Random news, thoughts and common questions about Celine (Part 2)

[Nmj]

On 6/3/2026 at 8:59 PM, rfkavanagh said:

Here's the interview with Jay Landers that I shared a few years ago, which gives the full story of how Céline was "chosen" for BATB...

https://www.celinedionforum.com/topic/56337-new-interview-with-jay-landers-interesting-céline-mentions/#comment-2405206

ABOUT FINDING CÉLINE FOR BATB:

Is it true that while you were at Walt Disney Records that you brought the songs “Beauty and the Beast,” and “A Whole New World” (from ”Aladdin”) to Barbra, and she passed?

That is true, yes. But the after effect of that was I was working with a friend of mine (Walt Disney Pictures President of Music) Chris Montan. Chris called me, and he said, “I am really up against it because I have offered this song ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ not just to Barbra but to every major artist that you can think of, male and female.” They had gone to George Michael, Michael Jackson, anybody who was popular at the time. They all passed. So I said to Chris, “I’m working with a guy who is cold as ice, but he’s a fantastic singer named Peabo Bryson. But, after Barbra, I don’t know anyone who could tackle that song.” He said, “What do we do?” So I was talking to a friend of mine, Paul Burger…..

Who was then president of Sony Music Canada.

Right. I called Paul Burger and asked if he had anybody in mind or someone that he was working with. He said, “Well, I’m working with this girl Céline Dion. You might think of her in some respects as the “French Canadian Barbra.” I said, “Well, that is the kind of voice that we need. Please send me some of her recordings.” Fast forward, I send her to Chris, and Chris said, “Look I got nobody at this moment. Let’s just go with it.” So she came to New York where we were recording.

The bed tracks were recorded first at The Record Plant in L.A., and Peabo and Céline recorded their vocals at The Power Station in New York over the Labor Day holiday weekend (in 1991).

The song became a big hit. And that kind of really put Céline on the map in the United States. She had a few singles before, including “Where Does My Heart Beat Now” the year before (which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #2 on its Adult Contemporary chart.)

(Peabo Bryson and Céline Dion’s duet recording of “Beauty and the Beast,” peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100; and at #3 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart.)

Wow imagine if Barbra and Micheal Jackson would’ve done BATB it might’ve changed Celine’s destiny in English.

[celine2199]

On 6/4/2026 at 9:08 AM, Nmj said:

Wow imagine if Barbra and Micheal Jackson would’ve done BATB it might’ve changed Celine’s destiny in English.

THAT would be the weirdest fxxking duet ever,I would have goosebumps all over my body for all the wrong reasons...🤨