All the Way... A Decade of Song is the first English-language greatest hits album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Columbia Records and Epic Records on 12 November 1999. Conceived as a celebration of Dion's commercial success during the 1990s, the album combines nine of her most successful recordings with seven newly recorded tracks. Dion collaborated primarily with longtime producer David Foster on the new material, with additional contributions from leading pop producers including Max Martin, Kristian Lundin, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, James Horner, and Matt Serletic. The album became the best-selling greatest hits collection by a female solo artist in the United States during the Nielsen SoundScan era. and 26th on the Billboard 200 Decade-End chart, cementing its status as one of Dion's most successful releases.
Background
After 10 years of constant recording, touring, and global promotion, Dion announced that she would take an extended break from the music industry. "I'm looking forward to having no schedule, no pressure, to not caring about whether it's raining or not, just visiting with family and friends, cooking at home, trying to seriously have a child. I want no pressure for a while," she said in 1999. Before beginning her two‑year hiatus on 1 January 2000, Dion and her team assembled All the Way... A Decade of Song as a retrospective celebration of her achievements throughout the 1990s—a decade in which she sold over 100 million albums worldwide.
During this period, Dion evolved from a rising Canadian vocalist into one of the world's most successful and recognizable pop artists. Between 1990 and 1999, she released six English‑language studio albums—from Unison (1990) to All the Way... A Decade of Song—as well as six newly recorded French‑language albums. Her output earned her numerous accolades, including five Grammy Awards, and established her as one of the defining voices of the decade. The new material was created in collaboration with leading producers and songwriters, including Max Martin, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, James Horner and Will Jennings—the team behind "My Heart Will Go On"—as well as Quebec composer and producer Luc Plamondon, Diane Warren, and David Foster. The Horner and Jennings composition "Then You Look at Me" also appeared in December 1999 on the soundtrack of Bicentennial Man, starring Robin Williams. Plamondon's "Live (for the One I Love)", adapted from the original French song "Vivre", was later included on the 2000 French cast album of Notre-Dame de Paris. The release includes music videos for "If Walls Could Talk" and "Then You Look at Me", neither of which were issued as singles. It also features two performances from the 1999 CBS television special—"All the Way" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"—along with the music videos for the album's singles: "That's the Way It Is", "Live (for the One I Love)", and "I Want You to Need Me". The DVD additionally includes several earlier hits, some presented in live versions from the ...Live in Memphis 1997 home video.
Singles
"That's the Way It Is" was released as the first single from the album in November 1999. It reached number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a top-10 hit worldwide. In February 2000, "Live (for the One I Love)" was released as the second single in selected European countries, and in March 2000, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" was issued as the next single in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 19. The second North American single, "I Want You to Need Me", was released in April 2000 and reached number one on the Canadian Singles Chart.
Promotion
On 7 October 1999, Celine Dion taped her second CBS television special at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Dion also performed "That's the Way It Is" on various television and award shows in late 1999, before taking a two-year break from the music industry.
Critical reception
All the Way... A Decade of Song received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Although Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic awarded the album four out of five stars, he criticized the inclusion of seven new songs and only nine hits. He noted what he considered "glaring omissions", such as Dion's first American hit, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now", and her duet with Barbra Streisand, "Tell Him". Phil Sutcliffe of Q described the album as a "strange hybrid" that was "neither comprehensively greatest nor best".
Chuck Taylor of Billboard praised "That's the Way It Is", noting that Dion "at last ups the tempo with the irresistible first single". He commended her collaboration with Max Martin, Kristian Lundin and Andreas Carlsson, describing the track as "replete with a festive mandolin and a midtempo beat" and calling it "one of the most compelling radio releases yet" from "one of the core voices of the decade". Taylor also reviewed "I Want You to Need Me", writing that the pairing of Dion and Diane Warren was "as fine a fit as a trusty pair of Thom McAn's". He praised Warren's "heart-drenched words and dramatic melody writing" and Dion's "potent vocals", concluding that "divadom has never sounded so mighty".
Commercial performance
All the Way... A Decade of Song topped charts around the world and was certified multi-platinum in numerous countries. During its first two years, the album had sold over 17 million copies globally. To date, it has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, making it the 15th best-selling album by a woman.
In the United States, All the Way... A Decade of Song debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with sales of 303,000 copies, the second-largest opening of Dion's career after Let's Talk About Love (1997), which sold 334,000 units in its first week. The album rose by 30% in its second week (394,000 copies) and became her third number-one album. In its fifth week, it returned to the top, selling 537,000 units, becoming the first number-one album of the 2000s. It achieved its highest weekly sales in week six, selling 640,000 copies while placing at number two. On Billboards list of the best-selling albums of 1999 in the US, All the Way... A Decade of Song ranked number 13 with sales of 2.9 million units. As of November 2019, it has sold 8,200,000 copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan, plus an additional 1,100,000 units through BMG Music Club. It was certified seven times platinum by the RIAA. According to Billboard, it was the 26th best-selling album of the 2000s in the US. In Canada and Quebec, the album debuted at number one. It shipped one million copies and was certified diamond by the CRIA.
In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one with sales of 74,681 copies. It became one of five Dion albums to surpass one million copies sold in the UK. As of October 2008, it has sold 1,318,223 units In Germany, the album entered at number one and spent six non-consecutive weeks at the top. It was certified seven times gold by the BVMI for shipments of 1,050,000 copies. Overall, it sold over five million copies in Europe and was certified five times platinum by the IFPI. In Japan, the album peaked at number one and was certified double million by the RIAJ for shipments of two million copies. In Australia, the album topped the chart for two weeks and was certified five times platinum by the ARIA. "All the Way", Dion's duet with Frank Sinatra, was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 43rd Grammy Awards.
Track listing
Notes
- signifies a co-producer
- All editions include seven new songs and the previous hits: "The Power of Love", "Beauty and the Beast", "Because You Loved Me", "It's All Coming Back to Me Now", "To Love You More", and "My Heart Will Go On". Other tracks vary by country:
- All editions except for the Australasian edition include "I'm Your Angel". The Australasian edition includes "Falling into You".
- All editions except for the Canadian and US editions include "Immortality". The Canadian and US editions include "If You Asked Me To" and "Love Can Move Mountains".
- Asian editions include "Be the Man".
- European (excluding French) and Australasian editions include "Think Twice".
- French, Brazilian, and Japanese editions include "All by Myself"; Hispanic American editions include the Spanish-language version, "Sola Otra Vez".
Personnel
Adapted from AllMusic.
- René Angélil – producer
- Kenny Aronoff – drums
- David Ashton – engineer
- Chris Brooke – assistant engineer, assistant vocal engineer, mixing, mixing assistant
- Andreas Carlsson – background vocals
- Terry Chiazza – A&R
- Luis Conte – percussion
- Celine Dion – liner notes, primary artist, vocals
- Mark Dobson – digital editing, pro-tools
- John Doelp – executive producer
- Felipe Elgueta – engineer, producer, programming, synthesizer programming
- Frank Filipetti – engineer
- David Foster – arranger, keyboards, producer, vocal arrangement, background vocals
- Simon Franglen – arranger, engineer, keyboards, producer, synclavier, synclavier programming, synthesizer, synthesizer programming
- Matthew Freeman – production coordination
- Michel Gallone – assistant engineer, assistant vocal engineer
- Humberto Gatica – engineer, mixing, vocal engineer, vocals
- John Gilutin – keyboards, piano
- Andy Haller – engineer, second engineer
- Leah Haywood – background vocals
- Nana Hedin – background vocals
- John Herman – engineer, engineering consultant
- Jack Hersca – transfers
- James Horner – arranger, orchestration, producer
- Suzie Katayama – conductor
- Robert John "Mutt" Lange – producer, background vocals
- Ron Last – assistant engineer, assistant vocal engineer, mixing
- Jesse Levy – orchestra manager
- Tomas Lindberg – bass
- Jeremy Lubbock – string arrangements
- Kristian Lundin – engineer, keyboards, mixing, producer, programming
- Vito Luprano – executive producer
- Max Martin – engineer, keyboards, mixing, producer, programming, background vocals
- Vladimir Meller – mastering
- Richard Meyer – programming
- Esbjörn Öhrwall – guitar
- Valerie Pack – production coordination
- Maya Panvell – A&R
- Dean Parks – guitar, acoustic guitar
- Simon Rhodes – engineer
- John Robinson – drums
- Will Rogers – assistant vocal engineer
- Olle Romo – programming
- William Ross – arranger, conductor, orchestral arrangements, string arrangements
- Jacques Saugy – guitar
- Danny Schneider – technical engineer
- Matt Serletic – arranger, orchestration, producer
- Leland Sklar – bass
- David Thoener – engineer
- Michael Thompson – guitar, electric guitar
- Shania Twain – background vocals
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope="col"| Chart (1999–2002)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"| Argentine Albums (CAPIF)
| 5
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)
| 12
|-
! scope="row"| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)
| 2
|-
|-
! scope="row"| European Albums (Music & Media)
| 1
|-
|-
! scope="row"| French Compilations (SNEP)
| 1
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Greek Albums (IFPI)
| 1
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)
| 1
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon)
| 1
|-
!scope="row"| Malaysian Albums (RIM)
| 3
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Portuguese Albums (AFP)
| 1
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)
| 1
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
Monthly charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope="col"| Chart (2000)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| South Korean Albums (RIAK)
| 6
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope="col"| Chart (1999)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)
| 15
|-
! scope="row"| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)
| 47
|-
! scope="row"| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)
| 6
|-
! scope="row"| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)
| 10
|-
! scope="row"| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)
| 95
|-
! scope="row"| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)
| 35
|-
! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
| 45
|-
! scope="row"| European Albums (Music & Media)
| 29
|-
! scope="row"| French Compilations (SNEP)
| 1
|-
! scope="row"| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
| 53
|-
! scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon)
| 68
|-
! scope="row"| Norwegian Christmas Period Albums (VG-lista)
| 1
|-
! scope="row"| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)
| 32
|-
! scope="row"| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
| 4
|-
! scope="row"| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
| 27
|-
! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)
| 12
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope="col"| Chart (2000)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)
| 38
|-
! scope="row"| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)
| 23
|-
! scope="row"| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)
| 24
|-
! scope="row"| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)
| 26
|-
! scope="row"| Canadian Albums (SoundScan)
| 27
|-
! scope="row"| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)
| 30
|-
! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
| 24
|-
! scope="row"| European Albums (Music & Media)
| 11
|-
! scope="row"| Finnish Foreign Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)
| 14
|-
! scope="row"| French Compilations (SNEP)
| 14
|-
! scope="row"| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
| 19
|-
! scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon)
| 26
|-
! scope="row"| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
| 8
|-
! scope="row"| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
| 68
|-
! scope="row"| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
| 6
|-
! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)
| 55
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 7
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope="col"| Chart (2001)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 198
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope="col"| Chart (2002)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)
| 10
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope="col"| Chart (2003)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)
| 16
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope="col"| Chart (2004)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)
| 30
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope="col"| Chart (2008)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)
| 142
|-
! scope="row"| US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)
| 22
|}
Decade-end charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope="col"| Chart (2000–2009)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 38
|}
All-time charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope="col"| Chart
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Canadian Artists Albums (SoundScan)
| 6
|-
! scope="row"| Irish Albums Female Artists (OCC)
| 19
|}
Certifications and sales
|accessdate=28 July 2014|refname=riaa