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THE ALBUM
"Unison" is the English-language debut album of Celine Dion, released in 1990 in North America and the next year in the rest of the world. Counting her previous French-language releases, it is her 15th album.
...> About The Album
Before "Unison", Celine already had a solid music career in markets. She had released 14 albums in her native language: 11 in Canada and 3 in France. She had won numerous music awards including 15 Félix Awards, 2 Yamaha Music Festival Awards, Eurovision Song Contest Grand Prix or MetroStar Award. Celine received gold and platinum certifications for several of her albums (4 gold, 3 platinum awards) and singles (3 gold awards). She was very successful as a French artist but still unknown in the English-speaking world. In 1985, Celine recorded her first English single called "Listen to the magic man" for the movie "The Peanut Butter Solution". The soundtrack also contained "Michael´s song". The same year she released a live album, "Céline Dion En Concert" which contained a few English songs: "Up where we belong", "Over the rainbow" and "What a feeling". In 1989, she released her second English single in Canada "Can´t live with you, can´t live without you", a duet with Billy Newton-Davis. Celine also recorded "Listen to me" with Warren Wiebe. This was the title song for the movie starring Kirk Cameron. Also in 1989, she recorded her third duet with Dan Hill, called "Wishful thinking". After all those duets and movie songs, it was time for Celine´s solo effort, an entire album in English that would introduce her to the world. For the release, CBS Records had originally offered $25,000, which would allow Celine to record new vocals over the original musical tracks from the French album "Incognito". Three events would raise the ante. First, Celine performed a duet in English with Dan Hill at CBS Canada´s 1987 convention. The performance impressed the company´s president Bernie DiMatteo enough for him to raise the budget to $100,000 so that some new songs could be commissioned. Next, at the Juno Awards she sang "Have a heart", the English version of "Partout je te vois" from "Incognito". After the performance the budget rose to $300,000. When David Foster later saw it on videotape, he told DiMatteo that $300,000 wasn´t enough, so they were given an unlimited budget. The record ended up costing $600,000. Celine worked with three well-known producers: David Foster, Christopher Neil and Andy Goldmark. "Unison" was recorded in London, New York and Los Angeles. Singles from the album include: "(If there was) Any other way", "Unison" (cover of Junior´s song for the Tom Cruise movie "All The Right Moves"), "Where does my heart beat now", "The last to know" (previously recorded by Sheena Easton), and a radio single "Have a heart" (English version of Celine´s 1987 song "Partout je te vois" from "Incognito"). "Unison" earned Celine two Juno Awards for the Album of the Year and the Female Vocalist of the Year. Celine did the "Unison Tour" in Canada to support the album. During the tour, she took part in the recording of "Voices that care", a charity single recorded by a group of popular musicians, entertainers and athletes to help boost the morale of U.S. troops involved in the Gulf War, and also support the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. "Unison" home video with music videos from the album and live performances was also released. While Celine was enjoying her rising success in the English-speaking world, her French and Quebec fans criticized her for neglecting them. After she won the English-speaking Artist of the Year at the Félix Awards show, she attempted to reconnect with her French-speaking fans by refusing to accept the award. She stated she was and would always be, a French, and not an English artist. Nonetheless, she would continue to record music in both French and English, effectively becoming a bilingual artist. To present the award to Celine, the organizers had called Claudette Dion, Celine´s older sister, on stage.
...> Track Listing
1. "(If there was) Any other way"
2. "If love is out the question"
3. "Where does my heart beat now"
4. "The last to know"
5. "I´m loving every moment with you"
6. "Love by another name"
7. "Unison"
8. "I feel too much"
9. "If we could start over"
10. "Have a heart"
...> Recording Sessions
The album was recorded from 1989 to 1990 in diferent cities: London, UK and New York and Los Angeles, USA. Footage from the recording sessions of "Have a heart" in May 1989, at the Chartmarker Studios in Los Angeles, USA with Celine and David Foster, was shown during the "Unison" TV special, aired on Musimax channel in Quebec in 1990.
...> Album Photo Sessions
Celine posed for a photo session made by famous photographer, Dimo Safari. The photo from the album´s cover in one of those photos. Although the album booklet do not contains other photos, except the back cover. Other photos taken from the session, were used as some singles´ covers. Footage from the making of the photo session with an interview with Dimo Safari was shown during the "Unison" TV special, aired on Musimax channel in Quebec in 1990.
...> Chart Success
"Where does my heart beat now" is considered the single that broke Celine into the English world of music, reaching number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. "Unison" has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. The album´s biggest success was in Canada and the United States where it peaked at numbers 15 and 74 respectively, going 7x platinum in Canada, and platinum in the United States. According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Unison" has sold 1,227,000 copies in the United States. However this number does not include first 6 months of sales, as "Unison" was released in September 1990, and Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data in March 1991. "Unison" achieved top 10 status in Norway, reaching number 8, its highest position around the world. Five years after its initial release, in 1996, "Unison" peaked at number 55 in the United Kingdom. The album was also certified gold in France.
...> Critical Reception
The album met with positive reviews. It was largely influenced by the 1980s soft rock sound that was a fit for the adult contemporary radio format. "Unison" hit all the right notes with critics: Jim Faber of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Dion´s vocals were "tastefully unadorned", and that she never attempted to "bring off styles that are beyond her". Stephen Erlwine of Allmusic declared it as "a fine, sophisticated American debut".
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THE EDITIONS
| Cover | Edition/Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Canadian Edition | ----- |
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Japanese Edition | 1990 Japanese 10-track CD, picture sleeve with 20-page lyric & picture booklet plus original lilac obi-strip. |
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Canadian Vynil LP Edition | ----- |
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Taiwanese Edition | 1990 Taiwanese edition 10-track CD album, picture sleeve plus obi-strip. |
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Canadian Cassette Edition | ----- |
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Australian Cassette Edition | ----- |
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Argentinian Cassette Edition | Unusual but genuine 1990 Argentinian issue 10-track cassette album, different Spanish titled picture sleeve. |
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USA MiniDisc Edition | ----- |
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"Celine Dion/Unison" Pack 2CDs | ----- |
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"Unison/Celine Dion/The Colour Of My Love" Pack 3CDs | ----- |
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"Unison/Celine Dion" Pack 2 Ds | ----- |
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"The Collection" 3CDs Set | UK special 3CDs box titled "The Collection", includes "Unison" CD, "Celine Dion" CD and "The Colour Of My Love" CD. |
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"The Collection" Long Box Set | Special long box set with 3 CDs: "Unison" CD, "Celine Dion" CD and "The Colour Of My Love" CD. |
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"Original Album Classics - Celine Dion" 5CDs set | Includes "Unison" CD, "Celine Dion" CD, "The Colour Of My Love" CD, "D´eux" CD and "One Heart" CD in a special box set. |
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"Triple Feature - Celine Dion" | Released by Sony Music in 2012, this is a 3CD Set compilation titled "Triple Feature - Celine Dion" and includes Celine´s English albums "Unison", "Falling Into You" and "Let´s Talk About Love". |
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THE PROMOS
| Cover | Edition/Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
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"Unison By Emotional Voice Of Celine Dion" Box Set | It´s a stunning Japanese promotional box set released in 1990, which contains 1-track "Where does my heart beat now" (UK Version) video, 3 tracks 3" Japanese CD single, housed inside an envelope attached to insideof box lid plus a 12-page colour Japanese booklet. All housed inside a unique custom embossed box. |
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THE SINGLES
...> "(If there was) Any other way"
"(If there was) Any other way" is a song from Celine´s English debut album "Unison". It was released as the first single in Canada (March 24, 1990) and second in the United States (March 18, 1991) and the rest of the world (June 6, 1991). In the United Kingdom it became a promotional release only.
The song was written by Paul Bliss and produced by Christopher Neil. Two dance mixes exist and can be found on American promotional single. One of them (edit remix) was released on the "(If there was) Any other way" commercial single in the United States. The second one (extended remix) appeared later on the U.S. "Love can move mountains" single in 1992. The song reached number 24 in Canada and number 35 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay). "(If there was) Any other way" was more successful on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart peaking at number 8. According to Nielsen SoundScan it has sold 70,000 copies in the U.S.
| Cover | Description | Track Listing |
|---|---|---|
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CD single released in France on June 6, 1991. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way"; 2. "I´m loving every moment with you"; 3. "If we could start over" |
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CD single released in Australia on June 6, 1991. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way"; 2. "(If there was) Any other way" [ instrumental ] |
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CD single released in Australia on June 6, 1991. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way"; 2. "I´m loving every moment with you" |
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Cassette single released in Australia on June 6, 1991. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way"; 2. "(If there was) Any other way" [ instrumental ] |
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Cassette single released in Australia on June 6, 1991. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way"; 2. "I´m loving every moment with you" |
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Promo CD released in France in 1991. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way" |
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CD single released in Japan on June 6, 1991. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way"; 2. "I´m loving every moment with you" |
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Promo CD released in USA in 1991. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way"; 2. "Where does my heart beat now"; 3. "The last to know"; 4. "Unison" |
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Vinyl single released in USA on March 18, 1991. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way"; 2. "Where does my heart beat now" |
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Promo CD released in Canada in 1991. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way" |
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Promo vinyl released in Spain in 1990. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way" |
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Promo CD released in USA in 1990. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way" [ remix edit ]; 2. "(If there was) Any other way" [ extended remix ] |
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Promo CD released in USA in 1990. | 1. "(If there was) Any other way" |
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...> "Unison"
"Unison" was released as the album´s second single in Canada (July 14, 1990) and fourth in Japan (November 4, 1991). In the rest of the world, "Unison" was used as B-side to "The last to know" single.
There were four club mixes created by Kevin Unger: single mix with rap, single mix without rap, mainstream extended mix, and club mix. Three of them feature rap by Frankie Fudge. They can be found on the Canadian editions of this single. The remixes took weeks of pre-production with the ultimate goal of making the original album version into a dance pop track for both contemporary radios and club dance floors. The new versions took 3 days to mix at Toronto´s famed Metal Works Studios. The song reached number 38 in Canada. "Unison" was more successful on the Canadian Contemporary Hit Radio Chart where it peaked at number 27. In the clubs, "Unison" became a national hit, peaking at number 1 on Canada´s National Club Chart for 7 weeks. It was voted the song of the year 1990 in Quebec (ahead of Madonna´s "Vogue") on the Énergie radio network´s "Le choix du Québec". Arguably, the success of the remix single was the springboard Sony Music Canada needed to garner the attention of its U.S. parent company, leading to Celine´s release in the U.S. market.
| Cover | Description | Track Listing |
|---|---|---|
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CD single released in Canada in 1991. | 1. "Unison" [ single mix with rap ]; 2. "Unison" [ single mix without rap ]; 3. "Unison" [ mainstream extended remix ] |
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Vinyl single released in Canada on August 6, 1990. | 1. "Unison" [ mainstream extended remix ]; 2. "Unison" [ club remix ] |
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CD single released in Japan on November 4, 1991. | 1. "Unison" [ single mix with rap ]; 2. "Délivre-moi"; 3. "Can´t live with you, can´t live without you" [ ft. Billy Newton-Davis ]; 4. "Unison" |
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CD single released in Japan on November 4, 1991. | 1. "Unison" [ single mix with rap ]; 2. "Délivre-moi"; 3. "Can´t live with you, can´t live without you" [ ft. Billy Newton-Davis ]; 4. "Unison" |
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Cassette single released in Canada in 1991. | 1. "Unison" [ single mix with rap ]; 2. "Unison" [ single mix without rap ]; 3. "Unison" [ mainstream extended remix ] |
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...> "Where does my heart beat now"
"Where does my heart beat now" is a hit song from Celine´s English debut album called "Unison". It was released as the first single in Canada on October 6, 1990 and United States on November 19, 1990, and in other parts of the world in 1991.
"Where does my heart beat now" was written by Robert White Johnson and Taylor Rhodes in 1988 and recorded by Celine one year later. It was produced by Christopher Neil. Celine premiered this song at the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she performed it live, along with her 1988 winning track "Ne partez pas sans moi". "Where does my heart beat now" was the most successful single from "Unison" album and became Celine´s first English-language hit. In 2008, it was included on the North American version of "My Love: Essential Collection" greatest hits. The song reached number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay and number 9 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales) and did even better on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks peaking at number 2. "Where does my heart beat now" reached also top 10 in Norway and Canada, peaking at numbers 4 and 6 respectively. According to Nielsen SoundScan it has sold 240,000 copies in the U.S. However, this number does not include the first 4 months of single sales, as Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data in March 1991. After being released in the United Kingdom in March 1991, the song peaked at number 81. However, the single was re-released in March 1993, reaching number 72.
| Cover | Description | Track Listing |
|---|---|---|
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Vinyl single released in UK in 1991. | 1. "Where does my heart beat now"; 2. "I feel too much" |
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CD single released in UK in 1991. | 1. "Where does my heart beat now"; 2. "I´m loving every moment with you"; 3. "I feel too much" |
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Vinyl single released in UK in 1991. | 1. "Where does my heart beat now"; 2. "I feel too much" |
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CD single released in Australia in 1991. | 1. "Where does my heart beat now"; 2. "I feel too much" |
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Cassette single released in UK in 1991. | 1. "Where does my heart beat now"; 2. "I feel too much" |
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Cassette single released in UK in 1991. | 1. "Where does my heart beat now"; 2. "I feel too much" |
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Cassette single released in France in 1991. | 1. "Where does my heart beat now"; 2. "I feel too much" |
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CD single released in Japan in 1991. | 1. "Where does my heart beat now"; 2. "I feel too much" |
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Promo vinyl released in Spain in 1991. | 1. "Where does my heart beat now" |
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Promo CD released in USA in 1991. | 1. "Where does my heart beat now" |
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...> "The last to know"
"The last to know" is a song from the album "Unison", released as the fourth single in Canada (March 16, 1991) and the third in the United States (June 24, 1991) and the rest of the world (September 2, 1991).
"The last to know" was written by Brock Walsh and Phil Galdston and previously recorded by Sheena Easton (1987). In the United Kingdom it was the second commercial single, because "(If there was) Any other way" was issued as a promotional release only. The B-side included "Unison", which was released as a single in Canada and Japan only. The song reached number 17 on the Canadian Singles Chart and number 13 on the Contemporary Hit Radio Chart. "The last to know" had also a moderate success on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart in the United States, peaking at number 22.
| Cover | Description | Track Listing |
|---|---|---|
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CD single released in USA on November 2, 1991. | 1. "The last to know" [ edit ]; 2. "Unison"; 3. "If we could start over" |
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CD single released in France on September 2, 1991. | 1. "The last to know" [ edit ]; 2. "Unison"; 3. "If we could start over" |
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CD single released in France on September 2, 1991. | 1. "The last to know" [ edit ]; 2. "Unison"; 3. "If we could start over" |
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CD single released in UK on September 2, 1991. | 1. "The last to know" [ edit ]; 2. "Unison" |
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Vinyl single released in UK on September 2, 1991. | 1. "The last to know" [ edit ]; 2. "Unison" |
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CD single released in Australia on November 2, 1991. | 1. "The last to know" [ edit ]; 2. "Unison" |
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Cassette single released in UK on September 2, 1991. | 1. "The last to know" [ edit ]; 2. "Unison" |
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Cassette single released in Canada on May 6, 1991. | 1. "The last to know" [ edit ]; 2. "Unison" |
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Promo CD released in USA in 1991. | 1. "The last to know" [ edit ]; 2. "Unison" [ single mix with rap ] |
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Cassette single released in USA on June 24, 1991. | 1. "The last to know" [ edit ]; 2. "Unison" [ single mix with rap ] |
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CD single released in Japan in 1991. | 1. "The last to know" [ edit ]; 2. "Unison" [ single mix with rap ] |
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Promo CD released in Canada in 1991. | 1. "The last to know" |
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Promo CD released in Canada in 1991. | 1. "The last to know" |
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Promo CD released in USA in 1991. | 1. "The last to know"; 2. "Unison" [ remix ] |
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Promo vinyl released in USA in 1991. | 1. "The last to know"; 2. "Unison" [ remix ] |
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...> "Have a heart"
"Have a heart" is the fifth and last single from the album "Unison", released as a radio single on July 6, 1991 in Canada only.
"Have a heart" is an English version of Celine´s 1987 song, called "Partout je te vois", from the album "Incognito". Celine performed "Have a heart" at the Juno Awards in 1987. She stole the show and thanks to that got bigger budget to create her first English album "Unison". English words were written by Billy Steinberg and the song was produced by David Foster, who collaborated with Celine many times later. There was no music video for the song, although the "Unison" home video contains a live performance of it, recorded at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto, Canada. The song reached number 17 on the Canadian Contemporary Hit Radio Chart. The promo CD contains only one song: "Have a heart" .
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THE MUSIC VIDEOS
...> "(If there was) Any other way" [ version 1 ]
There were two music videos made for the song. This first one was released in February 1990 for the Canadian market. The two videos were included separately on Celine´s 1991 home video "Unison", depending on the Canadian or U.S. release.
...> "(If there was) Any other way" [ version 2 ]
A second version of the music video was released on March 6, 1991 for the U.S. The latter was directed by Dominic Orlando and filmed in Los Angeles, California, USA and Vancouver, Canada. The two videos were included separately on Celine´s 1991 home video "Unison", depending on the Canadian or U.S. release.
...> "Unison"
The music video was made in July 1990 for the single mix with rap and featured what many believed was an appearance by Frankie Fudge. However the person in the video was not Frankie Fudge. The video was included on the "Unison" VHS.
...> "Where does my heart beat now" [ version 1 ]
Four versions of the music video were made. This first one in black-and-white, was made for the Canadian market in 1990. It was directed by David Phillips.
...> "Where does my heart beat now" [ version 2 ]
A second version of the music video, features a color performance of Celine. It was for the U.S. promotion and released in November 1990.
...> "Where does my heart beat now" [ version 3 ]
A third version for the music video was made. Is a black-and-white version mixed with performance version made for the "Unison" home video (1991).
...> "Where does my heart beat now" [ version 4 ]
The fourth version of the music video is the same as the first one, but in colored brownish-orange.
...> "The last to know"
The music video directed by Dominic Orlando was filmed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA in 1991. It became a part of the "Unison" home video.
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