"Le miracle" (meaning "the miracle") is a song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released as the second single from her 2012 French-language album, Sans attendre. It was written by Marie Bastide and Gioacchino Maurici, and produced by Jacques Veneruso and Patrick Hampartzoumian. "Le miracle" is a pop song about miracles in everyday life. It received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who noted that it is one of the standout tracks on the album. The Thierry Vergnes-directed video features Dion amidst autumn scenery and people jumping in the air to express their happiness.

"Le miracle"
Single by Celine Dion
from the album Sans attendre
Released2 November 2012 (2012-11-02)
RecordedMarch 2012
GenrePop
Length3:57
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
  • Marie Bastide
  • Gioacchino Maurici
Producer(s)
Celine Dion singles chronology
"Parler à mon père"
(2012)
"Le miracle"
(2012)
"Qui peut vivre sans amour?"
(2013)
Music video
"Le miracle" on YouTube

Background and release

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The lyrics and thirty-second previews of all songs from Sans attendre were posted on Dion's official website on 18 October 2012.[1] On 28 October 2012, a week before the album's release, celinedion.com announced that "Le miracle" was chosen as the second single.[2] It became available as a digital download from the album on the day that Sans attendre was released. The cover art for the promotional single was created by the illustrator Aurore Hutton, niece of former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.[3]

Composition

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The song was written by Marie Bastide and Gioacchino Maurici, while the production was handled by Jacques Veneruso and Patrick Hampartzoumian, who also produced Dion's previous single, "Parler à mon père".[4] "Le miracle" is a pop song, which begins with a simple piano and Dion's voice which later mingles with children's choir.[5] The track also uses ukulele played by Veneruso.[4] Lyrically, the song is about seeing miracles in everyday life and believing in them.[2] It speaks about love and hope.[5]

Critical reception

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The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Łukasz Mantiuk of All About Music wrote that "Le miracle" is one of the best tracks on the album. He called it a joyful song with a wonderful children's choir.[6] Bernard Perusse from The Gazette commented that the performance and arrangement of "Le miracle" is "refreshingly subdued" and controlled. The song has an "instantly-accessible melody for Dion to navigate," which makes a "perfect vehicle for her to sail gracefully".[7] Kieron Tyler of The Arts Desk called it restrained and noted that even the "massed kiddie chorus is kept in check" and "doesn't stray into the glutinous".[8] Alain de Repentigny from La Presse wrote that it is a catchy pop song that we can hum from the very first listen, but whose charm wears out quickly.[9] According to Pure Charts, "Le miracle" is "one big ray of sunshine" on Sans attendre but is not very original.[10] Marty Tobin of Quai Baco got the impression that he heard the melody of "Le miracle" dozens of times since Joe Dassin, but the presence of the choir and "Celine's touch" make it work well again.[11] Lea Hermann from Focus also liked the song praising the "fresh spring-like" background vocals.[12]

Commercial performance

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"Le miracle" enjoyed a great success in Quebec and in late November 2012 it reached the top position on both the Top 100 Francophone and Top 25 Adult Contemporary charts.[13] On 7 November 2012, the single also debuted on the Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart which includes mainly English-language songs, and reached number twenty-one.[14] At the end of November 2012, "Le miracle" entered the charts in Belgium and France where it peaked at numbers twenty-seven and seventy seven, respectively.[15] In December 2012, the single peaked at number thirty on the Radio Chart in Belgium Wallonia.[16] According to Francophonie Diffusion, "Le miracle" was the sixteenth most-played single worldwide during 2013 by Francophone artist.[17]

Music video

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The music video for "Le miracle" was directed by Thierry Vergnes and filmed on 2 October 2012 in a golf club in Terrebonne, Quebec.[18] Vergnes previously worked with Dion in 2007 on her videos for "Et s'il n'en restait qu'une (je serais celle-là)" and "Immensité," and in 2012 on "Parler à mon père".[19] The music video for "Le miracle" premiered on 20 November 2012.[20] It was shot under the autumn sun with Dion walking among the trees with orange and red leaves, while several people jump in the air to express their joy and happiness. At the end of the video, a young pregnant woman is shown and a quote from Albert Einstein appears: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle".[21] ET Canada called the video "uplifting".[18] The music video uses the Radio Edit of the song.[20]

Live performances

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Dion performed the song during the Canadian television special on 4 November 2012 on TVA, the French television special on 24 November 2012 on France 2, and also in two shows on France 3: Chabada on 2 December 2012 and Céline en toute intimité on 17 December 2012.[22][23][24][25] On 20 December 2012, Dion sang "Le miracle" in another television special on NRJ 12.[26] "Le miracle" was the closing number to her Céline... une seule fois concert held in the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City on 27 July 2013, and one of the closing songs to her concert at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp on 21 November 2013 during the Sans attendre Tour; the former was included in the Céline une seule fois / Live 2013 CD/DVD.[27]

Track listing and formats

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  1. "Le miracle" (radio edit) – 3:21

Credits and personnel

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Recording[4]
Personnel[4]
  • songwriting – Marie Bastide (lyrics), Gioacchino Maurici (music)
  • production and arrangements – Jacques Veneruso, Patrick Hampartzoumian
  • vocal recording – François Lalonde
  • recording assistant – Ray Holznecht
  • recording and mixing – Patrick Hampartzoumian
  • drums – Laurent Coppola
  • bass – Jean-Marc Haroutiounian
  • piano – Emmanuel Guerrero
  • acoustic guitars, ukulele – Jacques Veneruso
  • electric guitars – André Hampartzoumian
  • percussion, programming – Patrick Hampartzoumian
  • background vocals – Agnès Puget, Jacques Veneruso, Delphine Elbé, Emilie Smill, Patrick Hampartzoumian
  • choir – Choeurs du Studio Meyes de La Ciotat

Charts

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Chart performance for "Le miracle"
Chart (2012–2013) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[30] 53
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[31] 27
Canada AC (Billboard)[32] 21
CIS (TopHit)[33] 197
France (SNEP)[34] 77
Quebec (ADISQ)[13] 1
Quebec Adult Contemporary (ADISQ)[13] 1

Release history

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"Le miracle" release history
Region Date Format Label
Belgium, Switzerland[2] 2 November 2012 Promotional single Columbia
Canada, France[2] 5 November 2012

References

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  1. ^ "'Sans attendre' Song Previews". celinedion.com. 18 October 2012. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "And The Second Single From 'Sans attendre' Is…". celinedion.com. 10 October 2012. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  3. ^ "Who's Hand Is Behind The 'Sans attendre' Album Cover?". celinedion.com. 5 October 2012. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d "Celine Dion: Sans attendre - Deluxe booklet" (PDF). celinedion.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Céline Dion : "Le Miracle"". rtl.be (in French). RTL Group. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  6. ^ "Céline Dion – Sans Attendre (2012), recenzja". allaboutmusic.pl (in Polish). All About Music. 3 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  7. ^ "New music review: Sans attendre, Celine Dion (Columbia)". The Gazette. Postmedia Network Inc. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  8. ^ "CD: Céline Dion – Sans Attendre". theartsdesk.com. The Arts Desk Ltd. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  9. ^ Repentigny, Alain de (3 November 2012). "Sans attendre de Céline Dion, un album inégal". La Presse (in French). La Presse, ltée. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  10. ^ "Céline Dion se livre "Sans attendre" dans son nouvel album français". Pure Charts (in French). Webedia. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  11. ^ "Celine Dion – " Sans attendre " : La chronique". Quai Baco (in French). SARL Karanta. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  12. ^ "Céline Dion entdeckt mit 44 ihre Mädchenträume neu". Focus. Focus Online. 3 November 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  13. ^ a b c "'Le miracle' - Number One On Quebec Radio". celinedion.com. 1 December 2012. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ^ Tuch, Paul (12 December 2012). "Bruno Mars Scores Third Canadian Hot 100 No. 1" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. Prometheus Global Media, LLC and The Nielsen Company. Retrieved 12 December 2012.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ "Céline Dion - Le miracle". ultratop.be. Ultratop & Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  16. ^ "Ultratop Airplay". Ultratop & Hung Medien. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  17. ^ "The Yearly Airplay Charts: 2013". Francophonie Diffusion. Archived from the original on 20 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  18. ^ a b "Celine Dion's "Le Miracle" Video". Entertainment Tonight Canada. Shaw Inc. 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 30 July 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  19. ^ "Thierry Vergnes: music videos". tvergnes.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  20. ^ a b "The "Le miracle" Video Is Here!". celinedion.com. 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 22 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  21. ^ "Découvrez le nouveau clip "Le miracle" de Céline Dion". Pure Charts (in French). Webedia. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  22. ^ "What If You Could Attend The Taping of a Celine TV Special?". celinedion.com. 10 October 2012. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  23. ^ "'Céline Dion, le grand show' On France 2 On November 24". celinedion.com. 8 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  24. ^ "Celine On Chabada Today!". celinedion.com. 2 December 2012. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  25. ^ "'Céline en toute intimité' On France 3". celinedion.com. 13 December 2012. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  26. ^ "'We Love Céline' On NRJ 12 On December 20". celinedion.com. 16 December 2012. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  27. ^ "Celine Dion: Céline une seule fois / Live 2013 (2CD+DVD/Blu-ray)". celinedion.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  28. ^ "Celine Dion - Le Miracle - French Exclusive 1 Track Promo CD". eBay. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  29. ^ "Celine Dion CD Promo Sampler Le Miracle 1 Track". eBay. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  30. ^ "Céline Dion – Le miracle" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  31. ^ "Céline Dion – Le miracle" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  32. ^ "Celine Dion Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  33. ^ Céline Dion — Le miracle. TopHit. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  34. ^ "Céline Dion – Le miracle" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
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