Call the Man

"Call the Man"
Single by Celine Dion
from the album Falling into You
Released9 June 1997 (1997-06-09)
StudioThe Hit Factory
GenrePop
Length6:08 (album version)
4:15 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Celine Dion singles chronology
"All by Myself"
(1996) 		"Call the Man"
(1997) 		"J'attendais"
(1997)
Audio video
"Call the Man" on YouTube

"Call the Man" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion, recorded for her fourth English-language album, Falling into You (1996). It was released as the fifth and last single outside of North America on 9 June 1997. "Call the Man" was written by Andy Hill and Peter Sinfield, who had previously written Dion's 1995 smash hit "Think Twice". The song was produced by Jim Steinman, who had also worked on her previous pop single, "It's All Coming Back to Me Now".

Background and release

The single was released during the second European leg of the Falling into You Tour and peaked at number 8 in Ireland and 11 in the United Kingdom, where it has sold over 80,000 copies.[1]

On 17 April 1997 Dion performed "Call the Man" with a 30-voice gospel choir during the World Music Awards ceremony. She was the big star of that evening, winning three awards: Best-selling Canadian Female Singer, Best-selling Artist and Best-selling Pop Artist, after selling over 25 million albums in 1996. It was the second year in a row that Dion has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.[2] Dion performed the song during her 1996/1997 Falling Into You: Around the World tour.

In 2008, "Call the Man" was included on the European version of My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection.

Critical reception

Pip Ellwood-Hughes from Entertainment Focus declared the song as a "huge sing-a-long anthem".[3] A reviewer from Music & Media viewed it as an "epic ballad".[4] British magazine Music Week rated it three out of five, describing it as "Streisand-esque warblings from Dion on this emotive Jim Steinman-produced ballad", and "not as memorable as Think Twice."[5] Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In wrote that "Call the Man", "which praises a nameless individual capable of calming the chaos and confusion in life with “love beyond repair,” could easily be interpreted as a song about Jesus."[6] Ealing Leader noted that Dion is "in sad, wistful mood for this potent ballad".[7] Christopher Smith from TalkAboutPopMusic described it as a "long and brooding epic [that] is full of theatrics and drama".[8]

Music video

The music video for "Call the Man" was directed by Greg Masuak in 1995 and already used for two other songs in edited versions: "Je sais pas" and "Next Plane Out".

Formats and track listings

Personnel

According to the liner notes of Falling Into You

  • Celine Dion – Lead Vocals
  • Jeff Bova – Keyboards and drum programming
  • Ottmar Liebert – Acoustic guitar and solo
  • Shelton Becton – Backing Vocals
  • Sharon Bryant-Gallwey – Backing Vocals
  • Angela Clemmons-Patrick – Backing Vocals
  • Curtis King – Backing Vocals

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format
United Kingdom[19] 9 June 1997
  • CD
  • cassette

References

  1. ^ a b "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40-1997 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  2. ^ Glatzer, Jenna (2005). Céline Dion: For Keeps. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 0-7407-5559-5.
  3. ^ Ellwood-Hughes, Pip (11 October 2018). "Celine Dion – Falling Into You vinyl review". Entertainment Focus. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. 14 June 1997. p. 19. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 31 May 1997. p. 23. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  6. ^ Waliszewski, Bob. "Falling Into You". Plugged In. Focus on the Family. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Celine Dion – Call The Man". Ealing Leader. 4 July 1997. page 9. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  8. ^ Smith, Christopher (2 November 2019). "Review: 'Falling into You' – Celine Dion". TalkAboutPopMusic. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Céline Dion – Call the Man" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  10. ^ "Céline Dion – Call the Man" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  11. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 12 July 1997. p. 13. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  12. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (07.08.1997 - 14.08.1997)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir – Tónlist. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  13. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Call the Man". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  14. ^ "Celine Dion – Call the Man – Top 40" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  15. ^ "Céline Dion – Call the Man" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  17. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  18. ^ "Árslistinn 1997 – Íslenski Listinn – 100 Vinsælustu Lögin". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  19. ^ "New Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 7 June 1997. p. 33. Retrieved 29 December 2022.