Written by Diane Warren

“Because You Loved Me” was the debut single off Celine Dion’s 1996 multi-platinum album, “Falling Into You.” This nostalgic ballad was featured in the blockbuster movie “Up Close And Personal” starring Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Written by hit-maker Diane Warren, “Because You Loved Me” was perfectly produced by David Foster.

The single was released in February 1996 and became an out-of-the-box, worldwide smash. In the U.S. it owned the #1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 for 6 weeks. It set a new record by staying at the top of the adult contemporary chart for a whooping 19 weeks. “Because You Loved Me” sold over a million copies and was also certified platinum. Diane Warren received a Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. The song went on to garner three more nominations as Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Vocal Performance and it was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Dion’s performance is a milestone of her career, giving her absolute best under Foster’s expert direction. The keyboard-based, radio-friendly arrangement enhances the song’s sweet melody and evocative lyrics. Through the years “Because You Loved Me” has been covered by singers including Johnny Mathis, Clay Aiken, Joseph Williams and Michael Ball. Recently, Foster and Dion performed the song live for the “Hitman: David Foster & Friends” cd/dvd.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/because_you_loved_me.mp3|titles=Because you loved me|artists=Celine Dion]

Lead Vocals: Celine Dion
Keyboards: David Foster
Synclavier Programming: Simon Franglen
Guitars: Michael Thompson
Backing Vocals: Sue Ann Carwell, Carl Carwell, Kofi, Terry Bradford, Alex Brown, Philip Ingram, Maxann Lewis, Will Wheaton, Bridgette Bryant-Fiddmont, Alanna Capps

Background Vocals Arranged by Sue Ann Carwell, Carl Carwell & David Foster
Produced & Arranged by David Foster

For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I’ll be forever thankful baby
You’re the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You’re the one who saw me through through it all

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ‘coz you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all
I’m grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don’t know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ‘coz you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me

You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You’ve been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ‘coz you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me

I’m everything I am
Because you loved me

You may like her music or not but Dianne Warren sure is second to none when it comes to write a hit song. Warren has been on top of the charts many times and especially when her songs were arranged and produced by David Foster. They have teamed up for #1 hits like “Unbreak My Heart” for Toni Braxton, “Have You Ever” for Brandy and “Because You Loved Me” for Celine Dion. Warren’s perfect pop melodies and Foster’s inventive and exciting arrangements and production helped shaping the Top 40/A.C. style in the nineties almost the same way as Foster did with his work for Chicago, Kenny Loggins and Kenny Rogers in the eighties.

These two hit-makers have also worked, in 1997, with En Vogue, the successful, female, r&b group and the result of this collaboration is our song of the week, “Too Gone, Too Long”. It is a soul ballad with some funky overtones, its backing track almost completely played by Foster on synthesizers with just some guitar licks courtesy of Michael Thompson and Dean Parks and some jazzy piano touches always played by “Da Man”. Terry Ellis, Maxine Jones and Cindy Herron give their best with Foster in the control booth, carrying the song flawlessly in a vocal crescendo to its effective climax right before the end. This song has been a top 40 hit reaching # 33 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and it also went high on the r&b charts. There are another couple of songs that Foster and Warren co-wrote in recent years and that, even without being hits, deserve some close attention, one is entitled “After Tonight” and it’s a great ballad they did with Mariah Carey, the other is “I Hear Your Voice” and they wrote it with Lionel Richie. We suggest you to look for them and enjoy.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/too_go.e_too_long.mp3|titles=TOO GONE TOO LONG |artists=En Vogue]

All Vocals: En Vogue
Keyboards: David Foster
Electric Guitar: Michael Thompson
Acoustic Guitar: Dean Parks
Synclavier Programmer: Simon Franglen
Produced and Arranged by David Foster

Lyrics

Did I hear you say that
You want another chance
You need another try
You’re ready to reclaim your prize
So you want my love back
Why’d you let it slip away
Why’d you ever let me go
Your change of heart has come too late
Well the door is locked you can’t get in
The game has changed you’ve been

Too gone, too long baby
To ever get back again
In my heart
Too gone, too long baby
You’re too many tears too late
To ever get back to get back
In my arms
Been gone too gone too long

Didn’t you hear me say that
You’d be a fool to leave
You’d regret the road you chose
You’d come running right back to me
You had such a good love sugar
You never found in no one else
But what I knew all the time
You had to find out for yourself
But now you’ll never know
That love again
You’re on your own

Did you really think I’d take you back
Let you back in my life
Oh baby just like that
Someone new is loving me
Loving you is what used to be
Baby you’re too late to win my heart again