Linda Perry: Unpublished quotes about "My Love"

[nystrele]

Hiya cool cats! Been a good long while since I've posted here on my favorite forum. I just wrote a blog entry about watching Celine on "Oprah" from October 2008 (I missed it the first time around), where she sings "My Love." Included in the entry, which I thought might be interesting for you guys, are some quotes from Linda Perry about writing the song for Celine. When I wrote the cover story for Billboard about "Taking Chances," there wasn't enough room to include the majority of my interview with Linda, so they appear here for the first time.

 

Meanwhile, hope you can check out my blog as well, where I include photos from the performance and a link to the YouTube performance: http://chucktaylorblog.blogspot.com/

 

cheerio!

=Chuck=

 

HERE'S THE TEXT FROM THE BLOG ENTRY:

God bless Tivo, which picked up an episode of "Oprah" from October 2008 with guest Celine Dion, which I somehow missed when it originally aired. The topic was children with disabilities who have been healed through miraculous procedures.

 

Finally, at the end, Celine sang "My Love" from her albums "Taking Chances"/"My Love-Ultimate Essential Collection." It's the first time I've heard her perform the Linda Perry-penned song live, other than a concert performance, which was serviced as the videoclip when the track was released to radio (where it peaked at a respectable No. 15 at AC).

 

I'm certainly accustomed to Celine putting her heart in every note she sings, but she actually brought me pause over just how deliberately she delivered every word—as if she was truly living the lyric of the delicate, slowly

building ballad.

 

On the surface, "My Love" sounds like a romantic song, as she sings, "I would share my life with you/Would you do the same for me?" But when I interviewed Linda Perry for a cover story in Billboard about "Taking Chances," she revealed that the lyric is anything but. She told me (and this has never been published), "This woman doesn’t take any breaks, she’s a machine, constantly moving. She's on a schedule. 'My Love' is about her relationships with fans, herself, her record label, and how she will do anything it takes to win you over: If I give you everything, will you do the same for me? It sounds like a love song but it's really not. It's definitely based on her and there's a darkness in it. When I played it for her, she starting crying. I had to stop and let her have a moment. She got it."

 

Knowing that, I was still wholly taken aback when Celine cried in the final notes of her "Oprah" performance. She teared up, put her fist toward her face and truly looked shaken. I'd have wondered if there was tragedy in the wings of Celine's life, had I not had the advantage of watching it some eight months later. Thoroughly stirring.

 

Here is another unpublished tidbit from my interview with Linda Perry:

"I appreciated Celine from the moment she walked in. Here's this huge persona, and she comes in like she was a secretary, an everyday normal, humble person, She introduces herself with no ego. I loved that. She's a wonderful woman. I admire and respect her, and it makes me happy to know that she was willing to open herself up through this song."

[celinesounds]

Thanks Chuck

 

Still one of my favourite songs... the song never had a decent video, it's sad

 

My favourite part is "My love, can you give me strength?"

[SensationalCeline]

I didnt' know anything about the darkness being in there and the connection that it had to do with herself and her fans. Thank you so much for sharing. That puts some of that song into perspective for me.

[autumnskies00]

I knew about the real meaning of the song from the recording session between Linda and Celine and its really beautiful and such a raw song. In the last Montreal show on Feb 15th, every time when Celine was singing, "Would you do the same for me?" a bunch of fans on the piano side of the stage (where I was sitting) would scream 'YES!' every time. It was so moving, you should have seen the look on her face. I'm not sure if there is a video of it but she really seemed to appreciate it. She did her normal 'I'm touched' look. You know, hand on her heart head tilted to the side sort of thing lol. I know for sure it was a bunch of people from the forum because I recognized many of the faces in that section that night.

[ashleylovesceline]

Thanks for posting!

 

I love this song. And it seems to mean something different everytime I hear it. I remember watching the behind the scenes recording of it... and it was so overwhelming. I hope she knows that "YES!" we would do the same for her.

[TEREFUNKEN]

HELLO!

 

Of course! MY LOVE is not kind a love song, its about her relation with the fans...and whit her career... as autumnskies00 saids, I got the meaning of the song, when CELINE talks with LINDA PERRY on the recording session...some quotes:

 

CELINE "... I DONT EVEN HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW I FEEL...YOU GOT ME THAT RIGHT"

 

LINDA PERRY: "YOU KNOW...I DONT SEE YA´ HAPPY...TO BE QUITE HONEST" then CELINE left the room CRYING

 

CELINE: "YOU KNOW, IT´S SO DIFICULT WHEN YOU START YOUR CAREER WHEN YOU´RE 12, YoU DON´T HAVE TIME TO QUESTION YOURSELF...WHO IM I REALLY? DO I KNOW? I DON´T KNOW!... HAVE DONE THAT WORK FOR 25 YEARS SO LONG, AND WHEN YOU START SO YOUNG AND YOU DO IT FOR SO LONG, AND NO STOP, YOU HAVE NO TIME TO KIND OF LIKE TO QUESTION YOURSELF, TO FEEL YOURSELF, EVEN THO IM THE ONE WHO WANNA DID...I WANNA THAT, I WANNA THAT LIFE...YOU KNOW..."

 

BTW....thanks CHUCK FOR THE NOTES!...and..come back often man!

 

 

so, to all dear friends of this forum...lets say her...LOUDER AS YOU CAN....

 

would give all I am to you

Would you do the same for me??

 

 

YES!!!!!!!

Edited June 25, 2009 at 06:29 AM by TEREFUNKEN

[Filine]

Thanks Chuck for the new quotes, great blog

This song was definately an instrument to do some soul searching...I think that the same thing goes for her fans, we got some kind of deeper understanding about who she is. Of course there are moments she's not happy with the life she's leading. We all have moments that we wish we were or could do something else, or when it doesn't give us the satisfaction or result we expected.

I think that especially the life that she's been leading has ups and downs that are further apart than we can ever imagine. Being in front of your audience, that fills you up with an incredible amount of love and support must be the best feeling in the world. Being scared because everybody wants something from you must be one of the very low points.

But still, she is in the position to really have a choice, she can change things for herself. She can leave all of this behind in a heartbeat. She doesn't have to worry about money, she can stop and do anything she likes. Yes she might have missed a big part of her youth, but she got the dreams that so many kids of that age can only dream of! Maybe Céline stuggles with the 'what do I do after everything I dreamed of has happened, how do I give my life new meaning, what can I do now to feel fulfilled'.

Edited June 25, 2009 at 08:07 AM by Filine

[LuisMa]

Thanks a lot, Chuck. I really loved the blog.

[anewdayhascome]

Thanks Chuck:) very nice of you to share this with us

[Esty]

Thank you for sharing!

[Davey84]

thank you for sharing! very interesting!! I wouldn't mind Linda writing more songs for Céline!

[CD4ever]

Thanks a lot for this amazing blog! I liked "My Love" from the first time I heard it, but when I got to know the thought behind it, it became a lot more then just another great song! Edited June 25, 2009 at 12:04 PM by CD4ever

[essence5]

Thanks so much for this disclosure. Now that song has really come to life for me.

[nystrele]

Filine: "Being in front of your audience, that fills you up with an incredible amount of love and support must be the best feeling in the world. Being scared because everybody wants something from you must be one of the very low points."

 

beautifully said... i think you nailed it.

 

xoxo

=chuck=

[whosarahre]

chuck is a very realistic critic. i am glad he liked it so much. however im still dissappointed that the song didnt do better

[Charlie92]

Nice, thanks for sharing. Have to listen to it now..

[Shamrock_1982]

Thanks for sharing Chuck!

I had no idea that you interviewed Linda also... as I to, had the chance to interview her in October of last year.

And I agree it was great to learn what she thought of Celine, and the true meaning behind the story of ''My Love''....

 

Darren.

[Teodora]

Thank you Chuck for sharing this with us.

Here's a funny thing we did at her concert in Montreal: When she sang "Will you do the same for me?" everybody shouted "Yeahhhhh". I have a video where you can actually hear it. I hope it made her happy, let her know we love her like crazy!

[ce-line]

Thank you!

I love that song!

[sazzlepop123]

Thank you for sharing.

From the first time I heard My love I just knew it wasn't a love song. The titles seems to lean towards that but when you listen carefully to the lyrics it is quite a dark emotional song.

 

The lines that really impact I think are:

 

Somehow I forgot how to ease my pain

 

and

 

I would share my whole life with you

Would you do the same for me?

 

I hope Celine knows that most of us have done and would do the same for her

[ticktock]

thanks chuck for your great contribution to the forum. I was looking at your blog, it's been added to my favourites!!

[nuts2you]

Thanks everyone for your post to this,after ready all your post here I have tier in my eye.I just want to give her a BIG HUG after readying all this.Who is with me.

[Claudette]

Thanks for sharing!

 

I have to admit I used to skip that song on the TC album because I didn't understand what it was about. It was only after I saw her perform it live and watched the video of the making of the song that I fell in love with it. Now it is one of my favourite Celine songs...

 

I think that Celine does not regret the choices that she has made and she loves what she is doing. But I think that she sometimes feels that she never got the chance to be a little girl and that makes her sad.

[Selina286]

my love is a beautiful song

[nuts2you]

I knew about the real meaning of the song from the recording session between Linda and Celine and its really beautiful and such a raw song. In the last Montreal show on Feb 15th, every time when Celine was singing, "Would you do the same for me?" a bunch of fans on the piano side of the stage (where I was sitting) would scream 'YES!' every time. It was so moving, you should have seen the look on her face. I'm not sure if there is a video of it but she really seemed to appreciate it. She did her normal 'I'm touched' look. You know, hand on her heart head tilted to the side sort of thing lol. I know for sure it was a bunch of people from the forum because I recognized many of the faces in that section that night.

 

Is they a vid of this , would love to see it. This just brought tears to my eyes,

[betterone]

Thanks for sharing with us. I felt released that My Love doesn't mean Rene. Hope Celine finds the meaning that she may be recently looking for and feel fulfilled.

[I Surrender]

Thanks Chuck !!

[Krys]

The lines that really impact I think are:

 

Somehow I forgot how to ease my pain

 

and

 

I would share my whole life with you

Would you do the same for me?

 

I hope Celine knows that most of us have done and would do the same for her

 

omg yes! every time it gets to that part of the song, i feel like crying me eyes out