"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" is a
power ballad
A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...
written by
Jim Steinman
James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...
. According to Steinman, the song was inspired by ''
Wuthering Heights
''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...
'', and was an attempt to write "the most passionate, romantic song" he could ever create.
''The Sunday Times'' posits that "Steinman protects his songs as if they were his children".
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
, who had collaborated with Steinman on most of his hit songs, had wanted to record the song for years, but Steinman refused, saying he saw it as a "woman's song". Steinman won a court case, which prevented Meat Loaf from recording it.
Girl group
Pandora's Box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology connected with the myth of Pandora in Hesiod's c. 700 B.C. poem ''Works and Days''. Hesiod related that curiosity led her to open a container left in the care of her husband, thus releasing curses ...
went on to record it, and it was subsequently made famous through a cover by
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
, which upset Meat Loaf because he was going to use it for a planned album with the working title ''Bat Out of Hell III''.
Alternatively,
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
has said the song was intended for ''
Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell'' and given to the singer in 1986, but they both decided to use "
I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)
"I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" is a song written by Jim Steinman and performed by American rock singer Meat Loaf with additional vocals by Lorraine Crosby. The song was released in August 1993 by MCA Records, MCA and Virgin Rec ...
" for ''Bat II'', and save this song for ''
Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose''.
Steinman at one point offered it to
Bonnie Tyler
Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer. Known for her distinctive husky voice, Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' and its ...
, who was recording her album ''
Hide Your Heart'' with producer
Desmond Child
John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and record producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, a Primet ...
. Confident that it would be a hit, she asked her record company to include it in the album; they declined, citing the cost of using Jim Steinman to produce it.
The song has had three major releases. The first version appeared on the
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
''
Original Sin
Original sin () in Christian theology refers to the condition of sinfulness that all humans share, which is inherited from Adam and Eve due to the Fall of man, Fall, involving the loss of original righteousness and the distortion of the Image ...
'', recorded by
Pandora's Box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology connected with the myth of Pandora in Hesiod's c. 700 B.C. poem ''Works and Days''. Hesiod related that curiosity led her to open a container left in the care of her husband, thus releasing curses ...
. It was recorded by
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
for her album ''
Falling into You
''Falling into You'' is the fourteenth studio album and fourth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 11 March 1996 by Sony Music. The follow-up to her blockbuster album '' The Colour of My Love'' (1993) and French-l ...
'', and her version was a commercial hit, reaching No. 1 on the
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian music charts are a collection of record charts reflecting the music consumption of people in Canada. '' RPM'' and '' Billboard'' are the biggest publications to have published Canada's official charts for decades. However, the first ...
, No. 2 in the U.S.
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 3 in the
UK Singles Chart in late 1996. Meat Loaf eventually recorded it as a duet with Norwegian singer
Marion Raven
Marion Elise Ravn (born 25 May 1984), better known as Marion Raven, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. Raven formed the pop duo M2M with Marit Larsen, though they ceased performing together in 2002. Raven was later signed as a solo artist b ...
for ''Bat III'' and released it as a single in 2006. This version reached No. 1 in Norway and No. 6 on the UK Singles charts.
A music video was produced for each of the three versions; death is a recurring theme in all of these videos, fitting in with the suggestion in
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...
' press release for ''Original Sin'' that "in Steinman's songs, the dead come to life and the living are doomed to die".
Inspiration
Influenced by
Emily Brontë
Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English writer best known for her 1847 novel, ''Wuthering Heights''. She also co-authored a book of poetry with her sisters Charlotte Brontë, Charlotte and Anne Bront� ...
's novel ''
Wuthering Heights
''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...
'', Steinman compared the song to 'Heathcliff digging up Cathy's corpse and dancing with it in the cold moonlight', a scene which does not exist in the novel.
In this conceptualization, which Steinman imagines having been censored from the book, the strength of Heathcliff's obsession enables a dance with a corpse on the beach despite the
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
moors being landlocked (and therefore more than the laws of nature would allow):
This isn't the ''Wuthering Heights'' of Kate Bush
Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...
—that little fanciful ''Wuthering Heights''. The scene they always cut out is the scene when Heathcliff digs up Catherine's body and dances in the moonlight and on the beach with it. I think you can't get much more operatic or passionate than that. I was trying to write a song about dead things coming to life. I was trying to write a song about being enslaved and obsessed by love, not just enchanted and happy with it. It was about the dark side of love; about the ability to be resurrected by it... I just tried to put everything I could into it, and I'm real proud of it.
In another interview, Steinman expands on his comments about the song being about the 'dark side of love'.
It's about obsession, and that can be scary because you're not in control and you don't know where it's going to stop. It says that, at any point in somebody's life, when they loved somebody strongly enough and that person returns, a certain touch, a certain physical gesture can turn them from being defiant and disgusted with this person to being subservient again. And it's not just a pleasurable feeling that comes back, it's the complete terror and loss of control that comes back. And I think that's ultimately a great weapon.
The website AllMusic called the song 'a tormented ballad about romantic loss and regret built on a spooky yet heart-wrenching piano melody'.
Eroticism is implied in the lines 'There were nights of endless pleasure' and 'The flesh and the fantasies: all coming back to me'. The song ends with a passionate, quiet reprise of the chorus. Critics have also identified
Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
, of whom Steinman was an admirer, as an inspiration. Specifying this song, ''The Sunday Times'' wrote that "the theme of Wagner's opera ''
Tristan and Isolde
Tristan and Iseult, also known as Tristan and Isolde and other names, is a medieval chivalric romance told in numerous variations since the 12th century. Of disputed source, usually assumed to be primarily Celtic, the tale is a tragedy about ...
'', with its extreme passions and obsessive love, informs all his best work".
A 2007 article in the ''Toronto Star'' claims that the song was written as Steinman's "tryout" as lyricist for
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
's ''
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...
''.
Pandora's Box version
In 1989, Steinman produced the concept album ''
Original Sin
Original sin () in Christian theology refers to the condition of sinfulness that all humans share, which is inherited from Adam and Eve due to the Fall of man, Fall, involving the loss of original righteousness and the distortion of the Image ...
'', with an all-female group named
Pandora's Box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology connected with the myth of Pandora in Hesiod's c. 700 B.C. poem ''Works and Days''. Hesiod related that curiosity led her to open a container left in the care of her husband, thus releasing curses ...
. The album featured many tracks which would be recorded by other artists, particularly
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
.
Elaine Caswell was the lead vocalist for "It's All Coming Back to Me Now", who apparently collapsed five times during its recording.
For the track,
Roy Bittan
Roy J. Bittan (born July 2, 1949) is an American musician best known as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Professor", Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. He plays the piano, organ, accordion and synth ...
performed on the grand piano, with Steinman and
Jeff Bova
Jeff Bova (born Jeffrey Bova in 1953) is an American musician. He has been active in the music industry since the mid-1970s, contributing to recordings by significant mainstream artists like Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Blondie, Eric Clapton, ...
on keyboards. Guitars were by
Eddie Martinez, with Steve Buslowe on bass guitar and Jimmy Bralower on drums.
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophistica ...
arranged the background vocals, which were performed by
Ellen Foley
Ellen Foley (born June 5, 1951) is an American singer and actress who has appeared on Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the hit NBC sitcom '' Night Court'' during its second season. In music, she has released five solo albums, bu ...
, Gina Taylor, and Deliria Wilde. The song was released as a single in the United Kingdom on 2 October 1989 and reached No. 51 in the UK Singles Chart.
The 7-inch, 12-inch, and CD singles featured Steven Margoshes's piano solo "Pray Lewd" (incorporating elements of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now"), Steinman's monologue "I've Been Dreaming Up a Storm Lately", and "Requiem Metal", a sample from
Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...
's ''
Requiem Mass
A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is u ...
'', all from the album ''Original Sin''.
Music video
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...
directed the video, which was filmed at
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London.
The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...
in Buckinghamshire.
Journalist
Mick Wall
Mick Wall (born 23 June 1958) is a British music journalist, author, and radio and TV presenter. He has been described as "the world's leading rock and metal writer".
Career
Wall began his career in 1976 at the age of 18, contributing to the mus ...
observes that Russell's reputation for "mixing sex, fantasy, religion and death ... was the kind of director Jim Steinman had wished for in his various dream states."
Steinman wrote the script, based on Russell's "Nessun Dorma" segment in the compilation opera movie ''
Aria
In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
''.
Scholar Joseph Lanza describes the video:
a woman's near-death experience rom a motorcycle crashis set amid operatic excesses and black leather. In a simulated city engulfed by an apocalyptic blaze, British vocalist Elaine Caswell sings and participates in a ritual to celebrate the song's "nights of sacred pleasure"... he soundstageis stocked with gravestones, motorcycles, pythons and dancers (allegedly from the London production of ''Cats
The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...
''), strapped in chaps, studded bras, and spiked codpieces.
The girl, near death, is being ministered to by paramedics, fantasizing and being 'sexually aroused by a large python and writhing on a bed that lit up in time with the music, while surrounded by a group of bemused, semi-naked dancers'.
When Steinman's manager saw it, he responded 'It's a porno movie!'
Russell and Steinman even designed a sequence where a motorcyclist would cycle up the steps of a local church-tower, jump out of the turrets at the top, and then explode; alas, the wardens of the church refused permission.
The two-day shoot ran over schedule and budget, costing £35,000 an hour; Steinman himself paid for the overtime.
Critical reception
Upon its release, ''
Music & Media
''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...
'' described "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" as "passionate, full-blown pop/rock " which has "dramatic build-ups" and is "reminiscent" of
T'Pau. Mark Matthews of the ''
Hartlepool Mail'' praised Caswell's "strong vocal" but felt the track is "very laboured" and "sounds like it could have been taken from an
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
musical". Dave Jennings of ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...
'' was negative in his review, calling it "simply pompous and empty, like
Bonnie Tyler
Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer. Known for her distinctive husky voice, Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' and its ...
's '
Total Eclipse of the Heart
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is the lead Single (music), single by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler from her fifth studio album, ''Faster Than the Speed of Night'' (1983) written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded in 1982, released as a single ...
', but with a shrill, mechanical session singer draped on top".
In a review of ''Original Sin'', Neil Jeffries of ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
'' called the song "excruciatingly operatic". Donald A. Guarisco, writing for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, considered the "tormented ballad about romantic loss and regret" to be "built on a spooky yet heart-wrenching piano melody".
Charts
Like the album, the Pandora's Box version of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" was not a commercial success, which Steinman took as a "personal insult". He said "these songs are my children. I want them to do well, and if they don't, I don't just give up on them."
Celine Dion version
"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" is the first track on Canadian singer
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
's fourth English-language studio
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
, ''
Falling into You
''Falling into You'' is the fourteenth studio album and fourth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 11 March 1996 by Sony Music. The follow-up to her blockbuster album '' The Colour of My Love'' (1993) and French-l ...
'' (1996).
Jim Steinman
James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...
produced the track, with
Steven Rinkoff and
Roy Bittan
Roy J. Bittan (born July 2, 1949) is an American musician best known as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Professor", Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. He plays the piano, organ, accordion and synth ...
credited as co-producers.
''
Bat Out of Hell'' and
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
collaborators
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophistica ...
, Eric Troyer,
Rory Dodd
Rory Dodd (born Port Dover, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian rock vocalist who has performed many songs written by Jim Steinman. He is probably best known for singing as the duet voice (the "Turn around, bright eyes" lyrics) on Bonnie Tyler's versi ...
,
Glen Burtnick and
Kasim Sulton Kasim as a given name, a variant of Qasim. It may refer to:
People known only by the given name Kasim
*Kasım Pasha, Ottoman general and governor
*Kasım of Karaman, the last bey of the Karaman Beylik, a Turkish principality in Anatolia
*Şehza ...
provided backing vocals. This version utilized a modified version of the original Pandora's Box track with Caswell's vocals and certain instrumental passages removed.
It peaked at number two on
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...
for five weeks, becoming the thirty-fourth biggest number two Hot 100 hit of all time. The full-length version of the song is the version that appears on ''Falling into You'' and is seven minutes and thirty-seven seconds long. A radio edit of the song was made, which appears on all editions of Dion's first English-language
greatest hits album
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
, ''
All the Way... A Decade of Song'' (1999), and lasts for five minutes and thirty-one seconds.
According to ''The Sunday Times'',
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
told Steinman he thought this song was "the greatest love song ever written," and on hearing Dion's version reportedly said: "This will be the record of the millennium".
In an interview with the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
, Elaine Caswell said that she expressed shock upon hearing Dion's version, often leaving a scene when the song came out in places such as laundromats in tears. Caswell later met Dion when she joined her to record a cover of "
River Deep – Mountain High
"River Deep – Mountain High" is a song by Ike & Tina Turner released on Philles Records as the title track to their 1966 studio album. Produced by Phil Spector and written by Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked ...
". The singer revealed that she had listened to Caswell's vocals in the original version and hoped she could match her voice.
The song was also included in Dion's 2008 greatest hits compilation ''
My Love: Essential Collection''. Live performances can be found on the ''
A New Day... Live in Las Vegas'' and ''
Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert'' albums. Dion performed this song during her
Falling Into You: Around the World tour 1996/1997,
Let's Talk About Love World Tour
The Let's Talk About Love World Tour was the ninth concert tour by Canadian recording artist Celine Dion. Visiting North America, Asia and Europe; the trek supported Dion's fifth English and fifteenth studio album ''Let's Talk About Love'' (1997 ...
1998/1999,
Taking Chances World Tour
The Taking Chances World Tour was the tenth concert tour by French Canadian singer Celine Dion, in-support of her thirteenth French-language and 22nd studio album, '' D'elles'' (2007), as well as her tenth English-language and 23rd studio alb ...
2008/2009, two
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
residencies, A new Day... and Celine,
Tournée Européenne 2013,
Summer Tour 2016,
2017 European tour
The 2017 European Tour was the 46th season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.
Changes for 2017
For the 2017 season, the European Tour created the Rolex Series; a group of selecte ...
and her
2018 tour. She performed the song during her
British Summer Time concert in London's
Hyde Park on 5 July 2019, and also opened her 2019–2020
Courage World Tour
The Courage World Tour was the fifteenth concert tour by Canadian singer Celine Dion, in support of her English-language studio album ''Courage'' (2019). It was her first world tour in over a decade, since her Taking Chances World Tour. The to ...
show with the song.
Critical reception
Dion's version received widespread critical acclaim.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
senior editor
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
marked it as a standout along with "
Falling into You
''Falling into You'' is the fourteenth studio album and fourth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 11 March 1996 by Sony Music. The follow-up to her blockbuster album '' The Colour of My Love'' (1993) and French-l ...
", and praised it, "Celine shines on mock epics like Jim Steinman's 'It's All Coming Back to Me Now.'"
Larry Flick
Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...
from ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' asked, "Is there a pop diva hotter than Dion right now?" He added, "Lesser talents might have been gobbled up by his melodramatic arrangements, but Dion rises to the occasion with a performance that soars above the instrumentation with deliciously theatrical flair."
A reviewer from the ''
Calgary Sun
The ''Calgary Sun'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is currently owned by Postmedia Network. First published in 1980, the tabloid-format daily newspaper replaced the long-running tabloid-size ''The Albertan'' soon ...
'' stated, "
he song
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads
* He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English
* He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana)
* Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
is undoubtedly the highlight of her English-language recording career. Celine's over-the-top vocals soar and swoop around Steinman's epic, ostentatious arrangement. Not surprisingly, everything else that follows... pales in comparison". Pip Ellwood-Hughes from Entertainment Focus called it "one of the finest songs the singer has ever recorded. It shows the power of her voice as well as the subtle emotion she can display in the quieter moments. The song is nothing short of a
rock opera
A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...
and Dion is the perfect person to sing it."
Toronto's ''
Eye Weekly
''Eye Weekly'' was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the ''Toronto Star'', and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The followin ...
'' said Steinman's "fatal absence from the
last Meat Loaf record is finally justified here."
[All of these quotations from reviews are borrowed from ] Dave Sholin from the ''
Gavin Report
The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The ...
'' felt that Steinman's "dramatic writing style melds perfectly with her powerful vocal, giving this production an incredibly passionate quality". ''
The Miami Herald
The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe countie ...
'' said Dion "knocks a couple out of the ballpark...
he song
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads
* He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English
* He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana)
* Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
features seven minutes of
Wagnerian
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most ...
bombast, thunderclap piano
chords and emoting that would wither an
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
diva. Sure, it's over-the-top but it's passionate and musical".
British magazine ''
Music Week
''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future.
History
Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...
'' rated it four out of five, picking it as Single of the Week. The reviewer added, "You don't need to be a musical genius to spot this melodramatic builder as a Jim Steinman number and, while the overblown style isn't to everyone's taste, this should be huge."
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic.
Biography
Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...
from ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote, "The melodrama peaks with two overblown Jim Steinman productions: 'It's All Coming Back to Me Now', a romantic flashback replete with thunderclaps... " ''
People
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'' magazine stated that literally, it "blasts off the CD with a booming piano chord followed by seven minutes of Wagnerian melodrama, Dion's crystalline
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
swelling and trembling with operatic abandon worthy of the Ring cycle's immolation scene." ''
Richmond Times-Dispatch
The ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (''RTD'' or ''TD'' for short) is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, and the primary newspaper of record for the state of Virginia.
Circulation
The ''Times-Dispatch'' has the second-highest circul ...
'' picked it as one of the best tracks on the ''Falling into You'' album. ''
Sun-Sentinel
The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Broward County, an ...
'' noted it as "lyrically and musically beautiful" and said that "this nearly eight-minute ballad sets the pace for this album with Dion's emotional singing." Christopher Smith from TalkAboutPopMusic called it "the biggest spectacle" of the album, and "a complete album in itself".
Some other reviews were less enthusiastic. After labelling Celine "a
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
-meets-Meat Loaf vocal freak", ''
The Vancouver Sun
The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, and is the larg ...
'' described the song as "intensely self-indulgent, pompously self-important and mediocre beyond belief, the song just never ends". ''
The Ottawa Sun'' called it 'turgid', while ''
The Toronto Sun'', coincidentally, said that it "sounds like a Meat Loaf reject".
Music video
British director
Nigel Dick
Nigel Dick (born 21 March 1953) is an English music video director and filmmaker. Originally from Catterick, North Yorkshire, he is based in Los Angeles, California.
He has directed music videos for artists such as Britney Spears, Toto, Ba ...
directed the
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for Dion's version, with Simon Archer as cinematographer and Jaromir Svarc as
art director
Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...
. It was shot between 29 June and 3 July 1996 in Castle
Ploskovice
Ploskovice () is a municipality and village in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Ploskovice consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population ac ...
, the summer palace of the Austrian Emperors, with additional interior shots done at Barandov Studios, both located in
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
,
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
; it was later released in July 1996. Although Castle Ploskovice served as the exterior, the most notable areas featured in the music video are its entrance hall, ballroom, and the arched walkways. There are two versions of this music video; the full version (about 7:44 in length) and the single version (about 6:00 in length). Both of them are included on Dion's 2001
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
video collection ''
All the Way... A Decade of Song & Video''.
The video opens with a man being thrown off his motorcycle, after lightning strikes a tree down in his path – eventually killing him in the process. Dion's character is haunted by her lover's image, which she sees through a mirror, and images of them together through picture frames. There are stylistic similarities to
Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy ( ; born 23 June 1953) is an Australian director of film, television, and music videos. He began his career directing music videos for artists like Elton John and Duran Duran, before making his feature directorial debut with the ...
's video for Steinman's "
Total Eclipse of the Heart
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is the lead Single (music), single by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler from her fifth studio album, ''Faster Than the Speed of Night'' (1983) written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded in 1982, released as a single ...
", to the extent that ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' calls Dick's video an update. On 10 January 2020, the music video reached 100 million views on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
.
Impact and legacy
Smooth Radio listed "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" at number 19 on their list of the "Greatest Power Ballads of All Time".
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
listed the song as one of "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s", saying, "Dion, the most successful balladeer of the ’90s, summons all the power in her soul and lungs to commune with the dead, the theatrically proggy arrangement crescendoing behind her."
Track listings and formats
*Australian CD and cassette single
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Radio Edit) – 5:27
#"
To Love You More
"To Love You More" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion, written by David Foster and Edgar Bronfman Jr., writing under the pen-name Junior Miles. It was released as a single in Japan on 21 October 1995 and became a hit, reaching number one o ...
" – 5:29
#"
Where Does My Heart Beat Now
"Where Does My Heart Beat Now" is a song performed by Canadian recording artist Celine Dion for her ninth studio album and debut English-language album, ''Unison'' (1990). It was released by Columbia Records as the third single from ''Unison'' i ...
" (Live Version) – 5:30
#"Fly" – 2:58
*Australian and US CD single (Remixes)
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Classic Paradise Radio Mix #1) – 4:20
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Classic Paradise Radio Mix #2) – 3:47
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (The
Moran Anthem 7" Edit) – 4:20
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Classic Paradise Mix) – 8:12
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (The Moran Anthem Mix Pt. 1) – 10:32
*Canadian, European, and US CD single; UK and US cassette single
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Radio Edit) – 5:27
#"
The Power of the Dream
"The Power of the Dream" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released as a single in Japan on August 20, 1996. It was written and produced by David Foster, Linda Thompson, and Babyface for the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics. ...
" – 4:31
*European CD single
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Radio Edit) – 5:27
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Classic Paradise Mix) – 4:22
*European CD single
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Radio Edit) – 5:27
#"The Power of the Dream" – 4:31
#"Fly" – 2:58
#"Where Does My Heart Beat Now" (Live Version) – 5:30
*European and UK CD single (
Love to Infinity mixes)
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Album Version) – 7:37
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Classic Paradise Mix) – 8:17
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Prophet Mix) – 7:04
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Aphrodisiac Mix) – 7:47
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Amnesia Mix) – 7:33
*UK CD single
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Radio Edit) – 5:27
#"Le fils de Superman" – 4:35
#"Fly" – 2:58
#"The Power of the Dream" – 4:31
*US 12-inch single
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Classic Paradise Mix) – 8:12
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (The Moran Breakdown Dub) – 9:22
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (The Moran Anthem Mix Pt. 1) – 10:32
#"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Amnesia Mix) – 7:37
Personnel
*
Roy Bittan
Roy J. Bittan (born July 2, 1949) is an American musician best known as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Professor", Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. He plays the piano, organ, accordion and synth ...
– grand piano
*
Jeff Bova
Jeff Bova (born Jeffrey Bova in 1953) is an American musician. He has been active in the music industry since the mid-1970s, contributing to recordings by significant mainstream artists like Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Blondie, Eric Clapton, ...
– keyboards, programming
*Jimmy Bralower – drums, percussion
*Steve Buslowe – bass
*
Tim Pierce
Tim Pierce (born 1958 in Albuquerque) is an American session guitarist. He has worked for artists such as Joe Cocker, Crowded House, Goo Goo Dolls, Michael Jackson, Beth Hart, Roger Waters, Alice Cooper, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Collins, and th ...
– guitar
*
Eddie Martinez – additional guitars
*
Kenny Aronoff
Kenneth D. Aronoff (born March 7, 1953) is an American drummer, best known for his work as a session and touring musician. He has toured and recorded with a wide range of artists throughout his career, including the Rolling Stones, the Smashing ...
– additional drums
*
Bashiri Johnson
Bashiri Johnson (born May 12, 1955) is an American percussionist, whose work has appeared on many records, as well as in commercials, films, television, video games, and concert performances. He is known to be one of the most recorded percussio ...
– additional percussion
*
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophistica ...
,
Eric Troyer,
Rory Dodd
Rory Dodd (born Port Dover, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian rock vocalist who has performed many songs written by Jim Steinman. He is probably best known for singing as the duet voice (the "Turn around, bright eyes" lyrics) on Bonnie Tyler's versi ...
,
Glen Burtnick,
Kasim Sulton Kasim as a given name, a variant of Qasim. It may refer to:
People known only by the given name Kasim
*Kasım Pasha, Ottoman general and governor
*Kasım of Karaman, the last bey of the Karaman Beylik, a Turkish principality in Anatolia
*Şehza ...
– background vocals
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications and sales
Release history
Meat Loaf and Marion Raven version
While Steinman was "ecstatic" that the song has been a hit for Celine Dion,
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
was "furious" claiming that it has been written for ''
Bat out of Hell II: Back Into Hell'', and was promised to him for a future ''Bat III'' project.
However, Steinman claims that he thought that only a woman should sing it.
In contrast, Meat Loaf said that, in his mind, the song was always meant to be a duet.
Meat Loaf attempted legal action "to prove that he had some level of dominion of the song", and was furious for many years afterwards when Steinman won the case.
The song was recorded as a duet by Meat Loaf and
Marion Raven
Marion Elise Ravn (born 25 May 1984), better known as Marion Raven, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. Raven formed the pop duo M2M with Marit Larsen, though they ceased performing together in 2002. Raven was later signed as a solo artist b ...
for the 2006 album ''
Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose'', produced by
Desmond Child
John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and record producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, a Primet ...
. Raven had been working on her solo album with Child, and was chosen because the timbre of her voice starkly contrasts to Meat Loaf's. In promotional interviews, Meat Loaf said that "I believe that the version that Marion Raven and myself did on this album is the definitive version".
Meat Loaf said that he was in tears when he first heard the song, which he stated is "the only time that's happened".
He has also said that the song could refer to Steinman and himself, with an array of emotions coming back every time they work together. Referring to lines like 'when I kiss you like that', he said that although "I love Jim Steinman", he wouldn't French kiss him.
To me it wasn't a song about romance, it was about me and Jim Steinman. We'd had a load of problems with managers in the early '80s and all of a sudden after five years we started to communicate. After I'd been to his house, he sent me the song, and it was "It's All Coming Back To Me Now". Not the line 'When you kiss me like that', but the emotional connection. It doesn't have to be literal.
P. R. Brown directed this video, which premiered on VH1 Classic on 8 August 2006. There are similarities between the video for Meat Loaf's version of the song, and that the video for that of
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
, with Meat Loaf being haunted by the memory of his lover. It is structured differently, however, with the story being told through flashback. Shots when Raven's character is alive have a distinct yellow tint, with a darker, blue tint for those after her death. Whereas the motorcyclist dies before the first verse in the Dion version, Raven's crash and resulting death is not shown until the final chorus. Meat Loaf becomes angry with Raven because the ghost of Raven's former lover appears at a masquerade ball they are attending (some reviewers have compared this to the
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...
film ''
Eyes Wide Shut
''Eyes Wide Shut'' is a 1999 erotic mystery psychological drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on the 1926 novella '' Dream Story'' () by Arthur Schnitzler, transferring the story's setting from earl ...
'').
This version of the song replaces the word 'nights' with 'lights', in the line 'There were nights of endless pleasure'. The ending of the single version is different, concluding with an additional 'We forgive and forget and it's all coming back to me now'. The album version, following those recorded by
Pandora's Box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology connected with the myth of Pandora in Hesiod's c. 700 B.C. poem ''Works and Days''. Hesiod related that curiosity led her to open a container left in the care of her husband, thus releasing curses ...
and Celine Dion, ends with Raven whispering 'And if we...', followed by four piano notes.
The track was available to download from iTunes in the United Kingdom in August 2006, two months before its UK release on 16 October. The CD single includes the song "
Black Betty
"Black Betty" ( Roud 11668) is a 20th-century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources say it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations ...
", with the limited-edition 7-inch vinyl featuring "Whore", a rock duet with
Patti Russo
Patricia Russo (May 20, 1964) is an American singer and songwriter. She acted as Meat Loaf's female lead vocalist, touring the world with his band Neverland Express between 1993 and 2013. Since then, she has embarked on a solo career.
Work wit ...
; it was also released as a DVD single. The album version was made available on Meat Loaf and Marion Raven's respective MySpace sites in August, with the single version being played during some of their promotional interviews, such as that on BBC Radio 2.
The cover art is by
Julie Bell
Julie Bell (born October 21, 1958) is an American fine artist, illustrator, photographer, bodybuilder and wildlife painter. Bell is also a fantasy artist and a representative of the heroic fantasy and fantastic realism genres. Bell has won Che ...
, who is also the artist for the album ''Bat out Of Hell III''.
The single entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 6 on 22 October 2006, giving Meat Loaf his highest position in the UK chart since "I'd Lie for You (And That's the Truth)" reached No. 2 in 1995, and was the last UK Top 40 hit in his lifetime. The song also reached No. 1 in Raven's native Norway, as well as No. 7 in Germany. Critical reaction was generally positive, with ''The Guardian'' writing that the song is "ostensibly a reflection on love, but imbued with the delicacy of aircraft carriers colliding at sea".
Marion Raven joined Meat Loaf for his 2007 tour of Europe. She was the supporting act, promoting her album ''
Set Me Free''. Meat Loaf introduced her again on stage at the latter stages of the concerts to duet on "It's All Coming Back to Me Now". A performance was recorded and released on DVD as ''
3 Bats Live''.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Uses in popular culture
Celine Dion version
* Dion's version appears in a 2018 TV commercial for Applebee's.
* Dion's version (and herself) appear in a commercial for "Instagram shopping" in 2019.
* Dion's version appears in a commercial promoting the beginning of National Football League season in 2020, in which the Dion was featured promoting the NFL's return, which features the players lipsyncing to the song.
* Dion's version appears on Extra Gum's commercial, titled "For When It's Time", made by BBDO and filmed in Santiago, Chile, in early March 2021.
* Dion's version was used as the finale lip sync song in the
second season of ''
Canada's Drag Race'' between the top three contestants
Icesis Couture,
Pythia
Pythia (; ) was the title of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo at Delphi. She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi. Her title was also historically glossed in English as th ...
, and
Kendall Gender to determine that season's winner.
* The romantic drama film ''
Love Again'' (a remake of ''
SMS für Dich
''SMS für Dich'' () is a 2016 German romantic drama film directed and co-written by Karoline Herfurth, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Sofie Cramer. It stars Herfurth, Friedrich Mücke, Nora Tschirner, Frederick Lau and Katja Riem ...
'' that Dion executive produced and stars in) had been titled ''It's All Coming Back to Me'' after the song. The song itself appears in the film's trailer.
* Dion's version is featured in a Film Trailer for
Love Hurts
"Love Hurts" is a song written and composed by the American songwriter Boudleaux Bryant. First recorded by the Everly Brothers in July 1960, the song is most well known in two hit versions by UK artists: by Scottish hard rock band Nazareth in ...
.
Other versions
* This song features in Jim Steinman's ''
Bat Out of Hell: The Musical'', in which the song is split into further parts and is performed by four characters.
* The TV series ''
Glee
Glee may refer to:
* Glee (music), a type of English choral music
* ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy
* ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album)
* ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album)
* Gle ...
'' featured a short cover of this song in the third-season episode "
Nationals", in which it is performed by
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati ( ; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables'' (1995–1996), ''Ragtime'' (1997–1999), ''Fid ...
as Rachel Berry. A longer 5:22 minute version of Michele performing this song was released as a digital single in 2012.
* The show ''
Riverdale'' featured a cover version of this song in the
fifth-season episode "
Chapter Ninety-One: The Return of the Pussycats", in which it is performed by
Ashleigh Murray
Ashleigh Murray (born January 18, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her breakthrough role as Josie McCoy, the lead singer of the fictional band Josie and the Pussycats, on The CW television series '' Riverdale'', whic ...
as
Josie Mocoy, Asha Bromfield as
Melody Valentine, and
Hayley Law as
Valerie Brown, as a part of the band "
Josie and the Pussycats Josie and the Pussycats (sometimes simply known as The Pussycats) is a fictional girl group rock band created by Dan DeCarlo for Archie Comics
Archie Comic Publications, Inc. (often referred to simply as Archie Comics) is an American comic boo ...
".
* After winning the 2024 series finale of ''
The Masked Singer UK'', singing "It All Comes Back to Me Now", British singer
Danny Jones
Daniel Alan David Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984–2005'' (born 12 March 1986) is a British singer, songwriter and musician who is one of the lead vocalists and the lead guitarist for pop-rock band McFly.
From ...
released the song alongside his band
McFly
McFly are a British pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the ''Back to the Future (franchise), Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Da ...
.
See also
*
1996 in British music
This is a summary of 1996 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
Summary
This year saw the start of an increase in the number of number 1 singles. 24 hit the top spot this year, the highest since 1980, whi ...
*
Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1996
*
Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1997
This is a list of ''Billboard''s Top Hot 100 songs of 1997.
The list is also notable for featuring 14 songs that appeared in 1996's list, repeat onto to this list. With the highest being Toni Braxton's " Un-Break My Heart", which barely made ...
*
*
List of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles in 1996
*
List of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles in 1997
*
List of most expensive music videos
This article lists the most expensive music videos ever made, with costs of $500,000 or more, from those whose budgets have been disclosed.
David Bowie's video for the 1980 single " Ashes to Ashes" was the first music video to exceed this sum. ...
*
List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1996 (U.S.)
Adult Contemporary (chart), Adult Contemporary is a record chart, chart published by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' ranking the top-performing songs in the United States in the adult contemporary music (AC) market. In 1996, five different s ...
*
List of number-one singles of 1996 (Canada)
*
List of number-one songs in Norway
This list shows the songs which have been number one on the official chart list (VG-lista) in Norway. The single list started in 1958, and the albums list in 1967. The show is broadcast every Wednesday by NRK P3, one of Norwegian Broadcasting ...
*
List of UK top 10 singles in 1996
*
List of UK top 10 singles in 2006
*
Ultratop 50 number-one hits of 1996
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
1989 songs
1989 singles
1989 debut singles
1996 singles
2006 singles
1980s ballads
550 Music singles
Celine Dion songs
Columbia Records singles
Epic Records singles
Male–female vocal duets
Marion Raven songs
Meat Loaf songs
Mercury Records singles
Music based on novels
Music videos directed by Nigel Dick
Number-one singles in Norway
Pandora's Box (band) songs
Pop ballads
Rock ballads
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Song recordings produced by Jim Steinman
Songs written by Jim Steinman
Works based on Wuthering Heights
Virgin Records singles
Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements
Music videos directed by P. R. Brown