All the Way… A Decade of Song is the first English greatest hits album by Canadian singer Céline Dion, released on November 12, 1999. It is her 7th English album and 26th in total. All the Way... A Decade of Song was extremely successful, selling over 22 million copies worldwide. According to Billboard, it became the 26th best-selling album of the decade in the United States.

Album information

All the Way… A Decade of Song is a compilation of Dion's most successful hits coupled with seven new songs, including the leadoff single "That's the Way It Is", written and produced by a team who worked with Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync at that time. Céline Dion performed it live with 'N Sync, during her CBS TV special, presented in late November 1999 to mark the release of the album. The TV special included also guest appearance by Gloria Estefan.

Céline Dion also worked with Robert John "Mutt" Lange, best known for his multi-platinum recordings with Shania Twain. They recorded "If Walls Could Talk", with Twain on background vocals. The song was originally performed by Stevie Vann.

Among new songs recorded for this compilation, there are two other covers: Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and Frank Sinatra's "All the Way" (recorded as a duet with Sinatra's vocals). The latter was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

"Then You Look at Me" was written by James Horner and Will Jennings ("My Heart Will Go On") and featured in the 1999 movie Bicentennial Man, starring Robin Williams.

"I Want You to Need Me" became the last Diane Warren's song recorded by Dion. Two more tracks written by Warren and produced by David Foster were recorded during the All the Way... a Decade of Song sessions, but they never made the album. One of them, called "Would I Know" leaked into the internet in May 2005 (Charlotte Church recorded her version in 2003), but the second, "Run Like a River" still remains unreleased.

The last track on the album is an English version of the song "Vivre" from the Notre Dame de Paris musical and it's called "Live (for the One I Love)".

On January 1, 2000, Céline Dion started her two year break from show business.

Later that year she has won a World Music Award for World's Best-Selling Female Pop Artist and two Japan Gold Disc Awards. In January 2001, she has received an American Music Award for Favorite Artist in Adult Contemporary Category.

An accompanying All the Way… A Decade of Song & Video DVD was released in 2001, including videos for seven new songs and eleven older hits.

In August 2001, All the Way… A Decade of Song was released on Super Audio CD. In September 2003, it was released as a CD/DVD version, including All the Way… A Decade of Song & Video. Finally, in April 2008 the album was released in a slipcase.

Chart success

All the Way… A Decade of Song was very successful, selling over 22 million copies worldwide. According to Billboard, it became the 26th best-selling album of the decade in the United States.

In the U.S., All the Way… A Decade of Song debuted at number 3, selling 303,000 copies in its first week. In the following week, the album sold 394,000 copies and climbed to number 1. In its sixth week of release, the album sold an impressive 640,000 copies, which marked Dion's biggest weekly sales in the U.S. According to Nielsen SoundScan, All the Way… A Decade of Song has sold 7,934,000 copies in the U.S. and was certified 7x platinum by the RIAA. After selling 1 million copies, All the Way… A Decade of Song was certified diamond in Canada.

It has sold also over 5 million copies in Europe and was certified 5x platinum by the IFPI. In Germany, the album has sold over 1 million copies, and was certified 3x platinum. 2 million copies were sold in Japan, and because of that the album was certified 2x million by the RIAJ.

All the Way… A Decade of Song topped the charts around the world, spending 12 weeks at number 1 on the European Top 100 Albums chart, 9 weeks in France, 7 weeks in Belgium Wallonia and Switzerland, 6 weeks in Germany and Austria, 5 weeks in Norway, 4 weeks in Ireland and Finland, 3 weeks in the United States, 2 weeks in Australia, Netherlands and Sweden, and 1 week in the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Spain, Sweden. It was also number 1 in Greece.

In November 2007, All the Way… A Decade of Song re-entered the charts in the United States, Japan, United Kingdom and Ireland, just after Dion released her Taking Chances album, and few months before the Taking Chances Tour. Although an eight year old album, it managed to re-enter top 20 in Ireland and top 40 in the UK. It fell off the charts after the release of My Love: Essential Collection in October 2008.

Charts and certifications

Charts

Certifications

1Most certifications are under old criteria, with higher certifications levels than the current ones.

Awards

Release history

See also

*List of best-selling albums worldwide

*List of BMG Music Club's top selling albums in the United States

References

Category:1999 compilation albums

Category:Greatest hits albums

Category:Albums released in Super Audio

Category:Albums produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange

Category:Albums produced by Rick Nowels

Category:Albums produced by Guy Roche

Category:Albums produced by Jim Steinman

Category:Albums produced by Roy Bittan

Category:Albums produced by Aldo Nova

Category:Albums produced by Matt Serletic

Category:Albums produced by Christopher Neil

Category:Albums produced by Walter Afanasieff

Category:Albums produced by Max Martin

Category:Albums produced by Steven Rinkoff

Category:Albums produced by Humberto Gatica

Category:Albums produced by R. Kelly

Category:Celine Dion compilation albums

Category:Albums certified 2 million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan

fr:All The Way... A Decade of Song

it:All the Way... A Decade of Song

ja:ザ・ベリー・ベスト

pl:All the Way... A Decade of Song

pt:All the Way... A Decade of Song

tl:All The Way... A Decade of Song

th:ออลเดอะเวย์... อะดิเคดออฟซอง

Artist/Band Information

Céline Marie Claudette Dion, CC, OQ (Fr-Celine-Dion.ogg