"Ma Nouvelle-France" (meaning "my New France") is a song by Canadian singer
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
for the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
of the 2004 historical drama film, ''
Nouvelle-France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spain ...
''. It was written by
Luc Plamondon and
Patrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle (born 6 April 1953) is a Scottish film composer with Irish heritage. A longtime collaborator of actor-director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work composing for films such as ''Henry V'', '' Sense and Sensibility'', ''Haml ...
, and produced by
Christopher Neil
Christopher Neil (born 1948) is an Irish-born British record producer, songwriter, singer, and actor.
He has produced records for A-ha, Amazulu, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dion, Cher, Dollar, Edyta Górniak, Gerry Rafferty, Jennifer Rush, José Ca ...
. The song was released as a promotional single in Quebec in November 2004 and peaked at number seven on the airplay chart.
Background and release
Jean Beaudin
Jean Beaudin (6 February 1939 – 18 May 2019) was a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He directed 20 films since 1969. His film '' J.A. Martin Photographer'', was entered into the 1977 Cannes Film Festival, where Monique Mercure won the ...
directed ''
Nouvelle-France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spain ...
'', a historical drama film, which takes place in the middle of the 18th century, as England and France battle over the control of Canada. It was released in Canada on 19 November 2004 and in France on 20 July 2005. The
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
was composed
Patrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle (born 6 April 1953) is a Scottish film composer with Irish heritage. A longtime collaborator of actor-director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work composing for films such as ''Henry V'', '' Sense and Sensibility'', ''Haml ...
. Dion agreed to record a theme song for the movie, titled "Ma Nouvelle-France". It was written by
Luc Plamondon and Doyle, and produced by
Christopher Neil
Christopher Neil (born 1948) is an Irish-born British record producer, songwriter, singer, and actor.
He has produced records for A-ha, Amazulu, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dion, Cher, Dollar, Edyta Górniak, Gerry Rafferty, Jennifer Rush, José Ca ...
. Dion recorded her vocals on 3 October 2004 at the Digital Insights Studios in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
. The music was recorded earlier at the Studio Vale House in
Bucks, England. In 2005, "Ma Nouvelle-France" was included on Dion's greatest hits album, ''
On ne change pas
''On ne change pas'' (meaning ''We do not change'' or ''One does not change'') is the first comprehensive French-language greatest hits album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Columbia Records on 30 September 2005. It features songs rec ...
''.
Commercial performance
"Ma Nouvelle-France" entered the airplay chart in Quebec on 13 November 2004, peaking at number seven.
It stayed on the chart for 28 weeks.
Music video
The music video was directed by
Jean Beaudin
Jean Beaudin (6 February 1939 – 18 May 2019) was a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He directed 20 films since 1969. His film '' J.A. Martin Photographer'', was entered into the 1977 Cannes Film Festival, where Monique Mercure won the ...
.
It shows Dion singing the song in the rerecording studio while scenes from the film are inter-cut in between.
In 2005, the video was included as a bonus on Dion's greatest hits DVD collection, ''
On ne change pas
''On ne change pas'' (meaning ''We do not change'' or ''One does not change'') is the first comprehensive French-language greatest hits album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Columbia Records on 30 September 2005. It features songs rec ...
''.
Charts
References
External links
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{{authority control
Compositions by Patrick Doyle
Celine Dion songs
2004 singles
Songs in French
Songs with lyrics by Luc Plamondon
Songs written for films
Pop ballads
2004 songs
Columbia Records singles
Song recordings produced by Christopher Neil