Love refuses to fade… Some songs entertain. Some songs comfort. And then there are songs that haunt — songs that return like old ghosts, carrying every touch, every word, every unfinished goodbye. “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” is that kind of song. And when Céline Dion sings it, it becomes something even more: a resurrection of love that refuses to stay buried.
Released in 1996 as part of her Falling Into You album, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” was unlike anything on the radio at the time. Written by Jim Steinman — the mastermind behind rock operas and gothic anthems — the song was originally intended to sound like “the most passionate kiss you’ve ever had… in the middle of a thunderstorm.” And with Céline at the mic, that’s exactly what it became.
The opening is pure stillness. A whisper of piano. A breath. And then Céline’s voice enters — not as a cry, but as a memory. She doesn’t sing the lyrics. She relives them. “There were nights when the wind was so cold…” And suddenly, we’re all there with her — in that cold room, in that quiet heartbreak, feeling something we thought we had buried long ago.
This isn’t a breakup song. It’s not even a love song, in the traditional sense. It’s a song about remembrance — of how love once felt, how it still lingers, and how even after everything, it still finds a way back.
What makes this performance unforgettable is Céline’s control. She doesn’t belt right away. She builds. The verses are restrained, filled with aching tension, until the chorus explodes like a storm finally breaking loose. “If you touch me like this, and if you kiss me like that…” — the words tumble out, urgent, desperate, real. It’s not just longing; it’s confrontation with a past that still owns her.
The music swells, crashes, pulls back — like the memories themselves. It’s operatic, over-the-top, and unapologetically dramatic. And yet, it never feels fake. Because when Céline sings, there is no artifice. There is only heart.
The music video only added to its myth. Wind, lightning, candlelit hallways, and a ghost lover — it was gothic romance at full intensity. For some, it was too much. But for others — especially women who’d loved deeply, lost painfully, and survived — it was perfect. Because some emotions can’t be whispered. They demand thunder.
“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” became one of Céline Dion’s most iconic songs, earning commercial success and critical praise. But more importantly, it became personal to millions. A song played late at night, alone. A song that knows how to say: Yes, I remember everything. And I’m still here.
Decades later, it remains untouchable. Few singers dare cover it — not because of the range, but because of the emotion it requires. To sing this song, you don’t just need a voice. You need a past. A wound. A moment you swore you moved on from… until a lyric brings it all flooding back.
That’s the power of this song. And that’s the power of Céline Dion.
Because sometimes, love doesn’t fade.
It waits.
And then, one night — maybe when the wind is so cold —
It all comes back.