Every great love story begins with a first moment. For music lovers across the world, the first time they heard Céline Dion sing was the beginning of a bond that has lasted decades. That first note, that first lyric, that first realization that her voice was unlike any other — it became a memory engraved in the heart, one that no passage of time can erase.
On this Throwback Thursday, we are invited to go back in time, to remember where it all started. For some, it was “The Power of Love” in the early 1990s, Céline’s breakthrough in the English-speaking world. That song, soaring and unrelenting, made listeners stop in their tracks. In a single performance, she revealed both vulnerability and power, showing that love was not fragile but fierce. It became the soundtrack to weddings, to late-night drives, to first dances and long embraces. Hearing it for the first time was like discovering a voice that could put into words everything you had ever felt but never spoken.
For others, the journey began with “Because You Loved Me.” Written as a thank-you to those who lift us when we cannot stand alone, the song became an anthem of gratitude. Students dedicated it to their parents. Couples played it at their anniversaries. Friends shared it as a reminder that love is not always romantic but always essential. To hear it for the first time was to feel seen, to understand that Céline was not only singing but also confessing something universal on behalf of us all.
And, of course, for millions, the first encounter was “My Heart Will Go On.” Released with the tidal wave of Titanic, the song was inescapable — on radios, on television, in the air of nearly every country at once. Yet its ubiquity did not diminish its power. For many, it was their introduction to Céline Dion, and what an introduction it was. The haunting flute, the whispered opening lines, the explosion of emotion in the chorus — it became not only a film theme but a hymn of endurance. To hear it for the first time was to understand why voices are called timeless.
Yet for some, the first Céline song was not in English at all. Long before her global fame, Céline was already a star in Quebec and in French-speaking countries. Songs like “D’amour ou d’amitié” and “Ne partez pas sans moi” — the Eurovision-winning entry for Switzerland in 1988 — introduced a different side of her artistry. These songs carried the same sincerity, the same intensity, but revealed her roots, her foundation, her beginnings. For those who knew her first in French, the memory is even more precious, a reminder of the girl from Charlemagne who became a global legend.
What makes the memory of that first Céline Dion song so unforgettable is not only the music itself but the way it attaches to our lives. We remember where we were, who we were with, what we were feeling. Maybe it was the radio in your parents’ car, the cassette player in your bedroom, the television in the corner of your living room. Maybe it was a friend who said, “You have to listen to this voice.” However it arrived, it stayed.
Decades later, fans continue to share these first encounters as if they were sacred. Because they are. They mark the beginning of a relationship between artist and audience, one that has carried us through years of joy and pain. Céline’s voice did not just entertain us; it accompanied us. That is why remembering the first song is like remembering the first time you met a lifelong friend.
In a way, this Throwback Thursday is not just nostalgia. It is gratitude. Gratitude that we lived in the time of Céline Dion. Gratitude that we were able to discover her not through stories or legends, but in real time, as her voice moved through radios, televisions, and stages into our own lives. Gratitude that what began with one song has become a lifetime of music.
So, let us go back in time. Close your eyes and remember. What was the first Céline Dion song you ever heard? What did it make you feel? Did it stop you in your tracks, make you cry, make you dream? That moment was the beginning of something bigger than you knew at the time. Because that voice was not only singing to the world — it was singing to you.
And even now, no matter how much time has passed, the memory of that first song still lingers. Because when a voice like Céline’s finds its way into your heart, it never leaves.