed the song before more than 100,000 attendees and over three and a half billion television viewers, donating her earnings to support Canadian athletes. USA Today later ranked it as the second best Olympics theme song of all time.[2]
Background and release
"The Power of the Dream" was issued as a commercial single in Japan on 20 August 1996. It was later included on limited editions of Falling into You in Asia and Australia, and served as a B-side to "Because You Loved Me", "It's All Coming Back to Me Now", and "All by Myself". In 2000, the song became available internationally on The Collector's Series, Volume One, and in 2008 it appeared on the US edition of My Love: Essential Collection.
Commercial performance
The single peaked at number 30 on the Oricon Singles Chart in Japan and was certified gold. Although it was not released in other markets, various radio stations worldwide played "The Power of the Dream", and it appeared on several airplay charts.
Music video
The music video includes Dion performing the song during the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics, accompanied by David Foster on piano, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Centennial Choir, which included the Morehouse College Glee Club, the Spelman College Glee Club, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus.
Live performances
Dion performed "The Power of the Dream" during her 1996–97 Falling into You: Around the World tour.
Formats and track listing
- Japanese 3-inch CD single
- "The Power of the Dream" – 4:31
- "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (radio edit) – 5:27
Personnel and credits
Credits adapted from Discogs.[3]
- Celine Dion – lead vocals
- David Foster – writer, producer, keyboards, bass (synth)
- Babyface – writer, producer, drum programming (kick programming)
- Linda Thompson – writer
- Simon Franglen – drum programming (snare sound), synclavier
- Dan Shea – programming (synthesizer)
- William Ross – arranger (orchestra), conductor
- Mervyn Warren – conductor (choir)
- London Symphony Orchestra – orchestra
- Dean Parks – acoustic guitar
- Michael Thompson – electric guitar
- David Reitzas – engineer
- Felipe Elgueta – engineer
- Humberto Gatica – recording engineer
- Jon Gass – recording engineer
- Marnie Riley – recording engineer
- Mick Guzauski – mixing engineer
- Kyle Bess – assistant engineer
- Paul Boutin – assistant engineer
Charts
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop Airplay Flanders)[4] | 154 |
| Belgium (Ultratop Airplay Wallonia)[4] | 141 |
| Japan (Oricon Singles Chart)[5] | 30 |
| Quebec Radio Songs (ADISQ)[6] | 49 |
| Taiwan (IFPI)[7] | 2 |
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Quebec Digital Song Sales (ADISQ)[8] | 3 |
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ)[9] | Gold | 73,440[10] |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 21 August 1996 | 3-inch CD | SMEJ | [11] |
References
- ↑ Glatzer, Jenna (2005). Celine Dion: For Keeps. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 0-7407-5559-5.
- ↑ Ryan, Patrick. "Ranking the 12 best (and worst) Olympics theme songs". USA Today. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ↑ "The Power Of The Dream: Credits". Discogs. 21 August 1996. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- 1 2 Jaspers, Sam (2006). Ultratop 1995-2005. Book & Media Publishing. ISBN 90-5720-232-8.
- ↑ セリーヌ・ディオンのシングル売り上げランキング (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ↑ "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (in French). Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ↑ "IFPI Taiwan Single Top 10". 25 August 1996. Archived from the original on 9 February 1999. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ↑ "Quebec Song Sales". ADISQ. Archived from the original on 11 October 2025. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
- ↑ "Japanese single certifications – Celine Dion – The Power of the Dream" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 28 September 2014. Select 1997年1月 on the drop-down menu
- ↑ "The Power of the Dream 96.8.21 (SME)" (PDF) (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ↑ "セリーヌ・ディオンの作品" (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
External links
- "The Power of the Dream" at Discogs (list of releases)
