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The Prayer (Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli song)
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Wikipedia article
"'The Prayer'" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. It was written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager, Alberto Testa and Tony Renis.
"The Prayer" was originally recorded in two solo versions for the 1998 film 'Quest for Camelot', in English by Dion and in Italian by Bocelli. A duet between Dion and Bocelli later appeared on their respective studio albums, 'These Are Special Times' (1998) and 'Sogno' (1999), and was released as a promotional single on 1 March 1999. "The Prayer" won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1999 and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2000. It received highly positive reviews from music critics and entered adult contemporary charts in Canada and the United States in 1999.
In 2008, Dion released a live version of "The Prayer" as a duet with Josh Groban. This music download entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number 37 and the 'Billboard' Hot 100 at number 70.
History
Originally "The Prayer" was recorded as two separate solo versions, Dion's in English and Bocelli's in Italian. They appeared on the 'Quest for Camelot' soundtrack in May 1998. The duet was included on albums by both artists, released a few months later on 'Sogno' and 'These Are Special Times'. Bocelli sang original Italian while Dion translated into English. The song won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song from the 1998 film 'Quest for Camelot', the second win in a row for a Celine Dion song. In that film, Dion sang it as a solo with slightly different lyrics. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1999 and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2000. Dion performed it with Bocelli at both ceremonies.
It was also featured on Dion's compilation 'The Collector's Series, Volume One' (2000) and greatest hits 'My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection' (2008). A re-recorded solo version by Celine Dion (renamed "A Mother's Prayer") appeared on her 2004 album 'Miracle'. Dion performed "The Prayer" live during her Taking Chances Tour as a virtual duet with Bocelli on the screen; the performance was released in the 'Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert' CD/DVD. The song appeared also on Bocelli's 2007 compilation 'The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere'. Dion joined Bocelli to perform the song in his 'Concerto: One Night in Central Park' concert in 2011; the performance was subsequently released on CD and DVD. Both Dion and Bocelli have sung the song with other duet partners, and various other artists have recorded the song, either as a duet or a solo.
The original version of "The Prayer" failed to chart on the US 'Billboard' Hot 100, but reached number 6 and number 22 on the adult contemporary charts in Canada and the United States, respectively. It has also become popular during Christmas, weddings and, in some cases, funerals and religious services.
Critical reception
Paul Verna from 'Billboard' called this song a "gorgeous duet". Chuck Taylor from 'Billboard' reviewed "The Prayer", calling it "a breathtaking, ultra-lush song, and the tour de force combination of Dion and Bocelli [which] will send a half-dozen chills up your spine". Although he felt that the song is "an unorthodox track for the radio," Taylor called it "affecting," "heartwarming," "absolutely exquisite" and "one of Dion's most radiant performances ever."
Track listing
'US promotional CD single'
#"The Prayer" (Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli) 4:29
#"The Prayer" (Celine Dion) 2:48
#"The Prayer" (Andrea Bocelli) 4:10
Personnel
*Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli vocals
*David Foster arranger, composer, keyboards, piano, producer
*William Ross arranger, orchestral arrangements
*Humberto Gatica engineer, mixing
*Felipe Elgueta engineer, programming
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Celine Dion and Josh Groban version
Celine Dion first performed "The Prayer" live with Josh Groban in 1999, when then 17-year old Groban filled in for Andrea Bocelli at rehearsal for the 41st Annual Grammy Awards. Nine years later, the two performed the song during her CBS TV special 'That's Just the Woman in Me', aired on 15 February 2008. This version was released as a music download in the United States and Canada two days earlier. It proved to be much more successful than the original, entering the 'Billboard' Hot 100 at number 70, becoming Groban's highest-charting song to date as an individual act (he and Dion would both go on to reach number two as members of Artists for Haiti with the song "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" in 2010). It also appeared on a few other 'Billboard' charts: Pop 100 at number 50, Hot Digital Songs at number 32 and Hot Digital Tracks at number 29. The single sold 37,531 copies in its first week in the US. In Canada, the song peaked at number 37 on the Canadian Hot 100 and number 19 on the Canadian Top Digital Downloads.
Charts
Anthony Callea version
{{Infobox song
| name = The Prayer
| cover = The_Prayer_Anthony_Callea_cover_art.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Anthony Callea
| album = Anthony Callea
| released = 19 December 2004
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Classical crossover
| length = 4:16
| label = Sony BMG
| writer =
| producer = John Forman
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Rain
| next_title2 = Bridge over Troubled Water
| next_year = 2005
| misc =
}}
Callea first performed this song during Australian Idol 2004, in the week of "contestants choice". He received a standing ovation for this performance and the "Grand Royal Touchdown" from judge Mark Holden. He would go on to be runner-up in this series.
At the completion of the show, Callea was signed to Sony BMG, and he released "The Prayer" as his debut single.
It was released in Australia on 19 December 2004 and debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Charts. It stayed there for five weeks and was certified 4 platinum by ARIA. It became the fastest-selling single by any Australian artist, and was the second-highest-selling single in Australia within the 2000s overall, and for an Australian artist.Cashmere, Paul (29 January 2005)[https://web.archive.org/web/20050131033809/http://www.undercover.com.au/news/2005/jan05/20050129_anthonycallea.html Anthony Callea Premature Sales Announcement].undercover.com.au. Archived from [http://www.undercover.com.au/news/2005/jan05/20050129_anthonycallea.html the original] on 31 January 2005. Retrieved 4 February 2012.[http://www.aria.com.au/documents/ARIAEndOfDecadeCharts.pdf ARIA's End Of Decade Charts*](PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2012. The song was included on Callea's debut album 'Anthony Callea'. The music video includes excerpts of Callea recording the song and was released in 2004.
Callea has performed "The Prayer" at numerous concerts as well as the Carols by Candlelight in Melbourne. In 2006, he performed the song in front of Queen Elizabeth II at a Commonwealth Day Service. He also performed it as a duet with Tina Arena on her 'Symphony of Life' CD/DVD, released in 2012.
Track listing
'Australian CD single'#"The Prayer" 4:16
#"The Prayer" (Sterling Remix) 4:03
Charts
Weekly chartsYear-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
References
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